I apologize ahead of time for how much this information is going to bother you today, but not for providing the information to help educate you on the fact that American food suppliers are literally poisoning us, and our children, in the name of higher profits.
My daughter only occasionally insists that I post something on this blog, but she was so adamant about this one that she badgered me for hours to make sure I watched it and then that I shared it with all of you.
I can tell you unequivocally from my experiences working with children for the last thirty years that Robyn O'Brien's observations are dead on concerning the explosion of nut allergies that have been identified in young children. I assume that most of us grew up in this country and can remember only a handful of children with severe allergies and perhaps NONE who were deathly allergic to nuts. (At least I can remember none, but my daughter numbers among those who I know today.)
In the bigger picture this also speaks to the fact that the Republican talking point that businesses do NOT need consistent and comprehensive regulations is false. Rather than being self regulating, and keeping the best interests of their customers in the forefront of their decision making, they instead treat the consumer as collateral damage on their way to higher profits.
My argument when Libertarian types complain about "big brother" telling corporations what to do and how the government needs to be smaller is: Poop in the food! There are literally poo particles in our food and it's the GOVERNMENT that alerts us to that fact and makes sure unsafe products are taken off the shelves. The Pauls -- those dipshits who pretend to be libertarians but are actually Neanderthals with Ron Paul being the political prodigy of a man who "had a cure for cancer" that was….uh…CYANIDE… -- would argue that THE MARKETPLACE would take care of this situation, but a person with half a brain could see what was wrong with that logic -- how could THE MARKET possibly figure out how everyone got sick? Stupid, stupid people...
ReplyDeleteAnd that cancer cure thing is true, by the way. It was in an article about Ron Paul when he was leading the 2012 presidential polls and it was in his Wikipedia page -- at least for a little bit.
It's a little weird to me that a couple of doctors are so willing to do away with an agency that prevents shit from being in our food.
@6:37 wrote: "...the political prodigy..."
DeleteI think you meant to write "political protege".
Our adult son has had a horrible time with allergies for the past 3 years. He has ended up in the ER and has a to carry an epi pen with him at all times. He is so allergic to food at this time he has been eating meat and only meat for the past 4 months. He also has numerous other allergies.
ReplyDeleteHe is receiving allergy shots and hopefully will be able to start introducing foods in a few months.
This started when he was in grad school and when he graduated, he did not have a job and had NO health insurance.
He moved to MA to live with my daughter and was able to get health insurance, thanks to Romney and his health care initiative when he was Gov. of MA.
He has a job now and insurance and was not bankrupted by health care costs.
And thanks to ACA he can never be denied insurance.
As a gardener, it is important to know what we are growing and eating. It is imperative that we know what we are eating. Long term side affects will not be known for years. Do we really want to gamble with our health and future?
I've been listening to & recording the interviews from the 2013 GMO Mini Summit. Robyn was one of the folks who spoke, and if you think Robyn's speech is scary, you should hear what Stephanie Seneff had to say about RoundUp. The plants that are sprayed with RU absorb glyphosate, which in turn nukes your gut bacteria--which is vital for nutrient uptake.
ReplyDeleteNo nutrients means you can literally starve to death while being obese.
RoundUp Ready crops include corn, soybeans, canola, cotton, sugarbeets and alfalfa. Just think about how many packaged products contain these ingredients.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Roundup_Ready_Crops
Remember, these are totally UNREGULATED in the US. Most of Europe has already banned this product and GMOs in general. In the recent California motion to just *label* GMOs, those against labeling outspent those for by 100 to 1. Just something to think about the next time you're at the grocery store.
I used to work for the Food Safety Authority here in Ireland. Any food containing GMO's has to be labelled accordingly. It at least gives you the choice.
DeleteWatch: Food Matters on Netflix.
ReplyDeleteLife changing.
G, I love your political posts, but this may be the most important post of all time. Thank you.
ReplyDelete@6:42
ReplyDeleteI, too, am a gardener and have been for nearly 60 years. For the past forty years, I have grown only heirloom vegetables and for the longest time that was because I didn't believe in what the hybrids were like - and the fact that I couldn't save seed. Then the GMO's came along and I am doubly certain of the reasons for my being so picky.
Our extremely productive(?), non-flavorful(!) vegetables are really going to give us a severe shock if we ever have any major climate changes, which is why I go with heirlooms. I also support the seed banks around the world.
I knew that GMO's weren't all that great, but I was literally yanked up short when I found out about Monsanto's production of the corn that has the "built-in" bug resistance. I mean, hell, it's bad enough they want to spray everything with chemicals, but at least for the most part we can wash a lot of that off. Not their corn we can't. It's INSIDE the food.
So I am not surprised that the number of cases are drastically increasing. And it's not just food allergies.
I am always highly skeptical about reports about things like far more cases of this disease or that disease and we are discovering it "because the technology for detection things" has improved so much. HAH!
Kind of like it is our fault that so many people get sick from hamburger because we undercook it. Horse shit! I grew up eating it RAW!
And now they are telling us not to wash chicken? STUPID. Their reasoning? It splashes the bad stuff around too much. I asked one of those guys once why they didn't just tell people to lower the pressure in the faucet head. Or even better, CLOSE DOWN THE FILTHY PLANTS!!!!!!! At least that way there wouldn't be so much bad stuff!
He walked away.
I can offer one reason why we are seeing more allergies, to nuts, for example. I have allergies, and I was raised on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (as were all of the kids that I knew). No problems. My allergist explained that in the good old days, they boiled the nuts and then roasted the nuts, destroying the proteins on the peanuts that cause the allergic reactions. In the South, boiled peanuts are still much loved, even though I think that they taste like mush. Fast forward to today, and manufacturers want to save money, so they just dry the nuts, give them a quick pass through a toasting oven (for flavor), leaving the allergy-causing proteins on the peanuts. In China, where they still boil the peanuts and process them, they don't show the same percentage of people with peanut allergies, and they cook much of their food with peanut oil.
ReplyDeleteWe can apply this kind of thinking to every step of the food industry, where saving money is more important than other factors. As for GMO foods, if peanuts have strong roots, another crop could be created with strong peanut roots, and you have no idea if you are being exposed to an allergy producing protein because our GMO foods are not labelled.
The state of Massachusetts recently passed a law requiring restaurants to keep a "bible" in the kitchen, listing all of the ingredients in a dish, in case someone asks. They don't have to give away any trade secrets. All they have to say is whether there are peanuts in the sauce or not. And they should have recipes for all of the food that they serve (or labels on the cans and bottles. Other states should be required to do the same thing. (It was a four year battle).
One organization that is concerned with what we eat (they want us to make healthy choices) is Center for Science in the Public Interest. They are the so-called "food police," criticizing the gunk that they put on movie theater pop corn. (You know that it's not butter, don't you?) They admit that getting people to label food for content is a real challenge. There is nothing wrong with food inspection and safety standards. The problem is that we are dealing with major industries, who would rather pay the fine rather than open their plant to inspection and safety standards. The bottom line is that my allergist sees more kids with life threatening allergies (gasping for breath, being rushed to the hospital) than ever before. The best thing that people can do is to steer clear of processed food and stick to fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and dairy products.
A very thoughtful statement. But I think people would never think of nuts as being a processed food. I know I wouldn't. And it was interesting to read about the process.
DeleteGreat comment.
DeleteI find Robyn's talk compelling and powerful.
However, she is not a scientist or physician.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Medical Association, World Health Organization, Food and Drug Administration, EU researchers all agree that GMOs are safe to eat.
From the American Medical Association:
Bioengineered foods have been consumed for close to 20 years, and during that time, no overt consequences on human health have been reported and/or substantiated in the peer-reviewed literature
and from the World Health Organization:
GM foods currently available on the international market have passed risk assessments and are not likely to present risks for human health. In addition, no effects on human health have been shown as a result of the consumption of such foods by the general population in the countries where they have been approved.
I like Robyn. I like her a lot. I wish everyone had her gumption. But I trust the science.
Did you from the beginning of life biochemical warfare has been conducted among plants and animals?
Look at your lawn. It is a Darwinian battlefield.
It's like blaming GMOs for our horrendous obesity rate, when we all know it's because of high fructose corn syrup.
@ 9:04
Delete"The American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Medical Association, World Health Organization, Food and Drug Administration, EU researchers all agree that GMOs are safe to eat."
I disagree with that statement. According to my information: "As of August 2012, the European Union had authorised 48 GMOs. Most of these were for animal feed imports or for feed and food processing.[2] There is also a safeguard clause that Member States may invoke to temporarily restrict or prohibit the use and/or sale of a GMO within their territory if they have justifiable reasons to consider that the approved GMO constitutes a risk to human health or the environment." This is a quote from Wikipedia, I grant you, but the footnotes are from the very commissions who produce the information.
As for our lawns being "a Darwinian battlefield...." (your words) you are comparing apples and oranges. Lawns and other fields are - as you yourself state using the word "darwinian" - natural selection processes. At least, as far as I know, there are no GMO grasses!
If you can provide me with specifics to contradict that, fine, I'd like to see them. But in the meantime, reaching into a cell and inserting genes to cause certain things to happen is way too expensive a process to waste on GRASS!
Genetically modifying the cellular structure of plants is totally different from selective breeding which is the very foundation of Darwinian science, aka natural selection.
However, it IS a personal choice. I just wish I had the chance to MAKE that choice by being provided with LABELS!
Having said that, YOU eat it. I'll even provide you with MY allotment of the crap.
Oh. And High fructose corn syrup is only ONE of MANY contributors to our obesity. Things like plain processed white sugar, snack foods by the tons.... The list is quite long. Had you said PROCESSED FOODS, I would agree with you completely.
"My allergist explained that in the good old days, they boiled the nuts ….."
DeleteAnd your allergist was using scientific data from well designed studies to make this statement. See http://www.leapstudy.co.uk
"Different forms of the same food appear to be more likely to provoke an allergic response, specifically roasting peanut rather than boiling them makes them much more likely to cause an allergic reaction."
Robyn's talk was lacking any scientific data concerning the rise in allergies, of which there is great deal. For an overview - http://fooddrugallergy.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=40
The difficulty is that it is easy to be confused about genes, proteins and the immune system. I think this article is helpful - http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/05/30/allergic-to-science-proteins-and-allergens-in-our-genetically-engineered-food
Leland:
DeleteOutstanding rebuttal.
I wholeheartedly agree with the labeling. It should be the law of the land.
Robyn would have been more accurate had she blamed high fructose corn syrup for her stated ailments instead of GMOs.
I don't drink (eat) milk. And I forbid my children to drink the sweat. But I do fly in unpasteurized fromage from France for them to consume. And I and my children do eat "it." All the time.
Selective breeding and genetically modifying are synonymous. One is newer, ergo scary and harmful.
Now, hold your stubborn horses for a moment. Google. Which is more harmful? GMOs or high fructose corn syrup? Let the standard criterion be peer reviewed journals instead of personal opinion. If it were based on personal opinion, btw, I would agree with you. Why? Because it's easier.
@11:41.
DeleteSorry, but selective breeding and GMO are definitely NOT synonymous!!!!!!
Selective breeding merely breeds until the desired trait ALREADY IN EXISTENCE in the genes of a plant or animal comes forward, like a particular color in a flower. GMOS actually genes inserted (gene splicing) from one plant or animal into another, thereby creating an entirely new plant or animal that would NOT have come about through selective breeding!
Selective breeding? Gene already in plant. GMO? Added genetic material from another source. (MOST of the time.)
NOT synonymous!
Had you said crossbreeding, I might have considered it as a possibility, but even then the plants or animals involved have to be reasonably genetically compatible and what comes out is a lot of times like a mule - sterile.
"At least, as far as I know, there are no GMO grasses!
DeleteIf you can provide me with specifics to contradict that, fine, I'd like to see them."
Wheat.
Read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Very disturbing.
ReplyDeleteThis video us exactly why we have our son's organic formula shipped in from Germany. NO GMO, soy, corn, added sugar or brown rice syrup. His poop looks the same as when he was breastfeeding. The crap they put into formula here is sad. We try to avoid processed foods at all costs and started our own organic garden. It will only get worst as profits rule.
ReplyDeleteGOOD FOR YOU!!!!
DeleteCan I get an AMEN?!
Yes you can, AMEN!
DeleteEven this atheist can give an amen for a good cause.
She has some valid points, but she lost me when she started talking about gmo soy. It began to sound like another anti-science conspiracy theory. It's amazing how some will believe in the science that says people are the cause of global climate change, but reject science when it comes to gmo food.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest beef (no pun intended) is that GMO foods are not labeled in this country. We are the only country that doesn't do it.
ReplyDeleteFood allergies are on the rise. HFCS, aspartame, etc are only part of the problem.
For example, strawberries don't do well in the cold. So, to counter that problem, strawberries were crossed with peanuts. Peanuts tolerate cold weather better than strawberries. Therefore, children with peanut allergies could eat the berries and suffer greatly. There is no warning label...no GMO label.....no CHOICE.
Ever wonder how that strawberry got so big and fleshy???? without the fantastic strawberry flavor that natural strawberries have? They were crossed with fish....Notice the similarity in texture. If you ever have the opportunity to eat real, natural, wild strawberries, you'll know what I'm talking about.
All the energy goes to size and color.
DeleteTaste and scent pay the price.
Once upon a time floral shops smelled like heaven instead of looking like it.
People purchase the reddest and prettiest apples. So red and pretty apples are bred.
All the energy went into creating red and pretty apples.
Find a yellow-green, ugly Honey Crisp.
Take a crunchy bite.
Nirvana.
Nature doing her thing to perpetuate and all that.
I, too, love wild strawberries!
"If you ever have the opportunity to eat real, natural, wild strawberries, you'll know what I'm talking about."
DeleteI have, 8:26! I lived in northern Maine for ten years and had the awe inspiring joy of being able to harvest wild alpine strawberries by the stock pots full. Even made my own preserves and frozen berries. There is NOTHING like their flavor!
I loved them so much, I forced the runners on some plants to root and moved them into my own garden. Very simple process.
I have shown Robyn's TED talk to students in my freshman English class because they have to research a public issue and then give aTED-like presentation. They have educated me and their peers on many food issues including artificial sweeteners, bovine growth hormone, CAFOS and antibiotics to prevent mastitis in cows. Ironic that most people I've had discussions with on these matters turn a blind eye or claim it couldn't be as bad as Robyn says. Deniers all. It's incredible.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this...it is quite eye opening. I have read here and there but never heard all this put together showing all the links with data. I am not surprised given our congress over the years, receiving all the farm subsidies themselves and voting for more while cutting food stamps. Knowing all the other countries denied using these and we have the highest cancer rates doesn't seem like brain surgery to figure this one out. USA=Greed
ReplyDeleteWe do not appear to have the highest cancer rates, at least as of 2011. Denmark does. We are 7th.
Deletehttp://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2011/jan/24/worldwide-cancer-rates-uk-rate-drops
There may have been a change since then but O'Brien does not tell us where she gets her data.
Please don't ever apologize for sharing any type of information, especially something like this. I appreciate Robyn's passion and am a fan of the "TED" lectures.
ReplyDeleteWe need, desperately, to clean up our act, regulate our food supply, stop bowing to the chemical companies, petroleum industry, and put factual labels on everything.
While Robyn was speaking, I recalled the "mad cow" disease and a documentary called "Food Inc" that covered gmo and new proteins and more in detail..
I have a small organic garden and trade heirloom seeds for vegetables. We get most of our fruit in season in the Amish country, and the difference is amazing. We do our own canning and preserving and try to make healthy choices.
Lancaster, PA has huge corn/ wheat/barley/ oat fields with GMO markers (Oars painted with seed company names and lot/patent numbers) so we seek small family farms that grow organic.
We don't eat anything that "looks pretty" and has no bug or bird bites. This should go viral.
O'Brien is enthusiastic but she's not a scientist. She reminds me of Jenny McCarthy with her impassioned warnings about immunizations and their (false) causal link to autism. "My son is my science," said McCarthy when confronted with her lack of proof. McCarthy is wrong.
ReplyDeleteRead and listen to everything O'Brien has to say. She may mix some good information with misleading hype. Fact-check. "For example, "toxic overload" has no scientifically-defined meaning. Concern over the food we eat is understandable. Proceeding with caution and gathering as much information as possible is necessary for good decision-making.
Throughout years of teaching, I saw well-intentioned parents blame various food products for their child's behavioral or learning challenges, from preservatives to dyes to sugar and so on. Yet reputable science never identified a single food additive as a primary cause of ADHD, ODD, etc. Parents were always dumbfounded when I showed them the results of studies which showed heavy sugar consumption actually has a sedating effect on children. After a very brief blood sugar spike, glucose levels drop, making a child tired and listless.
In American today we have a glut of gluten-free food products, marketed to people who have self-diagnosed themselves as being sensitive to gluten. People with true celiac disease must avoid gluten or risk serious consequences. These people comprise less than 1% of the population. Some people may experience discomfort and bloating from gluten, especially if their diet results in their not having a healthy balance of probiotics in their gut, but this does not pose a serious health risk. Yet store shelves are becoming increasingly populated by "gluten-free" offerings. Such products are often more expensive than their presumably "glutenous" counterparts. Merchants are counting on a gullible public to assume they must avoid dangerous gluten, regardless of the extra expense.
Voters in my state recently rejected a measure to require labeling of genetically modified food. The wording of the law was misleading, and enormous spending by out-of-state special interests confused voters even more.
Obviously what we consume is important. Seeking info from multiple sources if critical. Don't listen to any one viewpoint and get carried away. Maintain a healthy skepticism, do your own research, and use your own common sense when making food choices.
Certainly a great topic which concerns children as well as their parents. We should never forget, we are what we put in our mouth and gulp down !
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