“Who wants popcorn?” My husband enters the room with two, blue bowls.
My son and I cheer. We lift up the blanket, pat the open spot on the cushion in between us and turn the movie on.
“Did you add some butter and salt?” Our son asks as he dips his hand in the bowl and stuffs it. Little white puffs poke out from in between his fingers.
“I sure did.”
But, we had no idea that we were serving him a side of poison.
I didn’t know my “Simply Salted” Orville Redenbacher popcorn was genetically modified. The packaging seemed so straight forward, with earthy colors and the word “Naturals” in big, brown capitals. I have been buying this tainted food for years and feeding it to my child.
I make an effort to be a responsible shopper. I read my bread labels and pass on anything enriched, I never buy products with fake sweeteners and I try to stick to organic fruits and vegetables. My son is a picky eater so I purchased products that are lower in sugar. I thought a graham cracker or Wheat Thin was a decent snack because these were treats my mother gave me.
I assumed, as most of us do, that the government is looking out for us. I was wrong.Our government protects the big, wealthy corporations, at the expense of our children’s health. Grocery stores across America are stocked with food that can make us ill.
GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism. Apparently, nature has gotten it all wrong because crops are now grown with the objective of adding or eliminating certain characteristics.
For example, Monsanto developed a corn that is genetically modified with Bt Protein. When the insect feeds on this plant, their stomachs rupture.
Monsanto claims that by the time the food gets to our tables it is safe. But, an article published in the International Journal of Biological Sciences, in 2009, reported studies proving that when rats ate the GM corn, they suffered from organ failure.
GMOs were introduced in 1996. Since then chronic illnesses have jumped from 7 percent to 13 percent. Food allergies, autism, reproductive disorders, and digestive problems are all on the rise as well.
President Obama signed a bill, in April 2013, often referred to as The Monsanto Protection Act, granting Monsanto immunity from federal courts. It means that no one can stop them from planting GM crops even if they are deemed to be a danger to health or the environment.
Bayer created a group of insecticides called neonicotinoids. These and other harmful Monsanto insecticides, are not properly monitored by our protection agencies and have been linked to cancer and the honeybee death rates.
The label Colony Collapse Disorder implies somehow that it is a flaw in the bees themselves but this is as deceiving as Orville’s packaging. This year the honeybee death rate ranged from 40-90 percent across the United States.
Luckily for Monsanto, Harvard Microrobotics Lab has been working on its Micro Air Vehicles Project since 2009. They are making robotic bees to replace the real ones and it is said that Monsanto is using them to pollinate their crops.
The use of both Neonicotiniods and GM crops are banned in Europe, but in the United States they are not even monitored.
Monsanto has also formed a partnership with a drug company called Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.to create biopesticides. Alnylam also has advanced drugs for treatment of liver cancers and tumors. Monsanto produces the food that gives causes illness then partners up with the companies that cure it.
Last week, I emptied out my kitchen cabinets. I was shocked to see how many things in my cabinets were Genetically Modified.
We may feel powerless against the big corporations that run our government. But, we can take control of what we bring into our homes.
Here are a few things to do that will keep you and your family safer. Bring this list of GMO products when you are shopping and share it with everyone you can. Stop supporting the companies that put profits ahead of the consumer’s well being.
Buy Organic
Certified organics are not allowed to contain any GMO. Fruits and vegetables have a number code on them organic always starts with the number nine.
Keep GMOs out of your home garden. There are lots of places online that you can order organic seeds and ask at your local nursery where they got their seeds.
Don’t be fooled by the deceiving catch phrases: whole grain, all natural, select harvest and real fruit.
Avoid:
Soy Lecithin is considered GMO, and sweeteners like aspartame, NutraSweet and Equal are derived from GM microorganisms. These ingredients are found in over 6000 products.
Eat less meat and make sure dairy products are free from antibiotics.
Never Buy:
Aunt Jemima
Aurora Foods
Balance Bar
Banquet
Best Foods
Betty Crocker
Birds Eye
Bisquick
Boca Burger
Cadbury/Sweppes
Calumet Baking Powder
Campbells
Capri Sun
Carnation
Celeste
Cheetos
Chef Boyardee
Chunky
Coca-Cola
Colombo
Con Agra
Country Time
Crisco
Crystal Light
Delicious
Del Monte
Dinty Moore
Dole
Doritos
Duncan Hines
Eggo Waffles
Famous Amos
Franco-American
Frappuccino
Frito Lay
Fruitopia
Gardenburger (unless organic)
Gatorade
General Mills
Ghirardelli Chocolate
Graham Crackers
Green Giant
Hansen Beverage Company
Hawaiian Punch
Healthy Choice
Healthy Request
Heinz
Hellman’s
Hershey’s
HI-C
Holsum
Honey Maid
Hormel
Hostess
Hungry Jack
Hunts
Interstate Bakeries
Jiffy
Kc Masterpiece
Keebler
Kellogg’s:
Kids Cuisine
Knorr
Kraft: ALL condiments and dressings
Kool-Aid
Land O’ Lakes
Lay’s Ruffles
Lean Cuisine
Libby’s
Life Saver
Lipton
Loma Lindia
Marie Callender’s
Mazola
Minute Maid
Morningstar Farms (unless organic line)
Ms. Butterworths
Nabisco
Nature Valley
Near East
Nestea
Nestle
Nilla Wafers
Nutter Butter
Ocean Spray
Old El Paso
Oreos
Ore-Ida
Orville Redenbacher
Pace
Pam
Parmalat
Pepperidge Farm
Pepsi
Peter Pan
Phillip Morris
Pillsbury
Pinnacle Foods
Pop Secret
Post
Power Bar
Preformed
Prego
Pringles
Procter and Gamble
Progresso Soups
Quaker
Ragu
Rice-Roni
Ritz
Rosetto Frozen Pasta
Simply Home
Skippy
Smart Ones
Smucker’s: unless labeled “Simply 100% Fruit”
Snack Wells
SoBe
Sorrento
Stagg
Stouffer’s
Sunny Delight
Swanson
Tang
Teddy Grahams
The Country’s Best Yoghurt
Toblerone
Tombstone Pizza
Tostitos
Totino’s
Triscuit
Tropicana
Uncle Ben’s
Unilever
V8
Voila
Wheat Thins
Baby foods: Beech-nut, Enfamil, Good start, Nestle, Similac, Isomil
Bonus: Non-GMO Shopping Guide.
Read more: Why don’t we like GMOs?
And more: 5 Myths about Genetically Engineered Foods. {Infographic}
And a bonus app for your phone called Buycott.
Like elephant food on Facebook.
Ed: Kate Bartolotta
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