True GMO Science and Dangers You’ll Never Hear About from the Media

November 25, 2013 | By WakingTimes | Reply

Paul Fassa, Natural Society
Waking Times

The mainstream media (MSM) usually lamely refers to GMO issues as an undecided debate or controversy, depicting anti-GMO people as “emotional” and “unreasonable” while claiming genetic engineering is more “scientific”. But the only “science” the MSM is exposed to are press releases from the bio-tech industry. The fact is, numerous studies point to GMO dangers, and hundreds of scientists are beginning to publicly speak out against GMOs at large.

GMO Dangers

In the notorious French study conducted by Gilles-Eric Séralini on approved GMO corn and Roundup’s active ingredient glyphosate, used for GMO Roundup ready seeds, rats fed GMOs had developed dramatic cancerous tumors.

Seralini’s two year trial was trashed by the biotech industry sycophants as unscientific, and the MSM accepted that trash without question. Those so called journalists never bothered to check the facts. The rats Seralini used were the same types used by Monsanto for their study to gain approval for their GMO corn.

But the Monsanto “approved” report was based on a three month study. Even without disclosing adverse effects, which is common with studies from industry funded research. The Monsanto trial was obviously too short.

Seralini’s was more appropriate for long term effects, and he added low glyphosate doses measured as equivalent to byproduct consumption of Monsato’s GMO corn. I don’t think Monsanto even included an animal testing for glyphosate.

The good news is Seralini’s study has been validated by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Did that get covered by MSM or lamestream media? They probably don’t even know about it, and if they do, they won’t report on it. But here it is for you perusal.

Non-GMO Foods here

But even before this controversy, scientists who know genes and microbiology, but weren’t bought and funded by Monsanto and their ilk, were expressing grave concerns about the promoter gene used for GMO products.

An Academic Whistle Blower Reveals GMO Promoter Gene Issues

In November 2009, The Organic & Non-GMO Report (online) interviewed Agro-ecologist Don Lotter, Ph.D, about his paper, “The Genetic Engineering of Food and the Failure of Science”, published in the 2009 edition of the International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food.

Despite knowing how this paper might affect his career as a university researcher and professor, Lotter revealed more than the flawed scientific background of bio-technology arrogance. He also revealed a smoking gun that would ruin our health.

Lotter stated:

“The promoter gene used in genetically engineered crops, the cauliflower mosaic virus, is a powerful promoter of inter-species gene exchange. Scientists thought it would be denatured in our digestive system, but it’s not. It has been shown to promote the transfer of transgenes from GM foods to the bacteria within our digestive system, which are responsible for 80% of our immune system function. ” (Emphasis added)

Lotter added there are even worse concerns about this promoter gene, the cauliflower mosaic virus or CaMV-35S. The CaMV-35S used for plant genetic engineering is cited by most independent scientists as a source of viral recombination as well as a gene silencer and DNA disruptor.

In other words, it could spread viral disease and genetic havoc “horizontally” across plant, animal, and human life while simultaneously suppressing our immune systems. Other independent scientists have corroborated Don Lotter’s assessment of CaMV-35S promoter gene dangers.

There are numerous other studies available showcasing the negative effects and dangers of GMOs. You can’t rely on the words coming from the MSM or Big Ag.

Additional Sources:

i-sis.org.uk

Natural-Law-Party.org.uk

Washington State Votes to Label GMO Foods

November 06, 2013 | 125,294 views

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By Dr. Mercola

On November 5, residents of Washington State voted on a law to label genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and genetically engineered (GE) foods.  It will take a few more days before we know the results, but regardless of the vote tally we are winning the very tough battle against the chemical and junk food companies.

I want to personally thank everyone in Washington State who cast their vote for the people's initiative 522, "The People's Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act"  and those who actually helped in the campaign.

The momentum gained is a remarkable victory in itself, achieved in the face of enormous resistance from multi-billion dollar food and biotech corporations—which, by the way, tried to hide their identities from voters by laundering their campaign donations through a “brand defense” account created by the Grocery Manufacturers Association of America (GMA).

It didn’t work, however. The GMA was sued by the state Attorney General for violating the state’s campaign disclosure laws, and within days, the identities of the companies paying to defeat I-522 were released.

Not surprisingly, the list contained the usual suspects. Pepsi, Coke, and Nestle—authorities of junk food and primary purveyors of chronic disease—were the top funders trying to hide their stance to avoid backlash from the customers they deceive.

'Victory Gardens'—A Step Toward Fixing a Broken System

One of my most consistent messages through the years has been that, in order to take control of your health, you need to address your diet. Processed foods are one of the primary drivers of chronic disease, so switching from processed foods to natural (ideally organic) whole foods is the first step.

Seeing how the food industry as a whole has no incentive whatsoever to sell and market whole foods, I’ve long promoted the idea of procuring your foods from local farms, farmers markets and coop’s.

Another strategy, which I believe is a step toward fixing this broken food system—especially if done en masse—is to grow your own fruits and vegetables.

The idea of planting War Gardens or Victory Gardens goes back to World War I and II, and was advertised as a way for patriots to make a difference on the homefront. The National War Garden Commission was launched in early 1917 by a wealthy American timberman, and this simple strategy proved to be life saving during both wars.

To combat food shortages, citizens were encouraged to plant Victory Gardens to supply themselves and their neighbors with fresh produce. During the Second World War, an estimated 20 million Americans answered the call to action, planting over five million gardens on private and public land, producing up to 10 million tons of fresh produce annually.

This amount equaled that of all commercial production of vegetables, and by the end of World War II, the food produced by private citizens exceeded $1.2 billion. In Great Britain, the success of the US campaign spurred Britons to follow suit. There, private gardens ended up being the source of about 40 percent of the nation’s vegetables.

At present, the “war” we fight is the war against a food industry that over the last 60 years has surrendered its morals and abandoned its original mission to produce and sell safe, healthy nutritious foods.  Chemical agriculture and the junk food industry have hit rock bottom, purposely addicting and marketing to kids while deceiving consumers about the real long term safety of their 'foods'.

Despite obstacles, including agricultural subsidies that favor production of processed foods and junky snacks, I believe the current situation can change if enough people understand some simple truths about what makes for a healthy diet, which I detail in my free Optimized Nutrition Plan. The foundational premise of any health-promoting diet is whole food, and the greater the portion consumed raw, the better.

Planting your own Victory Garden can go a long way toward healthier eating, and in the long run, it can provide incentive for industry-wide change, and a return to a diet of real food, for everyone, everywhere. One of the best ways to put your toe into the water in this process is to start growing spouts for your salad, as I discuss below.

Can You Grow Fresh Food in the Winter? Sure You Can!

Growing your own food has many rewards, from providing you with fresher, uncontaminated produce and cutting your grocery bill, to increasing your sense of well being and slashing your risk of depression.

In fact, according to a recent survey for Gardeners World magazine,1 80 percent of gardeners reported being “happy” and satisfied with their lives, compared to 67 percent of non-gardeners. And the more time spent in the garden, the higher their satisfaction scores—87 percent of those who tend to their gardens for more than six hours a week reported feeling happy, compared to those spending less time in their gardens.

But how do you grow your own food during winter months? And what if you don’t have a lot of space?  Don’t worry. You can grow healthful food year-round, even in small spaces! While you could certainly grow an outdoor winter garden, using cold frames, one of the simplest and most inexpensive alternatives is togrow sprouts.

As an added boon, they offer rapid rewards. Unlike a conventional vegetable garden, you’ll have food ready for harvest in about a week! Best of all, you can sprout seeds indoors in any season, which means you can eat fresh raw nutritious food year-round. In fact, sprouts are among the most nutrient-dense foods out there. Depending on the sprout, the nutrient content can increase as much as 30 times the original value within just a few days of sprouting.

Topping the list are sunflower seed and pea sprouts, which are typically about 30 times more nutritious than organic vegetables. Both also provide very high quality protein. Sunflower- and pea sprouts are among my own favorites.Broccoli sprouts, known for their anti-cancer activity, are another excellent choice.

Sprouts are a perfect complement to fermented vegetables which are also easy and inexpensive to make at home, from scratch. My primary meal of the day typically consists of about half a pound of sunflower sprouts, four ounces of fermented vegetables, half a large red pepper, several tablespoons of raw organic butter, some red onion, a whole avocado and about three ounces of wild Alaskan salmon or organic, pastured chicken.

Planning Your Victory Garden

If you’re tight on space, I’d recommend getting Alex Mitchell’s book, The Edible Balcony, in which she details how to grow fresh produce in small spaces. Filled with beautiful color photographs throughout, the book helps you determine what might work best for you, depending on your space and location, and guides you through the design basics. There are ingenious solutions for virtually every problem you might encounter.

For example, instead of flowers, window boxes can hold herbs, greens, radishes, scallions, bush beans, strawberries, chard, and chiles. You can also maximize your horizontal space by adding hanging planters and wall-mounted planters. Just start small, and as you get the hang of it, add another container of something else. Before you know it, large portions of your meals could come straight from your own edible garden.

Whether you’re working with planters or have a large enough yard to dig up a garden patch, you can get a nice head-start by growing seedlings. Once the danger of spring frost has passed, you can transplant them into your garden.

Growing seedlings, which can take between four and 12 weeks to sprout, will allow you to harvest your vegetables four to six weeks earlier than had you planted the seeds directly outdoors. This can also be particularly useful in areas where the growing season is short.

Regardless of what fruits or veggies you’re growing, I recommend using fresh heirloom seeds. The ones I sell in my online store are from Baker Creek Seed Company, which specializes in traditional heirloom seeds from the 19th Century and is dedicated to promoting and preserving both traditional agriculture practices and culinary heritage.

Personally, I garden both indoors and outdoors. As I mentioned previously, sprouts are one of my favorite indoor, year-round, tight-space crops, as they provide such great nutrition. For more tips on starting your own garden—whether large or small, indoors or outside, for winter or spring—please see my previous articles on the following topics. To browse through all the gardening articles on my site, see my Organic Gardening page:

• Creating a winter garden
• Creating edible gardens in small spaces
• Getting a head-start on your spring garden by growing seedlings
• Composting made easy, even for city-dwellers
• How to increase your garden yield eight-fold, using high performance agriculture techniques

It’s Time to Celebrate—and Continue the Movement!

It thrills me to be able to replace my typical call to action with a big THANK YOU! Know that your involvement, your financial donations, and your outreach to educate friends and family is finally coming to fruition.

Last year, we lost the vote in California’s Prop. 37 by the narrowest of margins. However, the Prop 37 campaign created massive awareness across the US, awakening millions of Americans to the issues surrounding GMO’s.  With mounting evidence of harm, food companies and biotech companies can no longer be allowed to hide such ingredients. You have the right to know what you’re feeding your family.

This is a major step toward correcting the problems within the food industry.  But we can do more. Planting “Victory Gardens” across the nation will help support a growing movement toward a saner, healthier America. I encourage you to join us, and grow some food of your own.  If you have a surplus, give some to your neighbors. Also remember you can ferment your veggies, which will provide you with superior, nutritious foods during the winter months. This is how your ancestors used to feed themselves, and it’s time to revive some of this crucial knowledge about food.

GMO labeling initiative 522 seems to have failed, proving once again that corporate money can buy food secrecy

Wednesday, November 06, 2013 by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger Editor of NaturalNews.com (See all articles...) Tags: GMO labeling initiative, I-522, guerilla warfare

(NaturalNews) As of this writing, Washington state I-522 looks to have narrowly failed at the ballot box.This link shows election results county by county.

At 11:00pm last night, the "no" votes were winning by approximately 55% to 44%. Mail-in votes reportedly have not been counted yet, but unless a radical change appears in the final votes, I-522 will go down in history as yet another example of corporate money buying out the voters through a campaign of lies and deception.

The Grocery Manufacturers of America and most of the big-name food companies proved in this campaign that they are willing to operate a criminal conspiracy to cheat, lie and intentionally misinform voters. At stake is their continued way of doing business: SECRECY coupled with consumer ignorance.

In an honest election, I-522 would have easily passed

The last thing these companies want is for consumers to realize they're buying poison. That's why they plowed tens of millions of dollars into their disinfo campaign, hoping they could trick enough voters into not understanding what they were voting for. In an honest election that wasn't primarily determined by money, I-522 would pass in a landslide, but in this election, much like Prop 37, corporate money allowed these companies to essentially buy their way to a ballot box victory that keeps consumers ignorant.

The Yes on 522 campaign ran a valiant campaign, and had voters not been deceived by the corporate-funded opposition, the ballot measure would have unquestionably passed. No person in their right mind would want LESS transparency on what's in the foods we buy and consume. Every intelligent person, if allowed due consideration on the subject, will naturally conclude that the right to know what's in our food is a fundamental human right.

The failure of 522 also shows that democracy itself doesn't work when a tidal wave of corporate money is allowed to influence election outcomes. And that's the way nearly all elections work, isn't it? So even though we can all talk about the idealistic goal of "the People" being in charge of legislation, in reality the corporations have now seized so much power in America that even when the informed masses want to codify fundamental human rights into law, it cannot be readily achieved.

GMO labeling will never be won with money

After back-to-back failures of Prop 37 and I-522, I think it's time we all realized we will never win this issue with money. As much as we all gave money to this campaign (and Dr. Bronner's gave the most, I believe), the junk food manufacturers of this nation were able to spend almost twenty times more.

Selling the public toxic beverages and junk foods made with cheap "junk" ingredients is highly profitable, of course, so these companies have hundreds of millions of dollars to throw around like caged gorillas flinging excrement.

If we hope to ever see GMO labeling mandated in any state in America, victory is going to have to be achieved through "guerilla activism" methods that go far outside the box of "spending money on ads."

I'm not criticizing the 522 campaign directors, by the way. They did a fantastic job. But the playbook they are working from is based on rules of conventional campaigning, not guerilla campaigning.

It's much like the American colonists in the War of Independence who realized they would be slaughtered if they did battle with the occupying British by adhering to rigid formations. Man for man (and dollar for dollar), you can't beat the establishment. What you need to invoke is asymmetrical warfare tactics such as guerilla warfare where colonists would hide in the bushes and ambush high-ranking British officers, thereby cutting off the leadership and causing disarray among the enemy ranks.

Don't misunderstand my metaphor here: I am not suggesting anyone actually ambush and kill CEOs of junk food companies. This is merely an illustration of the fact that going head to head (dollar for dollar) with Pepsico, Coca-Cola and Monsanto is never going to result in victory for GMO labeling activists.

There are far more clever ways to multiply your efforts and make the actions of one person more impactful than millions of dollars in expenditures by the opposition.

Take off the kid gloves and go for the throat

We also have to realize that the GMO labeling opposition will never play by the rules. They routinely engage in dirty tricks and even criminal behavior in order to achieve their goals at any cost. I am not suggesting that we stoop to their level and start breaking the law to achieve victory, but we do have to take a far more aggressive stance that directly accuses the opposition of mass deception, mass poisoning and causing a potential ecological disaster.

See, the problem with the campaigns for GMO labeling so far is that they are too polite. They are run by nice people who play by nice rules. Those are great people to have as friends and neighbors, but they are not the kind of scrapping, no-holds-barred warriors that are needed to defeat such as slithering, slippery enemy.

The opposition to GMO labeling is a cabal of mafia-style criminal rogues who continue to achieve their dark victories by breaking all the rules and playing dirty. To beat them at that game, you have to take off the kid gloves and go for their throats.

If anybody in the GMO labeling activism world wants to know how to do that, contact me so we can set up a face-to-face meeting. In the mean time, know that I am already working on an asymmetrical P.R. warfare strategy that will be unleashed next year right here on Natural News.

Because the real story here -- and I'm not going to fully explain this until later -- is that the very weapons needed to defeat these evil corporations are sitting right there on the shelves of every grocery store across America. They have handed us the tools of their own defeat.

This will all be explained in more detail on January 7, 2014 as part of my upcoming breakthrough food science announcement.

With Introduction of GMOs, Chronic Disease Rates Began to Climb

By Dr. Mercola

We are extremely excited to announce another free weeklong streaming of the hour-length version of Genetic Roulette—The Gamble of Our Lives,1 winner of the Top Transformational Film of 2012 by AwareGuide and 2012 Movie of the Year by the Solari Report.

Featuring testimony from healthcare practitioners, scientists, veterinarians, parents, and others about the health risks of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food, this powerful documentary shares the amazing stories of individuals who saw undeniable improvements after switching to a non-GMO diet.

Last year, during its first free showing week, Genetic Roulette garnered over 1.25 million views. Viewers were so moved that many made the decision to eliminate GMOs from their diet before the credits rolled, and subsequently reported profound improvements in their health.

This film could change your life too! So please, take advantage of this opportunity and forward this important film to all of your close personal friends; share it with others on Facebook and Twitter.

“GENETIC ROULETTE unveils a world most of us have never seen. It raises alarming questions about GMOs, and we deserve answers. For all that you love, hear this message and act now.” — Frances Moore Lappé, author of Diet for a Small Planet and EcoMind

What Is a GMO?

As Jeffrey Smith, creator of Genetic Roulette, explains, genetically engineered organisms are created by taking one or more genes from one species and forcing it into the DNA of another species. Oftentimes, the gene is “piggy-backed” on a virus, or part of a virus, in order to activate the gene.

Examples include inserting spider genes into goats to produce goat’s milk that contain spider web proteins used to make bulletproof vests.

Cow genes have been inserted into pigs in order to produce pigs with cowhides. Human genes have been inserted into corn to produce a spermicide. When it comes to GMOs in our food supply, there are two main categories:

1. Herbicide-tolerant crops, designed to withstand otherwise lethal doses of chemicals. Roundup Ready crops are in this category. In June, groundbreaking research was published detailing a newfound mechanism of harm for Roundup. The finding suggests that glyphosate may actually be the most important factor in the development of a wide variety of chronic diseases.
2. Pesticide-producing crops, designed to produce a toxic protein inside the plant itself, which kills bugs that eat the plant by causing their stomachs to rupture. These are the so-called Bt crops.
A study published in February 2012 shows that this Bt toxin is capable of breaking open human cells, and that it might cause the same kind of disruption in the gut of humans as it causes in the insects it kills. Consuming Bt corn or soy could potentially cause gut permeability ("leaky gut"), which can predispose you to all sorts of health problems.

Contrary to popular belief, the process of genetic engineering is anything but precise. As Dr. Robin Bernholt says, “it’s sub-microscopic shooting from the hip.”

“The very process of genetic engineering creates unpredicted side effects. You take a gene and make millions of copies and they put them into a gun, literally and then shoot that gun into a plate of millions of cells – and then you clone those cells into a plant,” Jeffrey Smith explains.

One of the things that the biotech industry does not want to admit is that this process creates wholly unpredictable side effects. Take the genetically engineered cow Daisy, for example. Daisy, a cloned dairy cow, was genetically engineered to produce milk that does not contain a whey protein called beta-lactoglobulin (BLG), which is a common cause of milk allergy.

However, it didn’t take long for unexpected results to crop up. For one, while the genetic modification did reduce levels of BLG protein in the milk to undetectable levels, it more than doubled concentrations of caseins, other hard-to-digest milk proteins that are also linked to allergies and even Alzheimer’s disease.

With Introduction of GMOs, Chronic Disease Rates Began to Climb

Over the last two decades, the United States has witnessed a dramatic rise in chronic illnesses that simply were not part of the norm some 30-50 years ago. Since the mid-1990s, the number of Americans suffering from at least three chronic illnesses nearly doubled.

Life expectancy has decreased and infant mortality has increased. So what’s changed? Why are so many more Americans getting sick today—and at an earlier age—than ever before?

One of the most radical changes that has occurred in the past 20 years is the genetic engineering of our food supply. Genetically engineered soy and corn were introduced into the American diet in 1996. As stated by Ashley Koff in the film, “

We have gone from food in its whole food form, to food undergoing a scientific experiment.” One unintended side effect of this experiment is the creation of foreign and highly allergenic proteins. To quote soil scientist and physician Dr. Arden Anderson:

“From a biophysics perspective, when we look at the signature now of that entire gene sequence, it’s foreign; it does not exist anywhere in nature. And therefore your immune system, which is truly a grand electromagnetic sensor system, looks at that gene sequence that is supposed to be food, whether it is soy or corn or whatever it might be.

.. and says 'I’ve never seen that sequence ever, it doesn’t exist in nature, it’s foreign.' [So] it attacks. It creates an inflammatory reaction and attacks that sequence.”

According to Jeffrey Smith, who has spent the last 17 years educating people about GMOs, there are definitive correlations between the results from animal-feeding studies and the patterns of human disease we’re now seeing.

For example, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine has done a number of animal-feeding studies on GMOs, specifically enumerating the particular categories of diseases and disorders found in these controlled environments. These include:

Gastrointestinal problems	Immune problems	Reproductive problems
Organ damage	Dysfunction and dysregulation of cholesterol	Dysfunction and dysregulation of insulin

Kidney problems, for example, have been demonstrated in 19 different animal-feeding studies, and kidney diseases are also on the rise among Americans. As stated by Smith:

“You look at the three different corresponding factors: (1) what humans are getting better from, (2) what livestock is getting better from, (3) what afflictions are afflicting the lab animals fed with GMOs, and then you look at what diseases are really taking off in the United States – they’re the same categories:”

Glyphosate—Another Major Culprit in the Rise of Chronic Disease

There’s also another potent toxin associated with genetically engineered foods that is unrelated to the Bt toxin or the genetic alteration itself, and that is glyphosate—the active ingredient in Monsanto’s broad-spectrum herbicide, which is used on both genetically engineered (GE) crops and many conventional crops as well. The contamination appears to be greater in GE crops however, especially in so-called Roundup Ready crops.

For example, in one nutritional analysis,2 GMO corn was found to contain 13 ppm of glyphosate, compared to zero in non-GMO corn. At 13 ppm, GMO corn contains more than 18 times the “safe” level of glyphosate set by the EPA. As mentioned earlier, groundbreaking research published this past June details a newfound mechanism of harm for Roundup, which suggest that glyphosate may actually be the most important factor in the development of a wide variety of chronic diseases.

44,000 Pages of Memoranda Prove FDA Has Lied About GMO Safety

You’ve probably heard that “genetically engineered crops have no impact on the environment” and are “safe to eat.” But did you know that federal departments in charge of food safety in the US and Canada have not actually conducted tests to affirm this alleged “safety”? Since 1992, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has maintained that the agency is unaware of any information showing that GMOs are significantly different from conventional varieties, and so therefore safety studies are unnecessary.

But, as discussed in the film, some 44,000 pages of secret internal memos and other documents forced out by a 1998 lawsuit shows that the FDA has lied about the safety of GMOs since the very beginning... According to Steven Druker, an attorney and executive director of the Alliance for Bio-Integrity who coordinated the lawsuit against the FDA to obtain mandatory safety testing and labeling of gene-spliced foods:3

“As I combed through those 44,000 pages of memoranda and other documents, I was shocked. Because it became clear that the FDA had lied repeatedly since 1992; they claimed that there was an overwhelming consensus within the scientific community that these foods were safe. But the overwhelming consensus within their own scientific staff was exactly opposite. These foods could not be presumed safe.

...What Monsanto and the biotech industry wanted from the FDA was a policy that created the illusion that genetically engineered foods were being diligently regulated but, in fact, impose no burdens at all; [a policy] that in fact had zero regulation. And the FDA has pulled that off masterly.”

How could such a thing happen, you might ask. Well, once you realize that the person in charge of policy at the FDA at the time was a former Monsanto attorney, Michael Taylor, the answer should become fairly easy to recognize. Taylor later became Monsanto’s vice president. And now he’s back at the FDA again as the US Food Safety Czar...

How to Avoid GMOs

There are nine primary GE food crops, the derivatives of which can be found in more than 70 percent of supermarket foods, particularly processed foods. If you want to avoid GMOs, make sure none of the following are on your grocery list or in the foods you buy, unless they are USDA certified organic:

Soy	Cottonseed	Corn
Canola oil	Hawaiian papaya	Alfalfa
Sugar from sugar beets	Some varieties of zucchini	Crookneck squash

Also avoid any product containing aspartame, which is derived from a GE organism, and any milk product that may have rBGH. I recommend consuming only raw, organic milk products you've obtained from a trustworthy local dairy farmer. The Institute for Responsible Technology has put together a helpful Non-GMO Shopping Guide you can download and print. They even have an iPhone app.

Your best bet, of course, is to buy organic whole foods. By buying organic, you will dramatically reduce your exposure to pesticides, hormones and antibiotics, as those are used on nearly all GE crops. Get to know your local farmers. Many are too small to afford official certification, but may still adhere to organic, sustainable practices. The only way to determine how your food is raised is to check them out, meeting the farmer face to face if possible. Yes, it does take time but is worth it if you are really concerned about your family's health.

Get Involved, and Help Spread the Word

If you enjoyed the film, please purchase the DVD and support the Institute for Responsible Technology’s work to educate people on the health dangers of GMOs. With your purchase, you will receive a bonus DVD, which includes:

• The beautiful Seeds of Freedom, narrated by Jeremy Irons and produced by The Gaia Foundation and African Biodiversity Network.
• A presentation by Jeffrey Smith to hundreds of physicians who not only give him a standing ovation, but indicate they will prescribe non-GMO diets to their patients.
• A hard-hitting talk on the unholy alliance between the US government and Monsanto; accompanied by some dark highlights of Monsanto’s history.

Also, join IRT’s Tipping Point Network of organized advocates who are making a difference. And be sure to subscribe to IRT’s free newsletter, Spilling the Beans, to stay informed of all things GMO.

Last but certainly not least, you can make a difference by making a donation to the Institute for Responsible Technology (IRT). Your gift will help IRT to get this urgent message out to millions of others. Together, we can end the genetic engineering of our food supply.

Los Angeles Set to Be Largest GMO-Free Zone in USA

October 25, 2013 | By WakingTimes | Reply

Anthony Gucciardi, Natural SocietyWaking Times

International outrage against Monsanto and GMOs by activists and concerned citizens at large is paying off once again. Just days after Mexico announced a complete ban on the growth of GMO corn, Los Angeles lawmakers have now gone on record in setting up Los Angeles to be the largest GMO-free region in the United States.

Specifically, L.A. politicians are responding to the call for a ban on the cultivation, sale, and even distribution of GMOs at large. In other words, an entirely ‘GMO-free’ zone. This would be one of the most powerful pieces of legislation to pass in the fight against Monsanto that has ever been seen — especially in the Monsanto-owned United States, where even the USDA has given Monsanto’s genetically modified creations special ‘speedy approval’ access to their regulation techniques.

Politicians Forced to Act

But even despite Monsanto’s tentacles being locked deep inside the political system, we are now seeing politicians who are forced into taking action by their supporters. This appears to be the case with Los Angeles City Councilmen Paul Koretz and Mitch O’Farrell, who are responsible for introducing the motion and subsequently addressing the demands of the population. And thanks to activism and the high-powered spread of information on the subject of Monsanto and GMOs, we are seeing this kind of action on a much more frequent basis.

In fact, the number of politicians now driven to fight against Monsanto in order to retain support is climbing to the point where my prediction of Monsanto’s economic downfall within the next few years may indeed become a reality thanks to enraged voters. Just look at how much information is being launched into the mainstream even in major media reports on the Los Angeles initiative, with City Councilman Kortez stating:

“A growing number of problems are being traced to GMOs,.. the evolution of ‘superbug’ insects which are growing immune to the pesticides engineered within GMO crops” and ”‘seed drift’ (for example the recent finding of GMO-pollinated wheat growing in an Oregon farmer’s field).”

These are the facts we have been telling you for years, and it is a major victory to see them now reaching millions more around the globe. If Los Angeles is able to push through the GMO ban into city wide regulation, it would be a direct blow to the beast that is Monsanto and the biotech industry at large.

About the Author

Anthony is the Editor of NaturalSociety, producer, consultant, and seeker of truth. Anthony’s work has been read by millions worldwide and is routinely featured on major alternative and mainstream news website alike, like the powerful Drudge Report, NaturalNews, Infowars, and many others. Anthony has appeared, oftentimes routinely, on programs like Russia Today (RT), The Alex Jones Show, Coast to Coast AM, and others. Anthony is also a founding member of Natural Attitude and the creator of the independent political website Storyleak

Mexico halts all GMO corn from being planted

Friday, October 25, 2013 by: Ethan A. Huff, staff writer

Tags: Mexico, GMO corn, genetically engineered food


(NaturalNews) Just days before a recent March Against Monsanto protest that took place globally on October 12, Mexico, the geographical birthplace of modern-day corn, instituted a regulatory ban on all plantings of genetically modified (GM) varieties of this staple food crop. A victory for food freedom and agricultural integrity, the announcement was made at a press conference in Mexico City on October 10, where officials notified the public and the press that all GM corn plantings, including pilot commercial plantings, were to be immediately suspended.

Though not necessarily permanent, the injunction came after years of protests against transgenic crops, particularly those that threaten the persistence of staple crops like corn. For Mexico, corn, also known as maize, is a primary food crop for which there are hundreds, if not thousands, of heirloom varieties currently being grown. If GM corn varieties are allowed to be cultivated alongside them on any considerable scale, Mexico's entire agricultural heritage could become extinct.

"[T]he decision came after years of lobbying by activists who noted that Mexico -- the birthplace of modern-day maize and its cultivation -- knows a little bit about how to create various disease-resistant strains of corn, given Mexicans in one form of tribe or another, have been doing it for millennia," writes Gustavo Arellano for the OC Weekly.

Despite a moratorium on GM corn cultivation in Mexico that dates back to 1998, many native maize varieties have still tested positive for low levels of modified genes, which proves that GMOs cannot be contained and have a tendency to contaminate other crops. Because of this, a coalition of 53 groups and individuals, which includes scientists and human rights groups, filed a lawsuit last year to suspend all field trials of GM corn and other experiments that could be causing this contamination.

Agreeing with their argument, a Mexican judge later ruled that all field trials of GM corn in Mexico must end, citing specific and imminent environmental risks. A press release recently issued by the non-governmental organization La Coperacha affirms this decision, noting that Mexican law requires justices to protect the interests of the people rather than the interests of big business, which in this case means multinational chemical companies like Monsanto.

Mexico will still import GMO corn, despite ban

The ruling is timely, as many areas of Mexico have been pressured in recent years to accept not only field trials of GM corn but also commercial plantings, despite their risks to native corn varieties. Unfortunately though, the ruling does not go far enough, say some, as Mexico will continue to import GM corn from other countries like the U.S. -- roughly one-third of the corn Mexico consumes is imported.

"The ruling has understandably caused joy across Mexico and the anti-GMO world, but it's also not as far-reaching as you would think," adds Arellano. "The judge in question didn't ban the import of GMO corn into Mexico -- and in this globalized society, Mexicans are just as likely to eat corn from Minnesota as they are elote from Puebla."

Even so, the decision has earned considerable attention the world over, as Mexico is now the only country in North America to ban the cultivation of a GM crop. Neither the U.S. nor Canada has taken any action thus far against the growing onslaught of GMO pollution within their borders, despite the fact that most other developed countries in the world have either banned GMOs or require them to at least be properly labeled.

Sources for this article include:

http://grist.org

http://www.grain.org

http://www.thoughtful-living.org

http://blogs.ocweekly.com

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/042660_Mexico_GMO_corn_genetically_engineered_food.html#ixzz2ik5rHNEU

3 Companies Using GMOs in Baby Formula

October 15, 2013 | By WakingTimes | Reply

Christina Sarich, Staff Writer
Waking Times

It seems with the many reports of birth defects, organ failure, cancer, and other unsavory health conditions associated with GMO consumption, we should limit the use of GMO in baby products. After all, babies are very sensitive to the foods they consume, and we already know that pesticides found in mother’s milk can be damaging. Below you will learn of three companies which represent more than 90% of baby formula sales in the US that won’t consider removing GMOs from your baby’s food.

Health-Damaging GMOs in Baby Formula

Why would we knowingly feed our children GMOs before it has really been proven to be ‘safe’ as Monsanto, BASF, and other companies like Abbott Laboratories, Mead Johnson Nutrition, and Nestlé USA, the company who wants to own water rights, tout?

Foodclub43.com

If you feed your baby one of the following three infant formulas, you are perhaps, unknowingly, feeding them GMO corn, sugar beets, and soy, since they are often used these companies’ products:

1. Similac

One of the widest used brands and often given out for ‘free’ at hospitals, this baby formula is made by Abbott Laboratories. The company is selling you a can of baby formula for over $100 that is full of GMO poisons. You could contact the company to ask why it would include GMOs, or, you can just boycott it altogether. Shareholders are supposed to vote on whether the company is able to continue to use GMO in baby formulas. Abott Laboratories is one of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies – go figure.

2. Enfamil

Another baby formula often given out as ‘free’ samples to new mothers iis made by Mead Johnson Nutrition. Their website boasts, ‘Enfamil, scientifically designed to meet the nutritional needs of newborns and infants.’ The following Mead Johnson formulas are known to have GMO toxins:

• Enfamil with Iron
• Enfamil with low Iron
• Enfamil Lacto Free
• Enfamil 22
• Enfamil Next Step (both soy and milk varieties)
• Enfamil Nutramigen
• Enfamil Pro-Soybee

3. Gerber Good Start

The GMO-riddled formula made by Nestlé USA is perhaps the most questionable since the company has knowingly tried to ‘patent’ water and make it a commodity though it is all part of life itself on this planet. Do we really want to trust a company who wants privatize water with feeding our children health foods? The company went GMO free in South Africa, according to Corporate Action Network, but continues to sell American families the contaminated GMO formula we feed our babies every day.

Nestlé USA and Mead Johnson Nutrition have dismissed calls to remove genetically-modified organisms (GMO) from their infant formula products in the US – citing the approved use of GMOs by several national and global regulatory bodies.

You can boycott all these companies and start making your own home-made, natural baby formula without toxic chemicals and pesticides and nasty GMOs. The assistant director of the FDA, Nick Duy, says we shouldn’t make our own baby formula, but why isn’t he ousting these companies for using questionable (at best) and health-damaging GMOs?

About the Author

Christina Sarich is a musician, yogi, humanitarian and freelance writer who channels many hours of studying Lao Tzu, Paramahansa Yogananda, Rob Brezny,  Miles Davis, and Tom Robbins into interesting tidbits to help you Wake up Your Sleepy Little Head, and See the Big Picture. Her blog is Yoga for the New World. Her latest book is Pharma Sutra: Healing the Body And Mind Through the Art of Yoga.

**This article originally appeared at NaturalSociety.**