Green | January 30, 2009 | 11 comments

Animal feed: the stealth GM food in your trolley

source: http://www.gmfreeze.org/page.asp?ID=366

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JanforGore
Consumers in Europe have resisted GM foods and for good reason. However, there is a stealth way that GMOs are winding up in food, and it is through GM animal feed. This particular article and action based in the UK calls for the end of GM feed that secretly finds its way into meat, fish, and dairy products. It always astounds me how people in Europe seem more savvy on these important issues and always take a stand and are successful. We need such a movement in the United States to say NO to these GMOs that are not independently tested or labelled from finding their way into our food supply and environment stealthily or otherwise. Perhaps this year will be the year. I personally think GMOs will see a decline as more people become aware of the health and environmental risks, and as more people tire of the secrecy maintained surrounding them by Monsanto and other chemical companies.
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11 comments // Animal feed: the stealth GM food in your trolley

  • JanforGore
  • JanforGore
    • 0
      JanforGore  
    • Image

    • Nontarget effects of genetic manipulation

      "Much of the public debate concerning genetically modified organisms, their widespread use in animal and human food, and their impact upon the environment could be raised to an entirely new and more productive level if certain undisputed facts were more widely known. The facts at issue have to do with the unintended and systemic consequences of genetic manipulations, as revealed in one research report after another. Click below to:
      Search Nontarget Effects

      Click below for:
      Nontarget Effects-Introductory Article

      Putting the matter plainly: when foreign genes are introduced into an organism, creating a transgenic organism (commonly called a genetically modified or genetically engineered organism), the results for the organism and its environment are almost always unpredictable. The intended result may or may not be achieved in any given case, but the one almost sure thing is that unintended results - nontarget effects - will also be achieved.

      These facts have been, and are being, widely reported in the scientific literature. While they are correcting our understanding in important ways, they are not at all controversial. And they bear directly upon the wisdom of virtually all the current genetic engineering practices. If there has been limited reportage of nontarget effects in the popular press, it may be because the facts are often buried in technical scientific articles. And within genetic engineering research itself, scientists are mainly concerned with achieving targeted effects and not with investigating beyond the range of their own intentions and reporting unexpected effects. But when they do investigate, there is usually plenty to see.

      It is the purpose of this project to make evidence about the wide-ranging and never wholly predictable effects of genetic engineering readily accessible to concerned citizens, policy makers, and scientists. We have collected examples from the scientific literature, primarily from peer-reviewed journals, and written short reports on each example. These are ordered according to different categories and include effects on the manipulated organisms themselves as well as broader environmental ripple effects. Currently we have included only studies related to nontarget effects associated with genetically modified plants. Our compilation of reports is by no means exhaustive and will be expanded over time. The technical literature we have not yet touched remains extensive.

      Search Nontarget Effects at the link.

    • 3 years ago
  • jimmypockets
    • 0
      jimmypockets  

    • toying with our food sources can have some major benefits to society, like the evolution of corn or the tomatoes thick skin. but to manipulate the things we eat on the molecular level is in my opinion to gamble with human currency. who honestly knows what changing the genes in our yogurt could lead to after prolonged consumption? as a species we have been given the opportunity to make positive differences on this planet and have been blessed with something loosely called "common seance". it is unfortunate we do not use to the best of our abilities, these qualities.

    • 3 years ago
  • JanforGore
    • 0
      JanforGore  

    • I personally don't, however, for those who wish to do so there should be certain guidelines in place regarding its safety. And as long as GMOS are going to be allowed to "blow in the wind" our entire food supply will be at risk unless we take a stand against them.

    • 3 years ago
  • onechance
  • JanforGore
  • TopScruffy
  • onechance
  • JanforGore
    • 0
      JanforGore  

    • This is a great leaflet. I will be printing this out and sending it along with my letter to the White House tomorrow to show what other countries are doing for their health and safety.

    • 3 years ago
  • JanforGore
    • 0
      JanforGore  

    • From the site:

      February 2009

      GM is still in the food chain, but not on the label. Genetically modified crops still feed many of the animals we eat or use for eggs and milk, and it is this “hidden” GM feed that is keeping the biotech industry alive and profitable. (See our briefing here for more details.)

      We need your help now to get GM out of our food chain once and for all - especially as we have heard that supermarkets may be using the "food crisis" as an excuse to open the door to MORE GM, not less.

      Since people reject GM for their own food, the industry's last profitable outlet for these crops is animal feed. If we make it clear we do not want to support the biotech industry in this way, it will lose significant part of its market.

      Below is a letter you can send to your supermarket, but personal letters are best. We need each person who reads this to send just one letter, but the more the better, so feel free to pass this message on.

      GM Freeze can also provide you with free leaflets about GM animal feed for mailings, meetings, public stalls, local shops or anywhere else you can help get this message out. You can ring us on 01381 610 740 or email eve@gmfreeze.org with your order. If you'd rather print off your own copies of the leaflet, the pdf is here.

      We’ve done well over the years keeping GM food off our tables, we can finish the job now by telling supermarkets we do not want hidden GM in animal feed either.

      If you have any questions or would like more background information, feel free to contact us.

      Thank you for your help with this important initiative.

      **************

      Sample letter:

      Dear Sir,

      I am very concerned that you continue to sell food produced using GM animal feed. Please can you tell me when you intend to phase it out? In the meantime, will you label the products you sell that come from animals fed a GM-free diet so I can buy them to avoid GM?

      I hope you will take up this issue with the greatest urgency, as I do not want to support the biotechnology industry when I do my shopping. I fear that your lack of action may undermine my ability to choose to buy non-GM products, as is my right.

      I am comparing your policies with other companies to see where I can do my shopping without buying hidden GM.

      Yours sincerely,

      *******************

      While many supermarkets have emails for customer services, we have found that it is more effective to write directly to the head of the organisation. You can find the addresses for all the UK's major supermarkets here.

    • 3 years ago
  • csmonut
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