Dear
Fellow New Mexican,
I am writing to you today in hopes that you will
read and listen to what it is I have to say to you specifically about labeling genetically
modified foods here in New Mexico. This year in 2013, Senator Peter Wirth (Democrat-Santa
Fe) will propose an amendment to the New Mexico Food Act to start labeling GMO
products, which he calls a “common sense consumer information” issue and
concern. For the first time ever, New Mexico and you, will have the opportunity
to set the bar on what information is more accessible for consumers, in order
to make better decisions with consumer products, because honestly most of us don’t
even know what GMO’s are, or that they can be bad for us to consume.
First
off, please don’t think that I am going to babble on to you about what foods YOU should be eating (because I like
meats and sweets just like anyone else) and I’m not going to indulge into some
hippie conspiracy propaganda about how the government might be poisoning us,
okay.
I just want you to know the straight facts
about GMO labeling!
What GMO’s are, why they need labeling, and also
that we as a state and country need to start acknowledging our American freedoms
and rights again; and to simply know, or to be able to easily access accurate information
about consumer products, especially regarding the food that is consumed by everyone
in this country, including you and me.
To tell you the truth, a few years ago I had
no idea what GMO’s were, or that GMO’s had been in the food I had been eating since
I was a kid. And up until a few years ago I had no issues with the food that I
ate; but then I started to get debilitating stomach aches and problems, and was
constantly in discomfort after every single time I ate a meal. Unfortunately I,
along with most other poor college students in New Mexico, cannot afford health
insurance, and I was sick of feeling sick every day, so I started to research
different diets. And I came to find one of the most shocking revelations I have
ever had; and that is how most food is produced and made today, but especially how
food is regulated here in America. I've always had the usual vegan friends try
to explain why meat is bad and why organic is good, but no one had ever
explained to me what GMO’s were and why they are in our food in the first place,
so I had to find out for myself.
GMO’s are technically called Genetically
Modified Organisms which are defined as “An organism whose genetic
characteristics have been altered by the insertion of a modified gene, or a
gene from another organism using the techniques of genetic engineering. Organisms
that have been genetically modified include micro-organisms such as bacteria
and yeast, insects, plants, fish, and mammals.” A Closer Look explains a little
better that “Scientists today have the ability to modify the genetic makeup of
plants and animals, and even to transfer genes from one species to another. Not
since nuclear power, has a technology been so controversial, with opponents
concerned about the creation of so-called Franken-foods, and proponents
promising a better tomorrow through science”. But are GMO’s and Bio-technology
companies giving us, this better tomorrow that was promised now, or are they
ruining the agricultural and food markets, as well as the eco-system throughout
the world with modified foods that can harm us?
One thing I would like to get across to you more
than anything; is that it has been ingrained into all of us, that the current-day
food laws here exist to protect us from getting sick or making sure food is not
bad for us to consume, and is a completely false impression of how things actually
work. This is a misconception that we all need to snap out of, and see that the
information about food produced in America is polluted, because of the demand
for easier and cheaper food products, at times without regard for human or environmental
health. I had assumed as many people have, that the FDA tests each product at
least once before it goes out for people to buy, and that is not the case at
all. The FDA actually doesn't work like that, and by law, companies only have
to submit VOLUNTARY safety studies
to the FDA for approval; furthermore the FDA does not conduct any studies on
genetically modified foods, and approves foods based on in
company studies only. Also there have never been any long term studies
done on humans consuming Genetically Modified foods (Scientists under Attack).
I’m sure you are wondering by now
why they’re putting this crazy stuff in our food? The reasons why GMO crops
have become the world’s major source of food in the last two decades are simple,
because of mass yield and profit. But other reasons why GMO crops were apparently
better are because they are made to be herbicide, pesticide, and weather or environment
tolerant, as well as pest resistant, disease resistant, and could potentially
feed the billions of people living on the planet. These are really admirable
changes and advances to the technology of bio agriculture. But at the same time
there are many things in this world that are being affected by these changes,
including people, animals, and insects, in addition to our seemingly untainted
food, water, and soil sources, as well as how our environment is affected by
these radical alterations in agriculture throughout America and the world.
In many other countries right now, GMO crops
have been banned, and the world’s largest food producers, have been and are now
being sued by entire countries for the devastation that their populations, regions,
and crops have suffered, since being forced and or coerced to use GMO seeds and
pesticides. Not to mention the health concerns of messing with the genetic code
of food that we eat without the proper study and testing.
I could go on all day about the effects and
newer studies that have occurred since GMO crops began, because there really
are so many things affected by this technology including all of our health and well-being,
but I am sure you don’t have that kind of time to hear me go on, so instead I
will just ask you this; Don’t you think that
we all deserve to know what is being put in our food and crops without our knowledge?
Labeling these new technologies in food, beginning
in New Mexico, is a great common sense idea and is a good start to educating
ourselves about our food. I hope that you please take the time for yourself, and
find out why we need to care about what is being manufactured into the foods we
all consume. We as free Americans and New Mexicans should have access to all the
information, to make our own choices, to decide what food is good for us and
what isn't, and as far as right now, we don’t really know what is safe to eat
anymore. Let’s change the way these foods are labeled in New Mexico, to show
the rest of the country what is really going on, and so we can gain some
knowledge as to how these foods are really being made now, in our state and everywhere
else. I thank you for taking the time to read my letter, and I really do hope
you find out for yourself how conventional foods are processed and how it affects
you, as well as what we can all do to change the way food is labeled for our
families, our children, our health, and our home.
Sincerely
and Respectfully,
Rene
Thompson
Avid Sweets/Meats
Eater, Proud Burqueno, and Consumer Knowledge Activist.
