Last week the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a weak and dangerous position on Genetically Modified foods: “trust but verify.”
If you’re like me, this probably made you say, “What?”
Apparently “trust but verify” means the foods seem safe but should still go through a “mandatory pre-market safety approval process” to look for major changes in nutrient or toxicant levels. Of course, we are way too late to institute “pre-market approval processes” for GMO crops as 94% of soybeans, 88% of corn, and 90% of cotton in this country are already Genetically Modified.
Though the AMA admits that the science proving the safety of GMO food is lacking (a massive understatement), it still argues against labeling of GMO products. GMO producers are fighting labeling because they believe consumers will choose non-GMO products when given a choice. It’s tragic to realize that powerful biotech lobbying interests exert corporate influence at the cost of the public health with this country’s most respected medical association.
Tragic, or disgusting?
Since GMOs first appeared on shelves in 1996, the biotech giants like Monsanto have been playing fast and loose in an experiment with the public health on a nationwide scale. The effects of GMO foods on humans have yet to be determined, but studies on mice fed GMO feed showed that each successive generation experienced increasing infertility, and within three or four generations the mice were infertile.
What we eat today could affect our great grandchildren… or lack thereof.
Interestingly, even though the AMA would like to see testing done on nutrient and toxicant levels in GMO foods, those levels may not reflect how the altered DNA affects living bodies when absorbed and assimilated. That’s the really scary part.
We should demand that the AMA care more about our health and wellbeing than about corporate profits. And continue to push for mandatory labeling of GMO foods, because we deserve to be able to make our own decisions about what we eat.
