GMO Myths & Truths

Genetically modified crops are promoted on the basis of a range of far-reaching claims from the biotech industry and its supporters.  A new, evidence-based report by U.K. scientists shows these claims are unsubstantiated.  Here is a snapshot of their findings.

MYTH #1: Genetic engineering is just an extension of natural breeding.

TRUTH: Genetic engineering is very different from natural breeding and poses special risks. Natural breeding occurs between like life forms-a cat with a cat, not a cat with a dog or a tomato with a fish.  GM transfers DNA between unrelated organisms in ways that do not occur naturally.


MYTH #2: GM foods are strictly regulated for safety.

TRUTH: GM food regulation in most countries varies from non-existent (the U.S.) to weak. In the U.S. the FDA overruled its own scientists to form a GM policy, in the 1990s.  The policy required no safety testing or labeling.


MYTH #3: GM foods are safe to eat.

TRUTH: GM foods can be toxic or allergenic. Peer-reviewed studies have found serious, harmful effects on the health of livestock and lab animals fed GMOs.


MYTH #4: GM Bt insecticidal crops harm only insects and are harmless to animals and people.

TRUTH: GM Bt insecticidal crops pose hazards to people and animals that ingest them. Findings include toxic effects on the small intestine, liver, kidney, spleen, and pancreas, and disturbances in the digestive and immune systems.


MYTH #5: GM animal feed poses no risks to animal or human health.

TRUTH: GM feed affects the health of animals and may affect the humans who eat their products. Bt toxin protein has been found in the blood of pregnant women and the blood supply to their fetuses.


MYTH #6: GM crops increase yield potential.

TRUTH: GM crops do not increase yield potential-and in many cases decrease it. Dr. Doug Gurian-Sherman: "Traditional breeding ...can be solely credited with the intrinsic yield increases in the U.S. and other parts of the world that characterized the agriculture of the 20th century:'


MYTH #7: GM crops decrease pesticide use.

TRUTH: GM crops increase pesticide use. In the first 13 years since their introduction, in 1996, GM crops increased pesticide use by 383 million pounds.

Lundberg Organic Farm

For over 70 years Lundberg Family Farms has been using methods of farming that care for the environment. Based in Richvale, California, the Lundbergs helped pioneer the organic rice-growing movement in the U.S., and now produce a variety of organic, eco-farmed products, including brown rice, rice cakes, rice chips and risottos. We spoke to Jessica Lundberg, Chairman of the Board for Lundberg Family Farms and the Nursery Manager, about incorporating sustainable practices into all aspects of the business, from field to fork.  

Food production is such a basic element to our civilization, utilizes so many resources from the earth, and touches so many parts of our society that it is imperative that those in the food industry be responsible for the part they play. By employing more sustainable business practices, the food industry can affect the future of our agricultural genetic resources, the healthfulness of products and the overall health of our worldwide population. 

Earthlings

EARTHLINGS is an award-winning documentary film about the suffering of animals for food, fashion, pets, entertainment and medical research. Considered the most persuasive documentary ever made, EARTHLINGS is nicknamed “the Vegan maker” for its sensitive footage shot at animal shelters, pet stores, puppy mills, factory farms, slaughterhouses, the leather and fur trades, sporting events, circuses and research labs.

The film is narrated by Academy Award® nominee Joaquin Phoenix and features music by platinum-selling recording artist Moby. Initially ignored by distributors, today EARTHLINGS is considered the definitive animal rights film by organizations around the world. “Of all the films I have ever made, this is the one that gets people talking the most,” said Phoenix. “For every one person who sees EARTHLINGS, they will tell three.”

In 1999, writer/producer/director Shaun Monson began work on a series of PSAs about spaying and neutering pets. The footage he shot at animal shelters around Los Angeles affected him so profoundly that the project soon evolved into EARTHLINGS. The film would take another six years to complete because of the difficulty in obtaining footage within these profitable industries. Though the film was initially ignored by distributors, who told Monson that the film would “never see the light of day and should be swept under the rug,” today EARTHLINGS is considered the definitive animal rights film by organizations around the world.

Nation Earth was established to produce documentary films on socially urgent issues. EARTHLINGS, released in 2005, was the company’s first feature film and is the first of a documentary trilogy. The company is currently at work on the second installment, UNITY, which will explore the unifying force of consciousness found in nature, animals and humankind. 

Veta La Palma

Veta La Palma takes sustainable fish farming to a whole new level. In 1982, the company bought up marshlands adjacent to the Guadalquivir River in Southern Spain. The land had been drained to raise cattle, which destroyed the natural habitat and decimated the local bird population. Veta La Palma re-flooded the area and went to work restoring the wetlands.

Now, the company’s aquaculture farm uses natural filtration to clean the water, and encourages biodiversity — even that of predators. “They take about 20 percent of our annual yield,” farmer and biologist Miguel Medialdea looking over a bird scooped up a sea bass. “But that just shows the whole system is working.”

By working closely with the natural ecosystem, Veta la Palma avoids many of the pitfalls of conventional, intensive fish farming. We believe that our fish farm could be a useful model for future plans to regenerate the disrupted marshland areas and coastal wetlands of Spain and Atlantic Europe. At Veta la Palma we are not only making consumption and conservation compatible—we are moving toward a new outlook on conservation and development where the careful use of natural resources, such as water and land, can generate economic profits while enhancing a wide range of environmental values.

The Milk Ethic- Organic Valley

Organic Valley Animal Care Program

Organic Valley  farm promotes holistic health rooted in thriving on-farm ecosystems, by supporting natural cycles that nourish the people and animals working on CROPP farms.  They focus on environmental health and nutrition to promote natural disease resistance, they find that animals in these systems tend to stay healthy, active and resilient.   When animals do get sick, Organic Valley Farm stress early intervention utilizing medical treatments that facilitate natural immune function, and can often restore health without the detrimental side effects associated with some conventional approaches.

Organic Valley animal care program:

• Maintains animal care standards that exceed National Organic Program requirements.
• Promotes and teaches handling techniques that complement the natural behaviors of the animals.
• Ensures that housing provides a comfortable, clean, safe, and low-stress environment.
• Encourages pasture access and exercise above and beyond National Organic Standard's 30% "Pasture Rule".
• Provides conditions for optimal animal production and well-being without the use of synthetic hormones.

Full Belly Farm

Full Belly Farm is a certified organic farm located in the beautiful Capay Valley of northern California. Full Belly Grows over 70 fruits and vegetables and farm along 400 acres of land. Their agricultural practice values relationships with its land and communities. 

 The farm owners are Andrew Brait, Judith Redmond, Paul Muller, Dru Rivers, Jenna Muller, and Amon Muller. With help from about 60 employees, the farm produces an amazing diversity ofvegetables, herbs, nuts, flowers, and fruits year-round. The farm also has a flock of chickens, a herd of sheep, a tribe of goats, and several cows.

Full Belly’s system includes: growing and marketing over 80 different crops; providing year-round employment for farm labor; using cover crops that fix nitrogen and provide organic matter for the soil; selling produce within a 120-mile radius of the farm; and planting habitat areas for beneficial insects and wildlife. One of the farm’s goals is to integrate farm production with longer-term environmental stewardship.

Full Belly products are marketed both wholesale and retail. We sell to restaurants, at farmers markets and through a Community Supported Agriculture project, or CSA. Both the CSA and the farmers markets forge a direct connection between the farm and the people who buy and eat its produce. Through the CSA, our members receive a weekly share of fresh, nutritious produce year round at the same time as they are supporting organic farming practices that are healthful for people and the environment.

CSA members receive boxes of fresh produce delivered to convenient neighborhood locations in the East Bay, South Bay, and North Bay, as well as in Sacramento, Davis, Woodland, and Esparto. For a small additional fee, boxes can also be delivered right to a member’s door in selected East Bay and Sacramento locations. 

Full Belly is home to many outreach activities, including educational tours, school group visits, and the much-acclaimed annual Hoes Down Harvest Festival. The Hoes Down Festival celebrates rural life and sustainable food production. Through such programs to the general public, Full Belly seeks to create awareness of farm realities and to stress the importance of farms in the fabric of our society.