The GMO-free campus movement starts by mobilizing parents
The book "Seeds of Deception" exposes major concerns about genetically modified organisms (GMO, Genetically modified organism) in food safety, and further presents strong evidence showing that multinational biotechnology companies, driven by commercial interests, use the U.S. government to force GM products onto markets around the world.
The book uses a fluent writing style to convey its ideas through storytelling, with evidence presented at every turn.
The author, Jeffrey M. Smith, is also the founder of The Institute For Responsible Technology. To date he has spoken in 34 countries, advises leaders in various places, and has even influenced the food policies of some countries.
On the 10th, NewsMarket interviewed Smith and invited Green Party Taiwan chief executive Wu Dongjie and senior journalist Wang Wenhao to take part in the discussion.
Smith pointed out that schools in the United States generally face insufficient funding, and the lunches served to students often rely on cheap processed foods. In addition, the government provides funding to purchase free GM foods for schools, making campus food safety concerns serious.
Smith said that in recent years pediatricians have repeatedly found that conditions including allergies and autism are strongly linked to GM foods. The Institute for Responsible Technology, which he founded, is promoting "GM Free Schools," combining the power of parents to spread the GM-free concept.
This article is one in a series of interviews. Below is a record of the content of the interview with Jeffrey M. Smith conducted by NewsMarket and Green Party Taiwan.
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Because there are many precedents, several media reporters and writers who exposed the truth about GMOs have encountered obstruction originating from biotechnology companies. Therefore, during the writing of this book I kept it highly confidential. To protect myself, I declined the publisher's offer and self-published it.
Some of the strong evidence provided in the book, after publication, became a powerful tool for rebutting Monsanto Company and other biotechnology companies. The American Academy of Environmental Medicine also began requiring its doctors to recommend that patients eat non-GM foods in their prescriptions.
My second book, "Genetic Roulette," is about the impact of GMOs on the environment. In this book, the dangers of eating GM foods are clearly listed. At present this book has already been published in China, under the translated title "Genetic Roulette."
GMOs are significantly linked to diseases among people in the country
Many scientists and doctors believe that GM foods are a major cause of disease among many people in the United States.
In the United States, 40% of gastrointestinal diseases occur, and this proportion is still continuously rising. In 2011, scientists in Canada found Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) genes in the blood of pregnant women and newborns. Some studies indicate that after corn modified with Bacillus thuringiensis genes (BT corn) is eaten, part of the gene virus remains in the body and continues to operate along with the digestive system.
Guo Huaren, a professor in the Department of Agronomy at National Taiwan University, China, explained that Bacillus thuringiensis is used to kill pests and dies by itself after four hours, so the amount of toxin it produces is very limited. But insect-resistant GM crops clone the gene by which Bacillus thuringiensis produces toxins, causing every cell throughout the crop to contain toxins at all times, in extremely large quantities.
Over these years, pediatricians have repeatedly found that GM foods are strongly related to diseases, including allergies, gastrointestinal diseases, autism, immune system problems, and so on. For these patients, doctors' prescriptions include advising parents to provide non-GM foods to children as much as possible. Pregnant women and children during their growth and development period should also avoid GM products as much as possible.
Insufficient campus funding: promoting GM-free starts with parents
However, because U.S. schools generally lack funding, the funds available for student lunches are very tight. Student lunches often provide cheap processed foods, which also fuels the obesity epidemic. Until now, out of every 2.68 U.S. dollars in lunch funding, only about 1 U.S. dollar is actually spent on the meal. Only recently has the Child Nutrition Act passed by Obama slightly improved the situation. This plan will expand the number of children in the school lunch program and replace junk food in vending machines and school cafeterias with healthier options.
In the United States there is a "surplus commodity" policy, under which the government provides funding to purchase GM foods and supply them free to schools. These two factors make promoting GM-free schools very difficult. We can only try gradually. In some school lunches, milk supply is reduced; in others, lettuce supply is reduced.
The Institute for Responsible Technology, where I work, hopes to promote "GM Free Schools," spreading GM-free diets on campuses.
In society, parents are the most sensitive to food safety issues. For their children's health, parents will make many changes for them. When promoting in schools met obstacles, we began seeking the support of parents. We hold outreach activities and publish books and promotional materials to tell them what harm eating GMOs can do to children.
Reject animal feed: consumers need to act consciously
NewsMarket journalist Wang Wenhao invited Smith to offer suggestions regarding GMOs or unnatural production methods such as ractopamine: whether as producers or consumers, what changes or demands can we make? How can we take back our food autonomy?
Smith said that we should all try to avoid eating GM foods. Especially in Taiwan, China, the use of soybeans is very high, and most soybeans are imported from the United States, with no guarantee of food safety.
Soybeans, corn, and other crops exported by the United States are divided into food grade and animal feed. The soybeans the United States exports to Japan are food grade; this type of soybean cannot be bought in Taiwan, China. The soybeans the United States exports to Taiwan, China are all for animal feed, and these are almost entirely GM products.
Consumers have the right to demand what kind of food they want to eat. I suggest that all consumers contact the restaurants and food brand companies they frequently patronize to find out whether the sources of their products are safe, and ask the stores to remove GM ingredients from their products. Consumer awareness can prompt producers to make choices and changes; at the same time, Smith also hopes that the Taiwan, China government can face and intervene in the many problems in the GMO industry to ensure people's health.
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