Let's talk about protecting our future.
Every human being deserves the sacred and unalienable rights to "Life, Liberty, and Property" or "pursuit of happiness," however, the lack of proper GMO and GE labeling on products encroaches on these God-given rights. I propose all products using Genetically Modified Organisms or Genetically Engineered ingredients list it on the label and when not labeling the use of GMOs or GE products in the “good”, they should be held accountable by law.
Why?
We are drinking it, eating it, and rubbing it on our skin. Genetically modified or genetically engineered disclosure on products, foods, and drinks, is imperative to our health, freedom, and future. I have come up with just a few reasons, I am sure there is more. Food fraud, transparency, right to choose, religious freedom, lack of 3rd party research, DNA mutation, too far is too late, and a lack of experience in playing God are my seven reasons.
Food Fraud
Without proper labeling of the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), genetically engineered (GE) products, or by-products in consumer goods, foods, drinks and medicines, hygiene and beauty products, the creator of the good is committing fraud. Specifically, they are committing “Food Fraud ” with an “economically motivated adulteration ” in hopes for financial gain at the consumers expense. (2)
This is a crime and should be punishable. It is the consumers right know what is in a product before they buy or their five sense organs come in absorbable contact with the said product. The government is already under an obligation to protect all from fraudulent or mislabeling but it appears GMOs, GE foods, and other genetically altered products are slipping through the cracks.
How easily do morals change for ungodly amounts of money? How about hundreds of Billions of dollars?
“U.S. 2010 revenues from genetically modified systems were $300 billion, or the equivalent of more than 2% of GDP.” (3)
Is it ok for people to test positive for GMOs or GE exposure, whether they are aware of it or not?
“Nearly 300 million Americans, 1350 million Chinese, 280 million Brazilians and millions elsewhere regularly eat GM foods, directly and indirectly.” (4)
Transparency
Being honest and upfront is what this day and age demands in all areas of business; from open source code to patents. Honesty about what is used to make your product, food or, dish at a restaurant is essential.
When?
Let’s look at a health-related reason.
In the United States alone, about "30% of adults and 40% of children in the U.S. have allergies." (5) That is a fairly large percentage. Some allergy sufferers have severe allergies, if a producer or supplier is not transparent in their ingredients, the product could cause fatalities. For example, if a restaurant does not disclose that they are using peanuts in a curry, an allergic reaction to peanuts could kill someone. Most schools and daycares forbid nuts of any kind due to the seriousness of these allergies.
Imagine for a moment a kid who has a severe allergy to eggs whites or eggs in general. Many vaccines use chicken embryos in their ingredients, like MMR, yellow fever, and the flu vaccine. Now, what happens if that parent wasn't warned and their child develops a severe reaction to it? This is why it is recommended to talk to a Pediatrician about their allergies and the vaccine options to avoid any allergic reactions. But what would happen to people with severe egg allergies, if a vaccine producer decided to not list the ingredients simply because it wasn’t a law?
Essentially, the transparency of a product, food or drink, saves lives. It allows consumers, to their best knowledge, makes the wisest decision on what is beneficial for their family, because an individual knows more about their family than the maker of the product. Losing a life due to someone not being honest about what something is made of, should always hold accountability. There are warnings on cigarettes, as well as, warnings on honey. Consumers deserve to know the truth before they buy something. When public trust is violated in a goods and products market, consumers deserve justice as well as protection.
Transparency is demanded on imports by the US government. There is a huge list of illegal ingredients, like lead, under the FD&C Act, Title 21. Ingredients found in beauty products and kids toys have created enough fuss to have inked some regulations. The many restrictions and regulations listed under Title 21 are broad in design. The ingredients in American made products, food and drinks, should be held to the same standard (even higher) within the United States. Whether you are for GE or GMOs product usage or not, the transparency of their use in a good or product is essentially everyone’s right to know.
Right To Choose
To consume something or not to consume something; to buy something or not to buy something. This is our power and freedom. The Declaration of Independence declares every human being has "God-given rights" that are protected and cannot be denied. Again, those rights are life, liberty, and property as well as the pursuit of happiness. The “pursuit of happiness” was added by Thomas Jefferson to include a general wellbeing. If a consumer does not wish to eat GE or GMO food made with pesticides coded in the seed itself, it is their right to know which foods are modified so they can avoid it. This is apart of exercising our God-given rights, it is the consumers right to choose.
Consumers have the power. When well informed, they will pick the best product for them.
When are these unalienable rights violated?
When a manufacturer or producer is not honest about the origins or ingredients used to make a product.
When a producer denies giving potential consumers all the actual ingredients of a product, the producer is stealing the consumer’s freedom, embarking on their life, and the pursuit of happiness/wellbeing. Not to mention, they are committing Food Fraud or EMA.
In 2009, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) stated a working definition of EMA,
“fraudulent, intentional substitution or addition of a substance in a product for the purpose of increasing the apparent value of the product or reducing the cost of its production, i.e., for economic gain.” (2)
Religious Freedom
It is also a First Amendment right to, "freedom of religion and to practice that religion freely." If a religion forbids eating pork, the knowledge of whether a product contains porcine gelatin, would be important. Not being told that a vitamin or product contains pork parts violates a persons right to practice religion freely. To maintain personal freedoms and rights, product manufacturers and distributors should be required to disclose all the ingredients in a product.
Lack of 3rd Party Research Over Long Periods of Time
There simply has not been enough 3rd party research or time to really know how GMOs or GEs affect human, animal, and environmental health over time. Not implying to stop all technical and medical advancements in the science. It is simply a due diligence to proper and fair labeling. Not everyone wants to be a test monkey or human clinical trial. Humans' sign waivers and get paid money to be a test patient. Monkey’s on the other hand, are just taken as a prisoner and tortured.
The general population and environment is not a huge testing lab.
Contamination of natural water reservoirs and the soil is a serious issue. This should matter to everyone that eats food or drinks water. It is hard to argue that the Earth is not a living thing, and poisoning it is a form of abuse called Environmental Abuse.
DNA Mutations
DNA mutates and adapts to its environment to survive, it is too early to tell how human, animal, and plant DNA may change and mutate being exposed to these new lab creations. There are so many unknowns when it comes to the complete risks of GM and GMO foods.
A National Center for Biotechnology Information article reads, “foreign proteins that have never been in the human food chain will soon be consumed in large amounts”. It took us many years to realize that DDT might have oestrogenic activities and affect humans, “but we are now being asked to believe that everything is OK with GM foods because we haven’t seen any dead bodies yet ” (Butler and Reichhardt 1999).” (6)
Just to be clear on the definition of mutation, here is an explanation from Berkeley,
“A mutation is a change in DNA, the hereditary material of life. An organism's DNA affects how it looks, how it behaves, and its physiology. So a change in an organism's DNA can cause changes in all aspects of its life.” (9)
Not all DNA mutations are a bad thing, for instance, hazel eyes and freckles are unique and quite beautiful. As defined, DNA mutations are a permanent alteration that gets passed down. The advancements in the GE field are trying to give future parents the option to genetically engineer their future "designer babies" eye color and much more. This is very interesting, controversial, and the tech is intentional in designing the perfect baby. Whether the designer baby grows up to be as perfect as planned, only time will tell. The results will play out over time and passed down to their kids and their kids, kids... While this type of genetic engineering is very intentional, there will be other products that have unintentional effects on DNA. Whether someone wants to take part in the experience should be a choice and not an “oops, sorry”. Imagine the mental complex these designer kids and designer grandkids would have to live with.
Which leads to the next point...when is it too late?
Too Far Is Too Late
Most will shrug off the thought of “what if it goes too far” with, let's just deal with that when it happens. Unfortunately, when something bad goes wrong and it involves DNA or man-made chemicals leaking into our soil or water table, going too far is often too late!
As a correlation example only, look at the debate on the rise of Autism rates with vaccine injuries and/or the consumption of glyphosate on/or in food. Vaccines are GE and GMOs. They contain aborted fetal tissue cells, dog kidney cells, chicken embryo cells, several heavy metals, other startling ingredients and a virus. (Look up the official ingredients and then google the words you have never heard of.)
The original vaccine ingredients have changed over the years with GE technological advancements as well as a high demand for the masses. The challenge became preserving the vaccine creation for long periods of time to allow traveling long distances and be stored for prolonged periods of time until used. The idea that this lab-made creation could cause death, injury or harm to our DNA is a sound argument and proven in all the billions of dollars in payouts from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.
Another factor is a babies immune systems, it is their main defense system and is not up to 60% developed until 2 yrs of age. If vaccines were to blame for any adverse effects, when is it considered too far? Take a second to reflect on connections between bodily systems. The immune system is partnered with the digestive system. If the digestive system is compromised, the immune system will be affected.
Another way in which toxic chemicals and heavy metals can build up in the body and brain is through the gut. The path for this to happen is explained with the blood-brain barrier (BBB), also know is the gut-brain barrier.
“80% of our immune cells are contained in gastrointestinal associated lymphatic tissue (GALT) and 90% of our serotonin receptors are inside our intestines.” (10)Therefore, if something is eaten that compromises the gut flora or digestive system, the brain and immune system will become affected.
If you follow the exposure of GE crops to the US market with the rise of Autism in this graph (see below).
Notice the data trend between the number of children with Autism and the applications of glyphosate on our food. The lines are too similar to not take notice and wonder if it is already "too late." This correlation graph was made by a Senior Research Scientist at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Dr. Stephanie Seneff. (11)
Whether it is a true causation or not, does not change the correlation. Correlations are great for broadening thinking. The point of this is to open minds to what a “what if it goes too far” situation may look like. The reaction to a logical “what if” question should never be shrugged off, it should be embraced and considered thoughtfully.
Lack Of Experience Playing God
Animal DNA is being mixed with plant DNA, man-made chemicals are being added to plant DNA, animals are being cloned and mixed with human DNA cells and some of these man-made creations, are consumed, injected and/or rub on your skin. If “we are what we eat”, what are we? It begins to sound a lot like Frankenstein. Victor Frankenstein was playing God.
Today, genetic engineers are also playing God. This does not have to be a religious argument. The Creator, Great Architect, Great Programmer, a Simulation... In this case, let’s stick to a Creator. What created us, if you believe in evolution, took a long time to create and used a balancing system to do it. But, man is fallible. No one is perfect. The point is what happens when inexperienced and erroneous creators play God?
None of us have the experience that far surpasses a 4.5 billion-year-old planet in a multiverse of even older galaxies that we have yet to explore or discover. The thought that things like genetic engineering or AI (Artificial Intelligence) won’t go wrong in some way is called ignorance, a “lack of knowledge, education, or awareness.”
Conclusion
Typically, if things are not regulated by governance, they are abused for gain at others expense. This is a sad reality that has been proven true over and over again throughout recent and ancient history. These points are meant to not be extreme but logical with the information available presently.
Works Cited
- America's Forefathers. “Declaration of Independence: A Transcription.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript.
- Johnson, Renée. Food Fraud and “Economically Motivated Adulteration” of Food and Food Ingredients. 7th ed., ser. 5700, Crs.gov , 2014, Food Fraud and “Economically Motivated Adulteration” of Food and Food Ingredients, foodfraud.msu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/CRS-Food-Fraud-and-EMA-2014-R43358.pdf.
- Farrell, John. “GM Crop Revenues Continue to Grow.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 13 Sept. 2011, www.forbes.com/sites/johnfarrell/2011/08/16/gm-crop-revenues-continue-to-grow/#1087b2495f4d.
- Bawa, A. S., and K. R. Anilakumar. “Genetically Modified Foods: Safety, Risks and Public Concerns—a Review.” Journal of Food Science and Technology, Springer India, 19 Dec. 2013, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3791249/.
- “Allergy Statistics and Facts.” WebMD, WebMD, 1 Dec. 2017, www.webmd.com/allergies/allergy-statistics.
- Butler T, Reichhardt T. Long-term effect of GM crops serves up food for thought. Nature. 1999;398(6729):651–653. doi: 10.1038/19348. [PubMed]
- “Chapter 3 / GENETIC MODIFICATION OF FOOD.” Safety of Genetically Engineered Foods: Approaches to Assessing Unintended Health Effects, by INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE AND NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES, National Academies Press, 2004. Print.
- Laporte, John. “Topic: Genetically Modified Crops.” www.statista.com, www.statista.com/topics/2062/genetically-modified-crops/.
- Understanding Evolution Team. “DNA and Mutations.” DNA and Mutations, evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/mutations_01.
- Séralini G-E, Clair E, Mesnage R, Gress S, Defarge N, 1, Malatesta M, Hennequin D, Spiroux de Vendômois J. Republished study: long-term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize. Environmental Sciences Europe 2014, 26:14.
- Seneff, Stephanie. “Stephanie Seneff.” Stephanie Seneff's Home Page, people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/.