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Changing the World, One Kitchen at a Time

Jeffrey Smith recently released a book called Genetic Roulette. You'll recognize his name as the author of the best-selling book Seeds of Deception which addresses the dangers of genetically modified (GM) foods. Quite by accident, Jeffrey Smith has quickly become a world leader on the fight against unsafe GM foods, because he takes his passionate message to political leaders around the world.

Jeffrey Smith was so passionate to change the world's view of GM foods, that he ran for congress and worked at a Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) detection laboratory as Vice-President of Marketing. He travels the world with his book Seeds of Deception, speaking to political leaders. The problem with Seeds of Deception is that is reads more like a novel than a reference book.

Jeffrey Smith knew there must be some way to get his message out. He met with over 30 scientists during the course of a two year period to gather materials for Genetic Roulette. Genetic Roulette is a unique book that has facts for political leaders on one side of the page and references for scientists on the other side of the page. The book documents 65 of the health risks associated with GM foods. So what ARE GM foods, exactly?

GM foods are made from GM organisms. When an organism is created by merging the DNA of two unrelated organisms, a new, genetically modified organism is the result. An example of this is when DNA from a spider is put into a goat to modify milk production, yeilding milk high in spider proteins. This milk could theoretically be used to produce bullet proof vests. Another example is adding the DNA of bacteria and viruses to plants with the intention of producing pesticides and making crops that are resistant to herbicides.

Eating foods like wheat bread or corn chips that are produced from GM wheat and corn crops presents a health crisis. The digestive tract of humans can quickly become the breeding ground for new pesticides. The goal of GM food scientists is to create new crops that are resistant to hazards. Better crops means more food for a starving world. The problem is that the research is still in a primitive stage. Eating these foods can be like playing roulette with your health.

Shouldn't food companies be concerned about the health of the people who buy their products? Jeffrey Smith feels that GM food companies are more concerned about profits. He spends his days spreading the word to world leaders, because it's dangerous to put a product on the market as quickly as possible. Sure, it generates revenues, but it also produces sick people.

Who's going to protect unknowing consumers? The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is supposed to regorously check the foods we eat, so why aren't they stopping unsafe foods from making it to market? In 1992, FDA policy claimed that the agency was "Not aware of any information showing that the foods created from these methods differ in any meaningful or uniform way." In layman's terms, the FDA isn't going to require any special testing of GM foods. They're taking a hands-off approach because they feel that GM products are the same as natural ones.

Many scientists, including those who have worked for the FDA in the past, all agree that GM foods cause allergies, toxins, new diseases, and nutritional problems. Some scientists have tried to warn superiors, but they have been ignored.

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