While most processed foods now contain genetically modified ingredients, GM produce has been considered off limits in recent years following the miserable failure of GM tomatoes and other vegetables in the 1990’s.
With consumers now “used” to genetically modified foods and seemingly rather complacent about the situation, Big Ag is testing the waters with “fresh” GM produce once again.
As early as this Fall, genetically modified sweet corn courtesy of Monsanto is expected to be available at a supermarket produce aisle near you.
It makes perfect sense for Monsanto to start it’s foray into GM produce with sweet corn given its death grip on the corn market – 60% within its control at last calculation.
Bill Freese, a science policy analyst with the Center for Food Safety, speculates that exposure to unprocessed GM foods may be even more dangerous than processed GM products.
“There’s a concern with these GE crops that we eat with minimal processing [like sweet corn]…we’re exposed to a lot more of whatever is in it versus a processed corn product,” warns Freese.
It is possible then for “fresh” GM produce to be paradoxically more dangerous than processed GM foods!
This is especially worrisome since the pervasive Bt toxin used in GM corn has been found in maternal and fetal blood samples and Mothers to Be are particularly motivated to eat fresh rather than processed foods. While the effects of the Bt toxin aren’t yet known, it certainly can’t be positive given that it disrupts the digestive process of insects eventually killing them.
Monsanto knows exactly what it is doing. Sweet corn is normally sold by the ear in big bins and does not lend itself well to branding with the Monsanto GM label.
Since retailers will have the choice whether or not to label the GM corn, this “blend in and don’t make waves” approach works to Monsanto’s advantage.
In other words, you can be sure that there won’t be any corn bins at the supermarket with the label “Monsanto GM corn” as this would be a huge negative for the campaign given Monsanto’s poor reputation with the public.
As Marcia Ishii-Eiteman, senior scientist at the Pesticide Action Network North American explains, “We [consumers] won’t know which corn is which.”
No doubt, this is exactly what Monsanto wants. Fast and easy consumer acceptance through ignorance. Stealth marketing at its finest.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist.com
Source: Monsanto Plans to Sell Sweet Corn In Your Local Supermarket
It sounds like there is some confusion of what GMO is, maybe I’m the one that is confused. Hybrid is not GMO, hybrid is a natural process when two varieties cross pollinate, that is how all the tomato (heirloom) varieties came to be. GMO is a change in the actual make up, Corn is not longer Corn, it just looks like Corn. Seedless watermelon are a type of hybrid, you grow one type with a polinator plant to get the melons.
That makes sense. I asked about that at my local farmer’s market today, and that’s how the farmer explained it to me.
It is definitely time to wake up and cry out, as well as educate as many people as we can. Our health freedoms depend on it. Thanks for addressing these issues, Sarah.
“Fresh” GM Produce — Coming Soon to a Supermarket Near You – The Healthy Home Economist
http://ow.ly/65yE2
Before you buy your next ear of corn at the supermarket, ask if it’s GM corn. http://t.co/OaCYd2h
Hm. Let’s see, the corn is engineered to be it’s OWN pesticide. Yeah, I bet that’s REAL healthy. http://t.co/fbu0PAN
Yes, exactly. The Bt toxin can’t be washed off with a veggie wash or soaking in white vinegar and H2O2 in a sink full of water. It is genetically part of the corn. You are literally eating pesticides when you consume GM corn.
and studies have shown that the genes can “jump” to our gut bacteria, turning them into living pesticed facrories, and round-up ready ones at that!
pesticide 🙂
factories :-/
Scary and terrible.
I already stopped buying corn unless it is organic- I assumed even fresh was GMO, unless organic.
As I’ve been trying to explain here at this comment section, it all starts with the seeds. If the grower doesn’t know where his seeds originated, even if he grew his produce without pesticides, herbicides and all the rest, he still can’t/doesn’t know if it’s truly organic. Personally, I don’t think organic exists anymore. Yes, it sounds jaded but that’s how I feel. We’ve been taken over so silently we don’t even realize it. Putting people like Michael Taylor in charge of ANYTHING is the reason why. That dood must have at least five different faces and I think some days he uses all five of them at some point.
There ARE organic seed companies that are very careful in using heirloom vegetables fruits and so forth… And local organic farms SAVE their seeds year to year…like farmers used to!
D, I have to agree with you all the way. Let’s try to explain this another way. I know a certified organic farmer and he grows sweet corrn for farmer’s market. He has to buy fresh seed each year from a reliable source to make sure he has STARTED with non-GMO. Thing is, he is situated with conventional crops all around him. There is NO WAY he can prevent cross pollination from the GMO crops nearby. So the corn that you buy organically, is organic if it’s certified, BUT, unless it’s grown in a green house away from all conventional corn crops, it is probably contaminated. So the farmer is right in saying that his corn is non-GMO and organic, but in reality, it’s been cross pollinated and thats’ why they buy new seed each year. They would have to have it tested to see if this is the case for sure.
I just wanted to note if you are going to start growing your own corn. Corn pollinates on the wind, and if you live near GM fields, its likely that it will be some sort of hybrid. I personally have been building a stock of heirloom seeds, stored properly, in case of any emergency down the road, as seeds can keep for a long time. They might even be useful if we ever get the GMO outlawed here like in Europe, because I doubt most farmers will be able to find non GMO contaminated seed by then, what if the non GMO lines have been wiped out?
I know I sound fatalistic, but better safe than sorry.
How safe is buying food from local farmer’s markets (in terms of avoiding GMOs)? What questions should you ask the farmers to find out exactly what your buying? Do you avoid seedless watermelons (since they’re a genetically modified food, right)?
I talked to a couple of different farmers at our farmer’s market today, and they both said they do not use GMO seed, including one who sells corn. She said someone came up and got mad at her today because an ear of corn had a few worms on it last week. She said people want non-GMO, non-spray, and no bugs–that must be so frustrating for the farmer to deal with! She also said you need to be specific in your questions you ask farmers, because they proudly advertise that they don’t spray pesticides, but the reason they don’t is because they’re growing GMO corn. The other farmer said he avoids growing corn altogether because of this whole issue.
seedless watermelons are hybrid, not GMO. the only GM produce you have to worry about (YET!) is squash and corn. ask what varieties, Attribute is the GM corn, the rest are good, and probably not even cross comtaminated as most farmers take great care to make sure their swwet corn doesn’t cross with field corn as it ruins marketability. acorn squash is XP something, zuchinni and crooknecks that are GM have a roman numeral after the name (ie. Judgement II, Independence III). I got this info from a monsanto seed salesman who was trying to sell me (a produce farmer) on these seeds. I played along ’cause I wanted the info 🙂
Will locally grown produce be safe?