Living with GMOs

A Letter from America

An open letter to the citizens, politicians, and regulators of the UK and the rest of the EU about the hazards of genetically modified crops

We are writing as concerned American citizens to share with you our experience of genetically modified (GM) crops and the resulting damage to our agricultural system and adulteration of our food supply.

In our country, GM crops account for about half of harvested cropland. Around 94% of the soy, 93% of corn (maize) and 96% of cotton grown is GM.¹

The UK and the rest of the EU have yet to adopt GM crops in the way that we have, but you are currently under tremendous pressure from governments, biotech lobbyists, and large corporations to adopt what we now regard as a failing agricultural technology.

Polls consistently show that 72% of Americans do not want to eat GM foods and over 90% of Americans believe GM foods should be labeled.² In spite of this massive public mandate, efforts to get our federal³ and state⁴ governments to better regulate, or simply label, GMOs are being undermined by large biotech and food corporations with unlimited budgets⁵ and undue influence.

As you consider your options, we’d like to share with you what nearly two decades of GM crops in the United States has brought us. We believe our experience serves as a warning for what will happen in your countries should you follow us down this road.

Broken promises

GM crops were released onto the market with a promise that they would consistently increase yields and decrease pesticide use. They have done neither.⁶ In fact, according to a recent US government report yields from GM crops can be lower than their non-GM equivalents.⁷

Farmers were told that GM crops would yield bigger profits too. The reality, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, is different.⁸ Profitability is highly variable, while the cost of growing these crops has spiraled.⁹ GM seeds cannot legally be saved for replanting, which means farmers must buy new seeds each year. Biotech companies control the price of seeds, which cost farmers 3-6 times more than conventional seeds.¹⁰ This, combined with the huge chemical inputs they require, means GM crops have proved more costly to grow than conventional crops. Because of the disproportionate emphasis on GM crops, conventional seed varieties are no longer widely available leaving farmers with less choice and control over what they plant.¹¹

Farmers who have chosen not to grow GM crops can find their fields contaminated with GM crops as a result of cross pollination between related species of plants¹² and GM and non-GM seeds being mixed together during storage.

Because of this our farmers are losing export markets. Many countries have restrictions or outright bans on growing or importing GM crops¹³ and as a result, these crops have become responsible for a rise in trade disputes when shipments of grain are found to be contaminated with GM organisms (GMOs). ¹⁴

The burgeoning organic market here in the US is also being affected. Many organic farmers have lost contracts for organic seed due to high levels of contamination. This problem is increasing and is expected to get much bigger in the coming years.

Pesticides and superweeds

The most widely grown types of GM crops are known as “Roundup Ready” crops. These crops, mostly corn and soy, have been genetically engineered so that when they are sprayed with the herbicide Roundup® – the active ingredient of which is glyphosate – the weeds die but the crop continues to grow.

This has created a vicious circle. Weeds have become resistant to the herbicide, causing farmers to spray even more. Heavier use of herbicides creates ever more “superweeds” and even higher herbicide use. A recent review found that between 1996 and 2011, farmers who planted Roundup Ready crops used 24% more herbicide than non-GMO farmers planting the same crops.¹⁵

If we remain on this trajectory with Roundup Ready crops we can expect to see herbicide rates increase by 25% each year for the foreseeable future.

This pesticide treadmill means that in the last decade in the US at least 14 new glyphosate-resistant weed species have emerged,¹⁶ and over half of US farms are plagued with herbicide-resistant weeds.¹⁷

Biotech companies, which sell both the GM seeds and the herbicides,¹⁸have proposed to address this problem with the creation of new crop varieties that will be able to withstand even stronger and more toxic herbicides such as 2,4-D and dicamba. However it is estimated that if these new varieties are approved, this could drive herbicide use up by as much as 50%.¹⁹

Environmental harm

Studies have shown that the increased herbicide use on Roundup Ready crops is highly destructive to the natural environment. For example, Roundup kills milkweeds, which are the key food source for the iconic Monarch butterfly²⁰ and poses a threat to other important insects such as bees.²¹It is also damaging to soil, killing beneficial organisms that keep it healthy and productive²² and making essential micronutrients unavailable to the plant.²³

Without healthy soil, we cannot grow healthy plants.

Other types of GM plants, which have been engineered to produce their own insecticide (e.g. “Bt” cotton plants), have also been shown to harm beneficial insects including green lacewings²⁴, the Daphnia magna waterflea²⁵ and other aquatic insects,²⁶ and ladybugs (ladybirds).²⁷

Resistance to the insecticides in these plants is also growing,²⁸ creating new varieties of resistant “superbugs” and requiring more applications of insecticides at different points in the growth cycle, for instance on the seed before it is planted.²⁹ In spite of this, new Bt varieties of corn and soy have been approved here and will soon be planted.

A threat to human health

GM ingredients are everywhere in our food chain. It is estimated that 70% of processed foods consumed in the US have been produced using GM ingredients. If products from animals fed GM feed are included, the percentage is significantly higher.

Research shows that Roundup Ready crops contain many times more glyphosate, and its toxic breakdown product AMPA, than normal crops.³⁰

Traces of glyphosate have been found in the breastmilk and urine of American mothers, as well as in their drinking water.³¹ The levels in breastmilk were worryingly high – around 1,600 times higher than what is allowable in European drinking water. Passed on to babies through breastmilk, or the water used to make formula, this could represent an unacceptable risk to infant health since glyphosate is a suspected hormone disrupter.³² Recent studies suggest that this herbicide is also toxic to sperm.³³

Likewise, traces of the Bt toxin have been found in the blood of mothers and their babies.³⁴

GM foods were not subjected to human trials before being released into the food chain and the health impacts of having these substances circulating and accumulating in our bodies are not being studied by any government agency, nor by the companies that produce them.

Studies of animals fed GM foods and/or glyphosate, however, show worrying trends including damage to vital organs like the liver and kidneys, damage to gut tissues and gut flora, immune system disruption, reproductive abnormalities, and even tumors.³⁵

These scientific studies point to potentially serious human health problems that could not have been anticipated when our country first embraced GMOs, and yet they continue to be ignored by those who should be protecting us. Instead our regulators rely on outdated studies and other information funded and supplied by biotech companies that, not surprisingly, dismiss all health concerns.

A denial of science

This spin of corporate science stands in stark contrast to the findings of independent scientists. In fact, in 2013, nearly 300 independent scientists from around the world issued a public warning that there was no scientific consensus about the safety of eating genetically modified food, and that the risks, as demonstrated in independent research, gave “serious cause for concern.”³⁶

It’s not easy for independent scientists like these to speak out. Those who do have faced obstacles in publishing their results, been systematically vilified by pro-GMO scientists, been denied research funding, and in some cases have had their jobs and careers threatened.³⁷

Control of the food supply

Through our experience we have come to understand that the genetic engineering of food has never really been about public good, or feeding the hungry, or supporting our farmers. Nor is it about consumer choice. Instead it is about private, corporate control of the food system.

This control extends into areas of life that deeply affect our day-to-day well-being, including food security, science, and democracy. It undermines the development of genuinely sustainable, environmentally friendly agriculture and prevents the creation of a transparent, healthy food supply for all.

Today in the US, from seed to plate, the production, distribution, marketing, safety testing, and consumption of food is controlled by a handful of companies, many of which have commercial interests in genetic engineering technology. They create the problems, and then sell us the so-called solutions. This is a closed cycle of profit generation that is unequalled in any other type of commerce.

We all need to eat, which is why every citizen should strive to understand these issues.

Time to speak out

Americans are reaping the detrimental impacts of this risky and unproven agricultural technology. EU countries should take note: there are no benefits from GM crops great enough to offset these impacts. Officials who continue to ignore this fact are guilty of a gross dereliction of duty.

We, the undersigned, are sharing our experience and what we have learned with you so that you don’t make our mistakes.

We strongly urge you to resist the approval of genetically modified crops, to refuse to plant those crops that have been approved, to reject the import and/or sale of GM-containing animal feeds and foods intended for human consumption, and to speak out against the corporate influence over politics, regulation and science.

If the UK and the rest of Europe becomes the new market for genetically modified crops and food our own efforts to label and regulate GMOs will be all the more difficult, if not impossible. If our efforts fail, your attempts to keep GMOs out of Europe will also fail.

If we work together, however, we can revitalize our global food system, ensuring healthy soil, healthy fields, healthy food and healthy people.

References

1 Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops in the US 1996-2014 – Recent Trends in GE Adoption, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), July 2014, http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/adoption-of-genetically-engineered-crops-in-the-us/recent-trends-in-ge-adoption.aspx#.U9aA4fldUz0

2Consumer Support for Standardization and Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food 2014 Nationally‐Representative Phone Survey, Consumer Reports® National Research Center Survey Research Report, https://consumersunion.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/2014_GMO_survey_report.pdf ; see also Brinkerhoff N, Americans overwhelmingly want GMO labelling...until big companies pour money into election campaigns, AllGov News, January 7, 2014 http://www.allgov.com/news/where-is-the-money-going/americans-overwhelmingly-want-gmo-labelinguntil-big-companies-pour-money-in-election-campaigns-140107?news=852102

3 GE Food Labelling: States Take Action, Fact Sheet, Center for Food Safety, June 2014, http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/files/ge-state-labeling-fact-sheet-620141_28179.pdf

4 ibid

5 Jargon J and Berry I, Dough Rolls Out to Fight 'Engineered' Label on Food, Wall Street journal, October 25, 2012, http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052970203400604578073182907123760

6 Benbrook C, Evidence of the magnitude and consequences of the Roundup Ready soybean yield drag from university-based varietal trials in 1998: Ag BioTech InfoNet Technical Paper Number 1, Sandpoint, Idaho, 1999, http://www.mindfully.org/GE/RRS-Yield-Drag.htm; see also Elmore RW, et al. Glyphosate-resistant soyabean cultivar yields compared with sister lines, Agron J, 2001;93:408-12; see also Ma BL and Subedi KD, Development, yield, grain moisture and nitrogen uptake of Bt corn hybrids and their conventional near-isolines. Field Crops Res. 2005; 93: 199-211; see also Bennett H. GM canola trials come a cropper, WA Business News. http://www.wabusinessnews.com.au/en-story/1/69680/GM-canola-trials-come-a-cropper January 16, 2009; see also Gurian-Sherman D, Failure to yield: Evaluating the performance of genetically engineered crops. Cambridge, MA: Union of Concerned Scientists; 2009. Available at: http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/food_and_agriculture/failure-to-yield.pdf

7 Genetically Engineered Crops in the United States, USDA, Economic Research Services, February 2014 http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/err-economic-research-report/err162.aspx#.U7vzi7Hrzbx

8 Fernandez-Cornejo J, Wechsler S, Livingston M, Mitchell L. Genetically engineered crops in the United States. Washington, DC: US Department of Agriculture; 2014. Available at: http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/err-economic-research-report/err162.aspx#.U0P_qMfc26x

9 Fernandez-Cornejo J, McBride WD. The adoption of bioengineered crops. Agricultural Economic Report No. 810. Washington, DC: US Department of Agriculture; 2002, http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/aer810/aer810.pdf; see also Gómez-Barbero M and Rodríguez-Cerezo E. Economic impact of dominant GM crops worldwide: A review. European Commission Joint Research Centre: Institute for Prospective Technological Studies; 2006, http://ftp.jrc.es/EURdoc/eur22547en.pdf; see also Benbrook CM. Impacts of genetically engineered crops on pesticide use in the United States: The first thirteen years. Washington, DC: The Organic Center; 2009. Available at: http://www.organic-center.org/reportfiles/13Years20091126_FullReport.pdf; see also Howard P, Visualizing consolidation in the global seed industry: 1996–2008. Sustainability. 2009; 1: 1266-87; see also Neuman W. Rapid rise in seed prices draws US scrutiny, New York Times, March 11, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/12/business/12seed.html?_r=1.

10 Benbrook CM. The magnitude and impacts of the biotech and organic seed price premium. Washington, DC: The Organic Center; 2009. Available at: http://www.organic-center.org/reportfiles/Seeds_Final_11-30-09.pdf.

11 Roseboro K, The GMO Seed Monopoly: Reducing Farmer's Seed Options, Organic Connections, 16 April 2013 http://organicconnectmag.com/wp/the-gmo-seed-monopoly-reducing-farmers-seed-options/#.UW6i4LVllfY

12 D’Hertefeldt T, et al. Long-term persistence of GM oilseed rape in the seedbank. Biol Lett. 2008;4:314–17; see also Gilbert N. GM crop escapes into the American wild. Nature. 2010. Available at: http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100806/full/news.2010.393.html; see also Black R. GM plants “established in the wild”, BBC News, August 6, 2010, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-10859264.

13 The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity. http://bch.cbd.int/protocol/default.shtml; see also GMO-Free Europe, http://www.gmo-free-regions.org.

14 Technical consultation on low levels of genetically modified (GM) crops in international food and feed trade, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy March 21-22, 2014, http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/agns/topics/LLP/AGD803_4_Final_En.pdf.

15 Benbrook CM, Impacts of genetically engineered crops on pesticide use in the US - the first sixteen years, Environmental Sciences Europe, 2012; 24: 24 doi:10.1186/2190-4715-24-24.

16 USDA 2014, op cit.

17 The Rise of Superweeds – and What to Do About It, Union of Concerned Scientists, Policy Brief, December 2013, http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/food_and_agriculture/rise-of-superweeds.pdf.

18 Superweeds – How biotech crops bolster the pesticide industry, Food & Water Watch, July 2013 http://documents.foodandwaterwatch.org/doc/Superweeds.pdf#_ga=1.262673807.2090293938.1404747885 .

19 Benbrook CM, 2012, ibid.

20 Brower LP, Decline of monarch butterflies overwintering in Mexico: is the migratory phenomenon at risk?, Insect Conservation and Diversity, Volume 5, Issue 2, pages 95–100, March 2012, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1752-4598.2011.00142.x/full.

21 Garcia, MA and Altieri M, Transgenic Crops: Implications for Biodiversity and Sustainable Agriculture. Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, 2005; 25(4) 335-53, DOI: 10.1177/0270467605277293; see also Haughton, A J et al Invertebrate responses to the management of genetically modified herbicidetolerant and conventional spring crops. II.Within-field epigeal and aerial arthropods. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B, 2003; 358: 1863-77; see also Roy, DB et al Invertebrates and vegetation of field margins adjacent to crops subject to contrasting herbicide regimes in the Farm Scale Evaluations of genetically modified herbicide-tolerant crops, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B, 2003; 358: 1879-98.

22 Glyphosate herbicide affects belowground interactions between earthworms and symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi in a model ecosystem. Nature Scientific Reports, July 9, 2014, 4: 5634, DOI: doi:10.1038/srep05634; Citizens Concerned About GM, Suffocating the soil: An “unanticipated effect” of GM crops, 15 March 2013, http://www.gmeducation.org/environment/p207351-suffocating-the-soil:-anunanticipated-effectof-gm-crops.html.

23 Tapesser B et al, Agronomic and environmental aspects of the cultivation of genetically modified herbicide-resistant plants A joint paper of BfN (Germany), FOEN (Switzerland) and EAA (Austria), Bonn, Germany 2014, http://www.bfn.de/fileadmin/MDB/documents/service/skript362.pdf.

24 Tapesser B et al, 2014, op cit.

25 Tapesser B et al, 2014, op cit.

26 Rossi-Marshall EJ et al, Toxins in transgenic crop byproducts may affect headwater stream ecosystems, PNAS, 2007, 104(41): 16204–08, http://www.pnas.org/content/104/41/16204.abstract.

27 Tapesser B et al, 2014 op cit; see also Schmidt JEU, Braun CU, Whitehouse LP, Hilbeck A: Effects of activated Bt transgene products (Cry1Ab, Cry3Bb) on immature stages of the ladybird Adalia bipunctata in laboratory ecotoxicity testing, Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 2009, 56: 221-28, http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00244-008-9191-9.

28 Gassmann AJ et al, Field-evolved resistance by western corn rootworm to multiple Bacillus thuringiensis toxins in transgenic maize, Proc Natl Acad Sci, 2014 ; 111(14): 5141-46, http://www.pnas.org/content/111/14/5141; see also Letter from 22 Members and Participants of North Central Coordinating Committee NCCC46 and Other Corn Entomologists to US EPA, March 5, 2012, http://www.biosicherheit.de/pdf/aktuell/12-03_comment_porter_epa.pdf ; see also Huang F et al, Resistance of sugarcane borer to Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ab toxin, Entomol Exp Appl, 2007; 124: 117-23, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1570-7458.2007.00560.x/abstract;jsessionid=77E6295826AFA053813D7CFD5A1C15DB.f01t01?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false ; see also Tabashnik BE, et al, Insect resistance to Bt crops: Evidence versus theory, Nat Biotechnol, 2008; 26: 199–202, http://www.cof.orst.edu/cof/teach/agbiotox/Readings%202008/TabashnikBtResistInsects-NatBiotech-2008.pdf.

29 Leslie TW, Biddinger DJ, Mullin CA, Fleischer SJ. Carabidae population dynamics and temporal partitioning: Response to coupled neonicotinoid-transgenic technologies in maize, Env Entomol, 2009; 38: 935-43; see also Gurian-Sherman D. Genetically engineered crops in the real world – Bt corn, insecticide use, and honey bees. The Cornucopia Institute, January 13, 2012. http://www.cornucopia.org/2012/01/genetically-engineered-crops-in-the-real-world-bt-corn-insecticide-use-and-honey-bees.

30 Bohn T et al, Compositional differences in soybeans on the market: Glyphosate accumulates in Roundup Ready GM soybeans, Food Chemistry, 2014 ; 153: 207-15.

31 Glyphosate testing report: Findings in American mothers’ breast milk, urine and water. Mom’s Across America, April 7, 2014, http://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/yesmaam/pages/774/attachments/original/1396803706/Glyphosate__Final__in_the_breast_milk_of_American_women_Draft6_.pdf?1396803706.

32 Gasnier C, et al, Glyphosate-based herbicides are toxic and endocrine disruptors in human cell lines, Toxicology, 2009; 262: 184-91. doi:10.1016/j.tox.2009.06.006; see also Hokanson R, et al, Alteration of estrogen-regulated gene expression in human cells induced by the agricultural and horticultural herbicide glyphosate, Hum Exp Toxicol, 2007; 26: 747-52. doi:10.1177/0960327107083453; see also Thongprakaisang S, et al, Glyphosate induces human breast cancer cells growth via estrogen receptors, Food Chem Toxicol, 2013; 59: 129–36. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2013.05.057.

33 Cassault-Meyer E et al, An acute exposure to glyphosate-based herbicide alters aromatase levels in testis and sperm nuclear quality, Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, 2014; 38(1): 131-40.

34 Aris A and Leblanc S, Maternal and fetal exposure to pesticides associated to genetically modified foods in Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada, Reproductive Toxicology, 2011; 31(4): 528–33.

35 Fagan F et al, Chapter 3 - Health Hazards of GM Foods and Chapter 4 - Health Hazards of Roundup and glyphosate, in GMO Myths & Truths: An evidence-based examination of the claims made for the safety and efficacy of genetically modified crops and foods, Earth Open Source, 2^nd Ed, 2014. (See also Séralini, GE et al Republished study: Long-term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize, Environ Sci Eur 2014; 26: 14)

36 Statement: No scientific consensus on GMO safety, European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility, October 21, 2013, http://www.ensser.org/increasing-public-information/no-scientific-consensus-on-gmo-safety.

37 Smith, J, GMO Researchers Attacked, Evidence Denied, and a Population at Risk, Global Research, September 19, 2012 http://www.globalresearch.ca/gmo-researchers-attacked-evidence-denied-and-a-population-at-risk/5305324; see also Waltz E, GM crops: Battlefield, Nature, 2009; 461, 27-32 doi:10.1038/461027a; see also Woodward L, Muzzled by Monsanto, Citizens Concerned About GM, May 4, 2014, http://www.gmeducation.org/blog/p217611-muzzled-by-monsanto.html.

Signatories

The Letter from America is a unique citizen to citizen action and a plea from a continent that has been devastated GM farming and food not to make the mistakes it has made. The letter, which sheds a light on what our food future in the UK and the rest of Europe will be if we don’t change course, have been signed by NGOs, groups academics, scientists, farmers, food manufactures, and high profile individuals representing some 57 million Americans.

If you live in the US or Canada and you’d like to join this powerful coalition of signatories, click here. If you live in the UK, help us spread the word. Send a link to the letter to your MP and use social media and email to invite to your friends and family to read it too.

Health

Physicians for Social Responsibility

Physician-led health advocacy group

“Physicians are very concerned about exposure to the combination of 2,4-D and glyphosate because of the potential lifelong and irreversible effects on the health of vulnerable populations, including children, pregnant women and farm workers.” – Catherine Thomasson, executive director of Physicians for Social Responsibility

Visit the Physicians for Social Responsibility website
Alliance for Natural Health US

International health promotion organization

“GMOs pose a real and present danger to our environment, our economy and our very health. The risks involved with this technology clearly outweigh any benefits. This is why over 70% of Americans wish to avoid eating foods containing GMOs and over 90% believe that GMOs should be labeled; but, to this point, industry monetary might has thwarted public opinion. When will our leaders listen to those they serve and halt this mad dash toward ruin?”

Visit the Alliance for Natural Health US website
Healthy Child Healthy World

Parental advocacy on toxins in the environment

“We are deeply concerned about the health risks of genetically engineered foods and the associated insecticides and herbicides, especially their effect on the bodies of growing children. Children eat more food per pound of body weight than the average adult. As a result, pound for pound, they have substantially heavier exposures than adults to any toxins that are present in food, water or air. Children are undergoing rapid growth and development and their delicate developmental processes are easily disrupted. We must keep them safe.”

Visit Healthy Child Healthy World
American Academy of Environmental Medicine

Educating physicians on environment and ill-health

“Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food consumption including infertility, immune dysregulation, accelerated aging, dysregulation of genes associated with cholesterol synthesis, insulin regulation, cell signaling, and protein formation, and changes in the liver, kidney, spleen and gastrointestinal system. The AAEM asks Physicians to consider the possible role of GM foods in the disease processes of the patients they treat and to document any changes in patient health when changing from GM food to non‐GM food.”

Visit the American Academy of Environmental Medicine
GreenMedInfo

Open access, natural medicine database

“The consequences of the widespread adoption of the agrochemical-dependent GM food production system in my country are so dire that I fear that much of the damage it has wrought to our collective health and environment is now entirely irreversible. You are fortunate enough to still have an opportunity to put the health and rights of your citizens first, and avoid falling prey to the type of false marketing and questionable science that promotes a food production system that requires the gradual destruction of the microbial, flora and animal biodiversity of the arable surface of the earth (arguably this planet’s greatest treasure) in favor of a few chosen, proprietary GM crops.” – SayerJi, founder GreenMedInfo

Visit GreenMedInfo
mercola.com

Health newsletter and natural health products

“Genetically engineered foods have never been proven safe for consumption, and there are definitive correlations between the results from GMO animal-feeding studies and the patterns of human disease we’re now seeing. The solutions are there, we just need to overcome the chemical technology industry’s iron grip on our food supply, and that begins in the home of each and every one of us, with the food choices we make every day.” – Dr Joseph Mercola, founder mercola.com

Visit mercola.com
Natural Society

Transforming health effectively and naturally

“Never before have we seen such an awakening in not only the United States, but the world at large in regards to the disturbing takeover of our food supply. And at the forefront of this direct attack on the very substances we feed ourselves and our families, stands genetically modified organisms — GMOs. Spearheaded by the highly-hated biotech juggernaut Monsanto, it’s essential that we support key initiatives like The Letter From America in order to voice our opposition to Monsanto’s endless corruption of our crops. Across the board, we see Monsanto stocks falling and GMO farmers jumping ship. Going forward into 2015, it’s easy to see that now is the time to act. Now is the time to take back our food supply.”

Visit naturalsociety.com
Weston A Price Foundation

Promoting wise traditions in food, farming and the healing arts

““Both genetically engineered plants themselves, and the herbicide routinely used with them, pose grave health consequences, especially to growing children. The planet needs to come to its senses and return to traditional seed selection and breeding.” – Sally Fallon Morell, President, The Weston A. Price Foundation

Visit the Weston A Price Foundation
Allergy Kids Foundation

Making clean and safe food affordable to all children

Visit the Allergy Kids website
Moms Across America

Empowering millions to educate themselves about GMOs

“Moms Across America urges Europe to remain cautious and protect the health of their children, citizens and future generations by maintaining and fortifying your ban on GMO crops. Although Big Ag farmers and chemical companies in America would like you to believe you need GMOs, you don’t. Your farmers have farmed for thousands of years without them and will be much better off, in the long run, not using GMOs and toxic chemicals on your soil and food crops. Many scientists, doctors and moms now strongly suspect pesticides drift and residues on crops are the underlying cause of the 24.7 million children, 1 out of 2 children which are chronically ill in America. Moms Across America see their children get better when they do not eat GMOs and toxic chemicals and we wish for your children to remain healthy. Please do not allow GMOs in your country, in your food or your crops.” – Zen Honeycutt, Founder

Visit the Moms Across Ammerica website

ConnFACT

Fighting to protect citizens from the hazards of toxic chemicals

“It’s wonderful to see the issue of GMO labeling becoming more visible on a global basis. People are becoming more conscious & aware of what they are eating and more grassroots efforts are popping up to insist GMOs be labeled. The most important thing people can do is to vote with their dollar by buying organic and non-GMO products as much as possible. This is what will send the message to those who need to hear the message. The food manufacturers will start re-formulating and then the farmers will start producing more non-GMO crops.”

Visit the ConnFACT website

Carole Bartolotto, MA, RD

Registered dietician, writer, blogger

“As a registered dietitian, I am troubled by the use of GMOs. There are legitimate concerns about their safety, their impact on the environment, and the corporate control of the food supply. In addition, I am alarmed by the behavior of biotech companies, big ag, food manufacturers, and some biotech scientists and journalists who aggressively push their pro-GMO agenda or attack those who do not agree with their ideology. They have alienated many, including me. Their total lack of respect for my right to know what’s in my food is reason enough for me to reject their product.”

Visit Carole Bartolotto’s blog
Melissa Diane Smith

Nutritionist and author, Going Against GMOs

“GMOs pose risks to our health, the environment, farmers, our food security, and the control of our food. It’s time for all of us to wake up to the disturbing truth that has been hidden from us about GMOs and work together to go against GMOs to protect our food system, our health, and our planet.”

Visit Melissa Diane Smith’s website
Dr Michelle Perro

Pediatrician

Read more about Michelle Perro
Dr Margaret Flowers

Pediatrician, healthcare activist

Read more about Dr Margaret Flowers

Media/bloggers

Ken Roseboro

Editor of The Organic & Non-GMO Report

“There are many problems with genetic engineering technology starting with its invasive scattershot approach and including negative health and environmental risks, lack of safety testing and intimidation of scientists conducting risk assessment research, corporate monopolization of seed by chemical/biotechnology companies, and contamination of non-GMO and organic foods, to name a few. When a technology causes so many “unintended consequences” and negative impacts, scientists, government, and business leaders should seriously question its value to the world and look for more sustainable and ecological alternatives.”

Visit the Organic & Non-GMO Report website
Mamavation/ShiftCon

Docudrama and weight loss support group for moms in social media.

Visit the Mamavation website

GMO groups

Label GMOs

Campaign for GMO food labeling in the US

“Millions of Californians stand in unity with the people of the UK. We urge you to take a strong stand for your right to know what’s in all of your food and to enact local and national laws that support your right to self governance for local food sovereignty.”

Visit the Label GMOs website
GMO Free USA

Harnessing independent science to advocate for sustainable food and ecological systems

“Don’t be fooled by Biotech industry scientists who tell you that GE foods are safe and have no adverse health effects. In the US, we’ve seen rising rates of chronic diseases since their introduction nearly 20 years ago. GE foods are not labeled in the US, which makes it easy for Biotech corporations to avoid accountability. Over 70% of processed foods on our grocery store shelves are made with unlabeled GE ingredients and we have lost our basic freedom to choose what we eat and feed our families. You must not allow this to happen in the UK. My hope is that this letter will open your eyes to the truth about the many risks associated with genetically engineered foods. As our economy becomes increasingly more global, it is even more important for us to band together to address this issue on an international level. We need to stand together to protect our health, the health of future generations and our environment. Together we are stronger.”

Visit the GMO Free USA website
Non-GMO Project

Preserving and building sources of non-GMO products

“The Non-GMO Project believes that everyone has the right to know what is in the food they eat and feed their families. With genetically modified organisms (GMOs) present in more than 80% of conventional processed foods, shoppers are looking for transparent and reliable labeling to help them make informed purchasing decisions. The Non-GMO Project Verification mark provides shoppers an assurance that the food they are purchasing is compliant with the Non-GMO Project’s rigorous Standard for GMO avoidance. The downstream impact of shoppers increasingly choosing non-GMO products is that more non-GMO acres are being planted. The future of our food supply depends on empowering individuals with the information they need to feed their loved ones with confidence.”

Visit the Non-GMO Project website
GMO Inside

Getting GMOs & toxins out of our food

“Europe has been a leader in exercising precaution on GMOs, and its rejection of GMOs has helped slow a technology that has never been proven safe and is leading to an increase in toxic chemicals, depleted soils, and pollinator declines wherever it is used. The United States should act as a cautionary tale for Europe and the world. What we need is for US leaders to listen to their own citizens and end the dangerous GMO experiment. What we definitely do not need is for the biotech industry to run roughshod over England and the European continent to force GMOs on their people.”

Visit the GMO Inside website
Biosafety Alliance

Supporting biodiversity and food sovereignty for all

“Technology has created unexpected problems for humanity and the environment; once technology is applied to biological organisms we can expect that there will be unknown changes in these organisms. If our bodies need these organisms to build their cells and keep working correctly but this cells have been modified genetically, then will experience unexpected alterations in our systems. If we don’t stop playing with nature, we will be just children playing with guns.”

Visit the Biosafety Alliance website
Council for Responsible Genetics

Represents the public interest and fosters public debate around GMOs

“The real and potentially adverse effects of GMOs have been understated or negated by government and corporations, neglected by the press, and ignored by many in the scientific community who accept uncritically a corporate-crafted message.””

Visit the Council for Responsible Genetics website
etc group

Action group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration

Visit the etc group website
Institute for Responsible Technology

Educating policy makers and the public about GM foods and crops

Visit the Institute for Responsible Technology website
Kids Right to Know

To inform, educate, and motivate kids to stand up and make a difference

Visit the Kids Right to Know website
Babes Against Biotech

Awareness and education about the dangers of GMOs & their related pestides

Visit the Babes Against Biotech website
Citizens for GMO Labeling

Grassroots right-to-know movement of parents, farmers and citizens

Visit the Citizens for GMO Labeling website
GMO Free Maryland

Supporting GMO labeling in Maryland

Visit the GMO Free Maryland website
NH Right to Know GMO

Supporting GMO labelling in New Hampshire

Visit the NH Right to Know GMO website
GMO Free Connecticut

Educating consumers about the dangers of GMOs

Visit the GMO Free CT website
GMO Free Pennsylvania

Advocating for GM labeling in Pennsylvania

Visit the GMO Free PA website
Need to Know GMO New Jersey

Inspiration awareness and action on GMO labelling

“The promise of genetically engineered crops has not been fulfilled. The hungry masses have not been fed; according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, more people than ever are victims of hunger; Agricultural chemical use has not declined but has more than doubled; GE crops cannot be contained; US non-GMO farmers are continually discovering cross-contamination in their fields, and transgenic canola has escaped cultivated fields and is growing wild in Canada, United States, Japan, Australia and Europe; GMOs have not been shown to be safe for humans or animals and the only beneficiaries are the multinational chemical companies that are selling the seeds and their accompanying chemicals. The rights of companies to exponentially increase their profits must never take precedence over the protection of the environment nor must it supersede the consumers’ rights to safety and informed choice.” – Barbara Thomas, GMO Free NJ

Visit the GMO Free NJ website
GMO Free DC

Educatingconsumers on the health hazards of a GMO diet

Visit the GMO Free DC website

GMO Free Florida

Raising awareness on the issue of GMOs in our food and environment

“We have a right to know what we are feeding our families, we want transparency, accountability, traceability of food ingredients, we want a responsible, sustainable, food supply that protects heirloom seeds, farmers and can truly feed the world.”

Visit the GMO Free Florida website
GMO Free Arizona

Fighting for GMO labeling in Arizona

Visit the GMO Free Arizona website

GMO Free Nevada

Educating about genetically modified organisms

Visit the GMO Free Nevada website
No GMO 4 Michigan

Campaigning for GMO labelling in Michigan

“Knowledge is power and NoGMO4Michigan wants to give the power back to the people of Michigan. Our citizens have the right to know what is in our food. Our organization strives to provide them with the education and with that knowledge, the power to choose what they eat.”

Visit the No GMO 4 Michigan website
GMO Action Alliance

Alliance of US grassroots organizations campaigning on GMOs

Visit the GMO Action Alliance website
GMO Free Canada

National group supporting the labeling of genetically modified foods

Visit the GMO Free Canada facebook page
GMO Free Planet

Dedicated to educating the public about GMOs.

Visit the GMO Free Planet website

Save

Like what we're doing?
Help us do more!

LATEST TWEET @Beyond_GM

@Beyond_GM

1:00 AM Jan 1st

60,866,570

USA/CANADIANCITIZENS

UK CITIZENS

WORLD CITIZENS

Living with GMOs

A Letter from America

Broken promises

Pesticides and superweeds

Environmental harm

A threat to human health

A denial of science

Control of the food supply

Time to speak out

References

Signatories

Health

Physicians for Social Responsibility

Alliance for Natural Health US

Healthy Child Healthy World

American Academy of Environmental Medicine

GreenMedInfo

mercola.com

Natural Society

Weston A Price Foundation

Allergy Kids Foundation

Moms Across America

ConnFACT

Carole Bartolotto, MA, RD

Melissa Diane Smith

Dr Michelle Perro

Dr Margaret Flowers

Media/bloggers

Ken Roseboro

Mamavation/ShiftCon

GMO groups

Label GMOs

GMO Free USA

Non-GMO Project

GMO Inside

Biosafety Alliance

Council for Responsible Genetics

etc group

Institute for Responsible Technology

Kids Right to Know

Babes Against Biotech

Citizens for GMO Labeling

GMO Free Maryland

NH Right to Know GMO

GMO Free Connecticut

GMO Free Pennsylvania

Need to Know GMO New Jersey

GMO Free DC

GMO Free Florida

GMO Free Arizona

GMO Free Nevada

No GMO 4 Michigan

GMO Action Alliance

GMO Free Canada

GMO Free Planet

JOIN OURNEWS­LETTER

Like what we're doing?Help us do more!

LATEST TWEET @Beyond_GM

@Beyond_GM

USA/CANADIAN
CITIZENS

JOIN OUR
NEWSLETTER

Like what we're doing?
Help us do more!