This article is currently being updated with a target completion date of October 1, 2009.  The pages and video will be added as they are completed.

You Are What You Eat

Hidden Dangers in Genetically Modified Foods

Presentation to YOU – Your Own Understanding  March 14, 2009

About the Speaker

Bob Gregory: agronomist, agriculture director for Hartland College, nationally known speaker, author, & organic farmer (30 years experience teaching agribusiness and organic farming) who has addressed this issue in both North and South America and participated with the following companies while doing research in Northern California:  

Agrium, Chevron Chemical, Pure-Gro, Inc., Simplot, Western Farm Service, Brea Ag Service, Norsk-Hydro / Hydro Agri, Sandoz, Dow Elanco, Monsanto, Ciba-Grigy, Rhone-Poulenc, United Agri Products, Pfizer, University of California - Berkeley, University of California - Davis

Description

This article explains what you really need to know to protect yourself and your family from the dangers in man-made foods.  Each chapter is linked separately so you can progress through the presentation at your own speed.  The handouts given during the talk will be linked to the last page.  

Understanding the information below is necessary to keep up with the speaker and has been transposed from his original 2.5 hour talk to shorten the length of the DVD.

Definition of Biotechnology

“Bio” meaning life

“Technology” meaning to apply technology to that life

Biotechnology refers to any kind of technology applied to life.  The terms Genetic Engineering (GE), Genetic Modification (GM), and Bio Technology (biotech) are usually used interchangeably, with the proponents of GM and GE foods citing the traditional definition and those opposed to GM or GE foods referring to the more contemporary definition below.

Traditional Definition of Biotechnology

This practice began extensively in the US in the 1920s + 1930s after World War ! when people moved from farming to industry during the industrial revolution.

Seed Hybridization has been around for thousands of years and has been very successful in providing for the abundance of food around the world. 

It requires a female parent plant, such as a pea or a bean, to be selected.  Then a male plant becomes the pollen donor to cross the characteristics of the two vigorous plants to produce a third offspring even more vigorous. 

Unfortunately the offspring will not reproduce true to type.  The seed will reflect characteristics of mom or dad or something entirely different.  Therefore farmers cannot use saved seeds from previous harvests but must instead buy new hybridized seeds each year. 

Once hybridization took hold, farmers lost their independence and had to rely on seed companies for their crops.  Thousands of seed companies sprang up across the country and many of the previous varieties became extinct or simply died out.  For example, around the year 1900 there were over 7000 apple varieties grown commercially in the US.  Today there are about 5.

Contemporary Definition of Biotechnology

Bob discusses both the good and bad aspects of biotech.  However, the film clips refer to the contemporary way we apply biotechnology today to produce GE and GM foods.

A Transgene from a foreign species is selected, such as a gene from an insect or a human.  These transgenes are placed into a gene gun and blasted at selected target plant or animal cells … similar to a shotgun blast where some of the pellets hit and some miss and some just destroy parts of the target cells and related DNA.  It’s not a tidy or precise process.

Some cells are impacted by the transgene but there is some collateral damage to the DNA.  Not only does the gene sequencing change at the insertion point but also up to 5% of the rest of the DNA genome mutates in unknown and unpredictable ways.  These changes are irreversible.

In addition, an antibiotic resistant gene is used to identify which cells were actually “hit.”  The "successful" cells contain this antibiotic resistant marker gene and are transferred into the plant or animal host genome.  As the genetic sequence replicates, the host now has antibiotic resistance.

Studies have shown that GM bacteria has crossed the species barrier and lodged in the human gut after eating BT corn only one time.  GM bacteria has also transferred to bees intestines.

There is considerable controversy among scientists worldwide over the danger of introducing antibiotic resistant marker genes into the human food supply because of the unstoppable and irreversible nature of this technology.  The side effects are totally unknown and any results are permanent.

Interesting Point

When the US Constitution was created, this was a radically different country.  When Thomas Jefferson was alive in 1790, the total population of the US was about four million and ninety percent of American workers were involved with farming in some capacity… farm owners, workers, food processors, transporters, or involved in getting food to your table.

Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter to James Madison in 1787 (B.12.442), “I think our governments will remain virtuous for many centuries; as long as they are chiefly agricultural.”  The inference was that those who work with the land have a wholesome perspective on life, given the natural laws that they must deal with on a daily basis.  Money and power is of little consequence to those in tune with nature.

By 1960, only 8.3% of Americans were involved with food production.   But in 2005, the total population of the USA was 293 million and the number involved with food production dropped to .94%.  By comparison, WalMart employs over one percent of our labor force.

The point being, the less than one percent of the population in control of the food supply today (most of whom are not farmers) have a tremendous amount of power and control over the other 99% as they make decisions about what ends up on your table.

To truly understand the real issues, please continue to p.2:  How Did We Get Here?

This presentation will give you a good overview of the multi-faceted GMO controversy.  

Bob Gregory’s web site bereagardens.com contains two links pages where you can find answers to questions you might have after going through this presentation:  Agriculture and AgBiotech