Label GMO foods in the US.

Firstly, GMO testing has proven ill effects in rats, unlike what the Con has purported. After two years of testing the journal of Food and Chemical Toxicology published this 9/19/12: "severe adverse health effects including mammary tumors and kidney and liver damage, leading to premature death," in both from both Roundup Ready corn and Roundup itself, "whether they were used separately or together. " Interestingly, almost all of the ill effects manifested after 90 days"the industry's preferred length for its own feeding studies. By the end of the study, the researchers report, "50 percent-80 percent of the females had developed large tumors compared to 30 percent in the control group. " As for males, "Liver congestions and necrosis were 2.5 to 5.5 times higher than in the control group " [and] there were also 1. "2.3 times more instances of 'marked and severe' kidney disease. " Overall, among the rats receiving GMO and/or Roundup, "Up to 50 percent of males and 70 percent of females died prematurely, before deaths could be put down to normal ageing, compared with only 30 percent and 20 percent in the control group. " The photos attached in this report are not normal growths: . http://www.motherjones.com... The above article concludes "Between 1992 and 2002"the period over which GMO crops moved rapidly from test plants to farm fields to dinner tables, the USDA spent about $1.8 billion on ag-biotechnology research"of which about 1 percent went to safety testing, a Union of Concerned Scientists analysis shows. Meanwhile, the ag-biotech industry uses its patent power to maintain tight control over who researches what"and dominates the research agenda at America's main ag-research universities. When we eat GMOs, as millions of Americans do every day, we're still eating in the dark. " Regarding Glyphosates integrally ingrained into systemic agriculture's weed tolerant Genetically Engineered seeds - they have been linked to human harm - birth defects (warning the photo on this page is not suitable for minors) published 6/13/11: . http://www.theecologist.org... Download and print report here: . http://www.scribd.com... Until further testing is done, consumers ought to have "The Right to Know" if they are consuming GMOs. Secondly, regarding environmental impact, in India (below), and regardless of the major issue surrounding a freedom of choice; that United States GMO farmers have to purchase their crop seeds from reduced diversity in supply due to systemic agricultural farming practices - which require farmers to buy their seeds from primarily Monsanto, whom own the patents to RoundUP Ready "systemic" seeds laden with Glyphosates. 1,000 farmers in India commit suicide monthly, 125,000 so far due to the devastation from planting GM cotton seeds in India. The seeds require twice as much water as conventional seeds and have created massive complications. "But there is yet a more "sinister reason" for the mass suicides: GM crops, notably Bt cotton. Millions of Indian farmers had been promised undreamed of harvests by switching to planting GM seeds. They borrowed money to buy the exorbitant seeds, only to find their crops failing miserably, leaving them with spiralling debt from which the only exit is suicide. British journalist Andrew Malone writing for the Mail [10] reported an estimated 125 000 farmers had taken their own lives directly as the result of GM crops; the crisis being branded "GM genocide" by campaigners. It is perpetrated by powerful GM lobbyists and prominent politicians all over the world who persist in claiming that GM crops have transformed Indian agriculture and producing greater yields than ever before. " From . http://www.i-sis.org.uk... The Con states that "we all must realize that the government must take part if a nationwide forced labeling policy would come into effect". That won't be easy since these positions in our current U. S. government are filled by individuals whom ARE the Monsanto leaders: Please see this diagram . http://media.mercola.com... "The power of Monsanto can be seen through its contributions to Rep. Frank D. Lucas, who's received the most money so far from Monsanto. Lucas just happens to be chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, through which every farm-related piece of legislation must pass. But he's certainly not the only one wheel getting greased by this biotech giant. " "While California Prop. 37 failed to pass last November, by a very narrow margin, the fight for GMO labeling is far from over. The field-of-play has now moved to the state of Washington, where the people's initiative 522, "The People's Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act," will require food sold in retail outlets to be labeled if it contains genetically engineered ingredients". Above two paragraphs quoted from: . http://articles.mercola.com... As stated on LabelitWA. org: "Calorie and nutritional information were not always required on food labels. But since 1990 it has been required and most consumers use this information every day. Country-of-origin labeling wasn't required until 2002. The trans fat content of foods didn't have to be labeled until 2006. Now, all of these labeling requirements are accepted as important for consumers. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also says we must know with labeling if our orange juice is from fresh oranges or frozen concentrate. Doesn't it make sense that genetically engineered foods containing experimental viral, bacterial, insect, plant or animal genes should be labeled, too? Genetically engineered foods do not have to be tested for safety before entering the market. No long-term human feeding studies have been done. The research we have is raising serious questions about the impact to human health and the environment. I-522 provides the transparency people deserve. I-522 will not raise costs to consumers or food producers. It simply would add more information to food labels, which manufacturers change routinely anyway, all the time. I-522 does not impose any significant cost on our state. It does not require the state to conduct label surveillance, or to initiate or pursue enforcement. The state may choose to do so, as a policy choice, but I-522 was written to avoid raising costs to the state or consumers. " Labeling will not prevent innovation, only safe-guard the people. People deserve "ethically" the "Right to Know" with both GMO and non-GMO labels. Subsidiaries of Monsanto claiming to have "natural" foods labeled on their packaging could not readily have non-GMO labels either, without an NGO supervision and testing of marketed food products. When our own government officials are greedy and acting as an agribusiness corporation among themselves, then either an Interpol oversight committee or an internationally recognized NGO could enforce labeling. Monsanto needs to be held accountable. Given their current control of the food market and our U. S. Government, and that they can spend millions of dollars to defeat measures like Prop 37, then they can easily afford to fund labeling of food products they design. The U. S. government has a conflict of interest in the matter given the number of individuals in our government with positions in Monsanto. With all the global imports and exports, and that there are 188 member countries of Interpol, an administrative organization could be alongside WHO to certify non-GMO labels and label foods with GMOs. In Europe all products containing more than .9 percent GMO are labeled as such. 50 countries have either GE or GMO food labeling if not outright bans. Japan has banned GMOs entirely.