Friday, July 24, 2015

Genetically Modified Organisms - GMOs


GMOs, Genetically Modified Organisms, Papaya, Corn, Soy, Cotton, Canola
Know which crops have been genetically modified help you make informed choices at the grocery store and farmers markets. We have put together this pocketbook shopping guide to help you identify products or ingredients that are made with GMOs.

Some crops are still in development and will not be on your store shelves for a while, those items are listed with a date in the parenthesis, along with a number to signify how many varieties are in development at this time. You'll see (in the image) that the Arctic Apple will have two varieties when it comes to the market. Whiles these items are not yet available for purchase, they are being grown, possibly on a farm near you. Cross pollination can be a threat in some cases to surrounding farms, and families living in proximity to test fields are exposed to higher levels of toxic chemical cocktails and exhibit more health indicators.

The work being done by scientist like Dr. Stephanie Seneff (people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/and Dr. Judy Carman (gmojudycarman.org/) take a close look at the link between GMOs and their toxic pesticides in their work.

In May of 2015 the Hawaii Center for Food Safety release their report on PESTICIDES IN PARADISE: HAWAI'I'S HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT AT RISK which takes a close look at how GMOs have contributed to more toxic pesticide usage since their inception; increasingly threatening Hawai'i's public health, biodiversity, and food independence. Download the report at http://tinyurl.com/hcfs2015report 

MYTH: GMOs will "feed the world". 
Prior to the arrival of Captain Cook, Hawaii was self-sufficient, 100% of their food supply was raised locally. Today Hawaii produces a little more than 10% of its food supply, and is losing more of its prime agricultural lands every year. Approximately 70% of Hawai'i's agricultural lands have been leased or purchased by the "Big 5" seed & chemical companies; Monsanto, Syngenta, Dow Chemical, BASF, and DuPont-Pioneer. The Ho'opili housing development project on Oahu is just one more example of improper use and management of Hawai'i's agricultural resources. Leaving Hawai'i in precarious situation, that is dependent on imported goods.

Today, 93% of all corn crops by acreage are genetically modified. Yet if you take a look at the breakdown to see how GMO corn is used, you'll see that 40% is used to produce ETHANOL, 37% is used for animal feed (cows, pigs, chickens, even farmed fish), 12% is for industrial use (packaging), and the remaining 11% is used by Kellogg's, Gerber, (infants & children) ET AL. (SOURCE: gmofreeusa.org)

Take action today! Just say no to GMOs and their Toxic Chemicals. 
Save this image to your phone and take it with you as you shop. 


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