GMO food 'safety' testing exposed as a corporate-run science fraud

Thursday, March 24, 2016 by: Amy Goodrich
Tags: GMO studies, food safety, corporate corruption

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(NaturalNews) Genetically modified (GM) food may be one of the biggest frauds in science and will definitely not feed the world or improve our farming techniques. On average, 80 percent of most American staple foods is genetically modified to some degree.

GMOs have long been part of a daily routine for Jonathan R. Latham, plant biologist and co-founder and executive director of the Bioscience Resource Project. From the early '90s he was involved in the creation of GM plants.

"I wasn't, at the outset, concerned about the possible effects of GM plants on human health or the environment. One reason for this lack of concern was that I was still a very young scientist, feeling my way in the complex world of biology and of scientific research. Another reason was that we hardly imagined that GMOs like ours would be grown or eaten. So far as I was concerned, all GMOs were for research purposes only," he wrote.

"Gradually, however, it became clear that certain companies thought differently," he added.

GMO risk assessment, a flawed process

A risk assessment is a document which governments rely on to determine whether GMOs are safe enough to enter the commercial market.

"When a biotech company such as Monsanto wants to get a GM product on the market, it produces its own risk assessment of potential health and environmental effects," wrote Justin Gardner at TheFreeThoughtProject.com.

These pieces of paper are vital to our, and the planet's, well-being. However, according to Latham, they only concern trivial questions and inadequate, badly described and sloppily executed experiments where scientific controls are often missing.

While big players in the GMO field – such as Monsanto and Bayer – work in the most stunning, million-dollar-equipped environments, these risk assessment tests are often run on outdated equipment, which is later blamed for "inconclusive" results.

Red flags of experiments with an unexpected outcome are routinely ignored, and government regulars take these assessments for granted without any further questioning or testing from their side.

Twisted genes, altered truth

Last year, Steven Druker, author of Altered Genes, Twisted Truth: How the Venture to Genetically Engineer Our Food Has Subverted Science, Corrupted Government, and Systematically Deceived the Public, challenged Monsanto to review his research for any inaccuracies.

Druker stated that he will apologize and withdraw his book if they can find any mistake. Monsanto has remained dead silent and hasn't taken up the challenge.

Steven Druker busts the myths about GMOs

Remember Jane Goodall, the famous chimpanzee researcher? Last year, she held a gathering at a private residence in Los Angeles. She invited Steven Druker to come and talk about his book and bust a few myths that do exist around GMOs and GMO food. As outlined by The Huffington Post, some of the myths busted by Druker include:

1. Genetic modification is a natural process. The biotech industry wants us to believe that gene transfer from one plant to another is a natural process that happens in nature all the time. However, experts such as molecular biologist Liebe Cavaliere agree that scientists who claim that genetic modification is essentially the same as traditional breeding techniques are perpetrating a "sham."

2. GMO foods have never caused any harm to a living person. Another statement GMO enthusiasts like to make. However, Druker easily debunks this myth by bringing up the L-tryptophan case from 1989–1990. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) dozens of people lost their lives and over 1,500 people suffered a rare illness after consuming dietary supplements. The case could be traced back to genetically modified tryptophan-making bacteria used in the supplement.

3. GM techniques are precise and reliable. This belief is one of the reasons why the tryptophan case made that many victims. According to FDA scientists, gene insertion and GM techniques are not reliable and may have serious effects on human health.

4. GMO foods are rigorously tested and regulated by the FDA. Druker reveals that the FDA does not require the inspection of GMO foods for their safety, and manufacturers can infuse the market with GMO foods without the need to inform the FDA.

5. Evidence exists about the safety of GMO foods. When Dr. David Schubert, a medical research scientist, was asked if GMO food is safe, he said: "I can state confidently that it is false to say such foods are extensively tested and have been proven safe." And when he asked if human studies do exist, his answer was: "No. There's not been any long-term studies in humans. There are not even short term studies in humans at all."

Watch the video on how Steven Druker debunks GM myths here: YouTube.com.

Sources for this article include:

TheFreeThoughtProject.com

HuffingtonPost.com

TotalHealthMagazine.com

NutritionStudies.org