Genetically-Modified Foods
I am increasingly concerned by the presence of genetically-modified organisms (GMO's) in our food supplies.
There is the ethical problem: Several years ago I heard a woman from India speaking on the influx of GMO lentils being grown in India. Lentils are one of the biggest sources of protein in the Indian diet, and traditionally, farmers would save their seed from year to year. Since the arrival of GMO lentils, they are no longer able to do that (GMO's don't come 'true'), and they are forced to buy their seeds each year, causing more and more wide-spread poverty.
There is the health problem: GMO foods are apt to be metabolized differently, leading to all sorts of illness, including, but not limited to, diabetes, lactose-intolerance, gluten intolerance, etc. There is a list of seed suppliers who are untouched by Monsanto's GMO seeds, and I have limited purchase of my garden seeds to those listed. The Institute for Responsible Technology has a pamphlet discussing GMO, or more specifically non-GMO foods. I urge you to look at it.
The FDA is on the brink of allowing GMO salmon to be produced, and sold without mandatory labeling identifying it as a GMO. This is the first test of animal GMO on supermarket shelves. It would join products such as many from soy, artificial sweeteners, beet sugar and others. There is a petition circulating to voice your opinion about not requiring the GMO label on such foods. You can google "petition, FDA, GMO" and it will pop up. I encourage you to sign.
Any other thoughts about the presence of genetically-modified foods? Can King Arthur Flour list itself among non-GMO foods? It would be important for me to know this.
Tags: GMO free grains
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Replies to This Discussion
- Reply by KAF_Frank on February 16, 2012 at 11:39 am
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Hi Annzie,
Thank you for taking the time to contact us here at King Arthur Flour. We greatly appreciate your interest in our products and in our business practices. Here at King Arthur Flour, we do not use GMO wheat. GMO wheat, in fact, is not in commercial production anywhere in the USA or the world.
Frank @ KAF.
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- Reply by GinaG on February 16, 2012 at 2:40 pm
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Annzie,
Doooon't get me started! I'm all showered-shampooed & shined, fortified with my morning coffee and ready to hit the gates running with a bang and a harangue! LOL!
Firstly, a big thank you for the petition alert, this is the first I've heard of it and this really matters to me. I feel so betrayed by the line of bull we have been served on the "benefits" of GMO technology.
I admit I was almost okay with it earlier on when I believed it would be used to serve third world countries. More digging revealed the truth and naturally, I felt really betrayed. More and more, as "advanced" as our country is--still in her infancy, really--I'm seeing her as the naughty adolescent of the universe, ignoring the wisdom of her ancient elders. I can go on and on about the attitudinal similarities, but I was only joking about indulging in harangue.
Just like anything else, GMO could be used for goodness sake or used for corruption and those of us who know all the details do NOT want it used in our food supply. Like you, I garden. Like me, I'm sure you have embraced the philosophy that you'll win some, you'll lose some. We home gardeners don't shoot an ant with an elephant gun, we work in tandem with mother nature to give a home crop what it needs to thrive and are well pleased with the result. God love and bless the local organic farmers for what they do: It is working.
Yes, we really can be the reckless adolescent...thanks to one of our delinquent parents, the FDA.
Again, many thanks for the heads-up on the petition...And letting me vent!
GinaG.
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- Reply by annzie on February 16, 2012 at 2:56 pm
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Thank you, Frank, for clarifying that information about wheat. There are, however, other products that sneak into production (I'm thinking mixes, possible flavor enhancers, and any soy products, of which there are several that pop up in a search of the KA catalog). Beet sugar is another possible source of GMO food products. Believe me when I say I'm not a flaming radical, but sometimes I feel that our backs are against the wall as far as being bombarded by what we don't, or can't, know are contained in formerly-innocent food products.
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- Reply by Julie T. on February 17, 2012 at 2:04 pm
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The web site is www.JustLabelIt.org/takeaction
I have also signed the petition to the FDA to require that all foods containing genetically modified ingredients be labeled with that fact. In medical research, informed consent is required. We, the consumers of these food products, have the right to be informed so that we can make the choice to become corporate guinea pigs, or not.
The long term ramifications of genetic modifications need to be thoroughly examined and unintended consequences not disregarded because of potential economic gain for a few.
Corporations/genetic engineers who modify plants and animals have no idea what the genes they remove, to be replaced by their modifiers, specifically code for. An interesting article in the Atlantic magazine recently about research using milk and rice found that RNA from these food items were found intact and incorporated into the mice(?) that consumed them. Sorry, I don't recall the article more accurately, it raises many questions and is worth reading.
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- Reply by --jej on February 18, 2012 at 1:20 pm
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Frank (at KAF), You wrote "We greatly appreciate your interest in our products and in our business practices. Here at King Arthur Flour, we do not use GMO wheat."
What about the other products you sell and/or use in your mixes? Are all the other products and grains verifiable as 'non-GMO'?
OOOps, I just noticed Annzie also queried this thought
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- Reply by mumpy on February 19, 2012 at 8:13 am
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many of you have heard me talk about my little mennonite store where i can buy so many of my baking ingredients...last fall they were celebrating 30 years in business and had several short seminars about assorted food/cooking subjects...these were conducted by some of their small suppliers, who were of course, pushing their own products, but were also very knowledgeable about food/ingredient safety.
i'd like to mention 2 things i learned....made me feel like i've been going around with a bag over my head - don't know how i missed this info, but just in case anyone else missed it too:
food can NOT be labeled 'organic' if it contains any GMO material.
with the exception of organic label oil, virtually all of the canola oil sold in this country today is from gmo seeds.
thanks for the heads up on the petititon.
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- Reply by easyquilts on February 20, 2012 at 6:42 am
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Mumpy... Off the subject a little, but I want to tell you that I envy you your little Mennonite store. Last summer a friend and I visited an Amish/Mennonite area.... Berlin, Ohio, and shopped at a wonderful little store that sold EVERYTHING we use in our baking...... Needless to say, we stocked up! I can't wait to go
back. We had so much fun shopping there. So, if you have such a place nearby, you are one lucky woman. The prices were great, too.
This store takes orders, and charges only the very minimum shipping. now hat I know what I like, I may do some ordering......
Sandy from Cincinnati
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