‘GMOs: Are they really that bad?’
Non-GMO and GMO-Breeding for Plants
A pro-GMO source put together the following:
GMOs: Are they really that bad?
November 14, 2019
I guess I’ll never understand why there are so many people that think GMOs are the devil. Especially when there’s scientific proof that says they legit are fine for us. https://whbl.com/podcasts/ag-news-on-demand/111666/gmos-are-they-really-that-bad/
Scientific “proof” that says GMOs are fine?
Notice the following:
Are GMOs safe?
Most developed nations do not consider GMOs to be safe. In more than 60 countries around the world, including Australia, Japan, and all of the countries in the European Union, there are significant restrictions or outright bans on the production and sale of GMOs. In the U.S., the government has approved GMOs based on studies conducted by the same corporations that created them and profit from their sale. Increasingly, Americans are taking matters into their own hands and choosing to opt out of the GMO experiment…In the U.S., GMOs are in as much as 80% of conventional processed food. Click here for a current list of GMO risk crops.
GMOs were developed to increase profits. Politicians receive money from many profit-oriented corporations, and this tends to blind them to listen to opposing views.
Are GMOs safe to eat? Is it misleading, or even fraudulent, to tell consumers that products are GMO free?
Well, some seem to think so:
Most people have heard of Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMOs. … scientists nearly unanimously agree that products that have been genetically modified are every bit as safe as their non-GMO counterparts. A 2016 scientific review of more than 900 studies found that in over 20 years of use, billions of people have consumed products derived from GMOs without one verifiable case in which the GMO has caused illness or disease. Yet distrust and fear sell, so the crusade against these products has raged on.
The standard-bearer of this movement is the Non-GMO Project, a nonprofit that bills itself as “North America’s most trusted seal for GMO avoidance.” Companies pay the Project for verification, thereby earning the right to use the Non-GMO Project’s seal of approval: a butterfly perched atop a checkmark. Along with the seal typically comes a premium charge to the consumer.
Interestingly, while the Non-GMO Project has stamped over 50,000 products GMO-free, only 10 GMO plant types are even commercially available: apples, potatoes, corn, canola, alfalfa, soybeans, rainbow papaya, cotton, sugar beets and summer squash. In other words, the vast majority of the products that are sold at a premium as “GMO-free” literally could not be GMO if they wanted to be – no GMO version exists. These marketing tactics smell strongly of fraud. 01/09/19 https://dailyjournalonline.com/community/democrat-news/gmo-free-marketing-deliberately-misleading-consumers/article_d834451a-0ba1-5a28-bfea-8b4adb57c1a6.html
Well, I (Bob Thiel) am a scientist and do not agree that GMOs “are every bit as safe as their non-GMO counterparts.” That has actually never been proven.
Consider also the following about studies on regular food:
November 4, 2019
A major reason why the nutrition science field is in turmoil is because the science itself is so complicated. Researchers can’t feasibly lock up people for decades and meticulously track their diets. Even if they could, people eat so many different foods in different combinations that isolating the impact of one variable is incredibly difficult. https://www.politico.com/news/agenda/2019/11/04/why-we-dont-know-what-to-eat-060299?utm_source=pocket-newtab
If sufficient studies cannot be done on regular foods, how can any claim that GMOs have been sufficiently tested? How can anyone really believe that SCIENCE HAS PROVEN GMO safety?
Well, the reality is that GMOs have not been. There simply have not been sufficient studies to prove proper safety and health impacts, nor is it practical to do them. In order to do this, millions of people would need to be involved. And the time period would need to be enough to cover 3-5 generations–it would probably need to take between 200-400 years to be able to have the data to come to a proper scientific conclusion about that. And, of course, that has not happened. Nor will that happen.
The World Health Organization has concerns about GMOs:
What are the potential dangers of GMOs?
according to WHO, the three main issues of concern for human health that are being debated are:
(i). The potentials to provoke allergic reaction (allergenicity);
(ii). Gene transfer (Gene transfer from GM foods to cells of the body or to bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, especially if the transferred genetic material adversely affects human health); and
(iii). Outcrossing (the migration of genes from GM plants into conventional crops or related species in the wild (referred to as “outcrossing”), as well as the mixing of crops derived from conventional seeds with GM crops, may have an indirect effect on food safety and food security. Cases have been reported where GM crops approved for animal feed or industrial use were detected at low levels in the products intended for human consumption).
Should you switch to organic food? That is a personal decision. … For many people in this day and age, it is simply impossible – too expensive, too time-consuming, too problematic – to make sure that they eat only foods that are verifiably safe in every respect. 01/09/19 https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/01/are-genetically-modified-foodsgmos-safe/
The above source seems to be implying that GMO foods are not verifiably safe in every respect. As a published scientist, I agree.
Now notice something from the FDA and a GMO-salmon company:
The FDA claims AquaBounty salmon and conventional salmon are both safe to eat, and say that so far there is no scientific data suggesting that genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) are detrimental to the health of humans. And Muir, who used government data to study the dangers of wild salmon being exposed to the genetically modified salmon, declared that “many of the fears surrounding GMO foods are overblown.”1
“These people who are anti-GMO are not data-driven, they are agenda-driven. And their agenda was to make sure a GMO product was never on a dinner plate,” he said …
Sylvia Wulf, CEO of AquaBounty, contends both wild and genetically modified salmon have the same nutritional value, thus there is no need for labeling in Canada. Westgate, of The Non-GMO Project, disagrees, saying consumers are robbed of choice when there is a lack of transparency, stating:
“People should know what’s in their food. It’s a transgenic species, a combination of three fish. A lot of people just feel it’s unnatural, and it’s not fish they’d want to feed to their children.”1
Sadly, genetically altering the food we eat is nothing new. The United States has been genetically engineering crops since the 1990’s, making them resistant to insects and pesticides. 06/03/19 https://www.healthnutnews.com/salmon-hatchery-to-raise-nations-first-genetically-modified-animal-cleared-for-human-consumption/
As far as implying that the pro-GMO forces are “data driven,” the reality is that they are money driven. The Bible warns:
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Timothy 6:10)
And that is what is happening in the laboratory food world to a major degree. Financial and other forms of greed are driving much of this.
THE FACT IS THAT THERE IS NO WAY THAT THE PRO-GMO FORCES CAN HAVE ENOUGH DATA TO PROVE WHAT THEY ARE DOING IS NOT DANGEROUS. At minimum, in order to get the kind of data to truly demonstrate safety, studies involving at least a million humans over a period of a couple of centuries would need to be done–and this has never happened. The pro-GMO forces act like they are wise and have facts on their side, but the facts remain that what they are doing is dangerous and when it comes to using human genes, also immoral. They have not, and cannot, test for all possible complications associated with what they are doing.
The Bible warns:
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, (Romans 1:20-22)
This whole GMO and human editing experiment has had negative consequences and will have more in the future.
As far as nutritional benefits of GMOs some of their promoters point to, many of those ‘benefits’ are based upon a lot of assumptions that I do not believe hold up well in the real world and will leave it at that for now.
Humans may not know the long-term effects of GMOs for many years (if we have enough years until Jesus returns–afterwards, He can clue us in).
Despite safety claims, it has been reported by the Institute for Responsible Technology that:
- GMOs fail allergy tests
- GMOs may make you allergic to non-GM foods
- GMOs and liver problems {in lab animals}
- GMOs, reproductive problems, and infant mortality {in lab animals}
Source: 1https://responsibletechnology.org/gmo-education/health-risks/
Now one danger that has been proven is that the chemicals associated with GMOs crops seem to be resulting in dramatic reductions in the bee and monarch butterfly populations (see EU further bans neonicotinoids to protect bees and California Monarch Butterfly Numbers Decline 86% in 2 Years).
Here is a report from Harvard about a GMO rice risk:
The decrease in glutelin levels in rice, for example, was associated with an unintended increase in levels of compounds called prolamines, which can affect the nutritional quality of rice and increase its potential to induce an allergic response. (Harvard. Genetically Modified Foods. ©2012 Presidents and Fellows of Harvard College. Published by the Center for Health and the Global Environment. http://chge.med.harvard.edu/topic/genetically-modified-foods viewed 06/05/13)
Some have claimed that rats fed GMO corn developed tumors and organ damage:
Rats fed a lifetime diet of Monsanto’s genetically engineered corn or exposed to the company’s popular Roundup herbicide developed tumors and suffered severe organ damage, according to a French study…The study links varying levels of both the Roundup herbicide and the transgenes in Monsanto’s patented NK603 corn to mammary tumors and severe liver and kidney damage.
The rats were either fed the NK603 corn alone, corn treated with agricultural levels of Roundup, or given water treated with Roundup at low levels commonly found in contaminated drinking water and used in agriculture in the United States. In each group, there were two to three more deaths among female rats compared to control groups, and the rats on the Monsanto diet tended to die more quickly. (Ludwig M. French Study Finds Tumors and Organ Damage in Rats Fed Monsanto Corn. September 19, 2012. http://truth-out.org/news/item/11639-french-study-finds-tumors-and-organ-damage-in-rats-fed-monsanto-corn viewed 06/05/13)
In humans, who are not as ‘controlled’ as rats in a clinical trial, the results are not as obvious. Plus, it tends to take time.
Consider that the Bible warns:
11 Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. (Ecclesiastes 8:11)
The reality is that groups like the US Food and Drug Administration have approved all kinds of foods that they claimed were safe–but did not realize were unsafe for decades.
Consider the case of hydrogenated fats. Probably, the first commercial hydrogenated trans-fatty acid product was Crisco shortening, which was introduced in 1911. The scientist who developed the first partially hydrogenated fats, Paul Sabatier, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry jointly with fellow Frenchman Victor Grignard in 1912. The US and other world governments promoted these ‘food’ products. But, finally in 2013, the FDA warned about them (see FDA finally rules that hydrogenated trans-fatty acids are not safe). It took over a century.
As a scientist, let me state that the main tests are for acute reactions and causing cancer in animals. They rarely check for much more and cannot possibly test for every possible consequence.
In the last (20th) century, I started to get published for my positions against genetically modified foods (Thiel R. Labeling of genetically modified foods should be a fundamental consumer right. HealthKeepers, 2000; 2 (3):16-19; Thiel R. ANMA’s official position on genetically modified foods. ANMA Monitor, 1999;3(4)5-8). And since then, more and more information has come to light suggesting dangers to the environment and health related to GMOs.
As regular readers of this COGwriter Church of God News page are aware, I have long warned that likely crop failures associated with GMO grains are putting the USA and its Anglo-allies at extreme risk of being destroyed.
Most Americans do not like to accept this, but it is nonetheless true.
Notice the following about “the unanticipated outcome” of a GMO experiment on mosquitoes:
Deadly ‘super mosquitoes that are even tougher’ accidentally created by scientists after bungled experiment
Updated September 18, 2019
GENETICALLY modified mosquitoes that were designed by scientists to help populations decrease are actually thriving.
This is according to new research that claims the plan to create gene-hacked mosquitoes that have offspring which die immediately has spectacularly backfired and now scientists don’t know what will happen next.
The modified mosquitoes were released in Jacobina in Brazil and were supposed to mix with the local population and decrease numbers with their weak offspring genetics.
Although the wild population did plummet for a short while, 18 months later it was right back up again.
This is mostly concerning because scientists think the new ‘super mosquitoes’ have properties that might make them harder to kill.
Research about the pests has been published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports. …
Mosquitoes like the Aedes aegypti variety that was edited can carry dangerous diseases like yellow fever, Zika virus and Malaria.
This is why efforts are being made to reduce their numbers.
However, now traces of the genetically modified genes have been found in the natural population.
This means they are successfully interbreeding. …
The offspring of the gene-hacked mosquitoes and the natural ones are thought to be more robust but whether they pose a threat is unknown.
Researcher Jeffrey Powell told News Atlas: “It is the unanticipated outcome that is concerning.” https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/9947305/deadly-super-mosquitoes-accidentally-created/
Notice, scientists are concerned about “the unanticipated outcome.” Having mosquitoes that are “more robust” makes them harder to kill and, thus tends to increase their longevity. The “scientist” thought they had proof their plan would work and it did not.
Anyway, I anticipated something just like this when I reported about the release of GMOs mosquitoes on July 28, 2018. Here are some of my posted warnings.
Mosquitoes can carry and spread many diseases.
But releasing genetically-modified ones into the wild presents unknown risks.
One assumption that scientists have tended to make with genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) is that if they do not see any dangers, then there are none. That is foolish, yet that continues to be the view of the pro-GMO crowd.
While there certainly are risks associated with contracting the Zika virus (see Zika is more dangerous than many thought; USA has its first Zika death), this ‘solution’ poses risks to various parts of the ecosystem as well as the possibility that some of the offspring produced will have greater longevity as opposed to greatly reduced longevity.
The vast quantity of mosquito offspring increases the possibility that there will be some that have the opposite traits that the GMO crowd is hoping to get. And if this occurs, this could cause much greater problems than the GMO ‘solution’ was supposed to fix. …
Genetically modified mosquitoes pose dangerous risks. (Thiel B. Genetically-modified mosquitoes have been released to ‘fight Zika’. COGwriter, July 28, 2018)
GMOs are very dangerous precisely because scientists CANNOT ANTICIPATE all the potentially negative outcomes.
Super-mosquitoes are a health-risk.
Think the world is prepared for this or other possible pandemics?
Notice the following report:
September 18, 2019
A report compiled by an independent group of experts claims that governments and NGOs are woefully unprepared for the next big pandemic, while subsequently warning of a “very real threat” for a global-scale pandemic to kill 50 million to 80 million people.
“The world is at acute risk for devastating regional or global disease epidemics or pandemics that not only cause loss of life but upend economies and create social chaos,” grimly proclaims the report, published today by the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB).
The independent group, co-convened by the World Health Organization and the World Bank, warns that the world is increasingly facing an array of dire health risks and that preparedness efforts at the state-level are sorely lacking. https://gizmodo.com/the-world-is-grossly-unprepared-for-the-next-major-pa-1838226470
Mosquitoes, GMO or otherwise, have major potential to spread pestilences and cause pandemics.
In addition to GMO plants, we now have engineered “lab meat” and other experiments entering the food supply.
The Continuing Church of God (CCOG) has put together a couple of videos on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel.
Here is the first:
What are GMOs? Does the Bible have anything to say about them? Since they were not in the food supply until 1994, how could they possibly relate to Bible prophecy? Do GMOs put the USA and others at risk? What are some of those risks? Which common “foods” are often genetically-modified? Is it good to eat GMOs? Might GMOs lead to famine in America?
This video answers those questions.
Here is a link to the first: GMO Risks and the Bible .
Here is information on the second:
GMOs, Lab meat, Hydrogenation: Safe or Dangerous?
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have been in the US food supply for over 20 years. Are they safe? Which ten GMO plants are now widely commercially available? What about laboratory-grown ‘meat’.? Hydrogenated trans-fatty acid products have been consumed for over 100 years. Are they safe? Certain scientists claim that the data proves the safety of GMOs and lab-meat. But do they have enough data? Are the proponents of GMOs and lab-meat driven by data or greed? How long is long enough to test these ‘foods’? Can overly processed foods lead to type 2 diabetes or dementia? Are there allergy, gene-transfer, and outcrossing risks with GMOs? What risks does the World Health Organization say that GMOs pose? Do studies involving animals show real dangers with GMOs? On June 11, 2019, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order reducing government oversight over GMO plants and animals. Was this wise or dangerous? Is the food supply at any risk? What did Jesus teach? What does the Bible teach that God’s people should eat?
Here is a link to the video: GMOs, Lab meat, Hydrogenation: Safe or Dangerous?
Thousands of years ago, God inspired one of his prophets to pen the following, which encourages people to eat what is good:
2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance. (Isaiah 55:2)
Intentionally eating GMOs, in my view, is something people should try to avoid. I do not think that GMOs are good food.
GMOs are hazardous to the environment and ultimately will negatively impact humanity–even more than they have so far.
While the consumption of small amounts of GMO ‘foods’ does not appear to be harmful, I personally do not consider that long-term consumption of GMOs by humans is wise nor safe. And it most certainly is not proven to be healthy by science.
The word of God warned that because of love of money and delays in punishment humans would pursue things that they should not. The whole GMO and overly-processed food industries continue to push for things that are not good.
Some items of possibly related interest may include the following:
GMOs and Bible Prophecy What are GMOs? Since they were not in the food supply until 1994, how could they possibly relate to Bible prophecy? Do GMOs put the USA and others at risk? Here are links to two related videos: GMOs, Lab meat, Hydrogenation: Safe or Dangerous? and GMO Risks and the Bible.
Chimeras: Has Science Crossed the Line? What are chimeras? Has science crossed the line? Does the Bible give any clues? A video of related interest is Half human, half pig: What’s the difference?
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse What do each of the four horseman of the Apocalypse represent? Have they began their ride? Did Jesus discuss the any of this? Might their rides coincide with the “beginning of sorrows? Do they start their ride prior to the Great Tribulation? Did Nostradamus or any other ‘private prophets’ write predictions that may mislead people so that they may not understand the truth of one or more of the four horseman? There is also a related YouTube video titled The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Just What Do You Mean — Repentance? Do you know what repentance is? Have you truly repented? Repented of what? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject.
Is God’s Existence Logical? Is it really logical to believe in God? Yes! Would you like Christian answers to give atheists? This is a free online booklet that deal with improper theories and musings called science related to the origin of the origin of the universe, the origin of life, and evolution. Two animated videos of related interest are also available: Big Bang: Nothing or Creator? and A Lifegiver or Spontaneous Evolution?
What is Your Destiny? Deification? Did the Early Church Teach That Christians Would Become God? What is your ultimate destiny? What does the Bible teach? Is deification only a weird or cultic idea? Are you to rule the universe? Here is a link to the video sermon What is Your Destiny?
Did Early Christians Believe that Humans Possessed Immortality? What does John 3:16, and other writings, tell us? Did a doctrine kept adopted from paganism? Here is a YouTube video titled Are humans immortal?
Christians: Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God, Biblical instructions on living as a Christian This is a scripture-filled booklet for those wishing to live as a real Christian. A related sermon is also available: Christians are Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God.
Why Were You Born? Why did God make you? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject. You may also wish to read the article What is Your Destiny? or watch the video, also titled What is Your Destiny?
Building Character: Going on to Perfection Once you have accepted Jesus, do you need to strive for perfection and build character? A related video sermon is available: Going on to perfection and building character.
What is the Meaning of Life? Who does God say is happy? What is your ultimate destiny? Do you really know? Does God actually have a plan for YOU personally? If you would like to watch videos covering subjects of this article, you can click on the following links: Why YOU? Why Do YOU Suffer? and What is the meaning of your life?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
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