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Fat in America, Part 2
Published: 27 August, 2010, 01:09
Edited: 12 October, 2010, 16:21
TAGS: Health, Human rights, USA
American food policy has resulted in increasing rates of obesity, particularly among lower-class, minority populations.
"My father swears by this, he said back in the day, poor people were skinny, now poor people are obese," said Dr. Rani Whitfield of Family Practice and Sports Medicine.
In of one of the very few black neighborhoods in the suburbs of Northern Virginia, nearly everything on the shelves is made with genetically modified products. You can literally pick up anything and see the same genetically modified ingredients like “high fructose corn syrup.”
In a higher income neighborhood, outside Whole Foods, an organic supermarket, customers blanched at the thought of buying genetically modified products.
“It doesn't look healthy," said one shopper.
“I can't read half the ingredients on that thing and if I can't read it, I won't eat it," said another.
At the introduction of her Let’s Move campaign to reduce obesity, First Lady Michelle Obama said:“Between what’s in our food and how much we eat, Americans now consume more calories, fat and sugar today than ever before.”
"It's ironic that on the one hand, Michelle Obama is planting an organic garden, on the other hand President Obama has put Michael Taylor in charge as the US Food Safety czar. Under Michael Taylor's watch, the FDA said no testing necessary at all, no labeling on GMOs. He later went on to become the vice president for Monsanto and now he is in charge of the safety of the US food supply. In addition, Obama has placed many key pro Monsanto or key GMO people in key positions in the USDA and elsewhere," said biotech analyst Jeffrey Smith.
These former Monsanto executives are the people making key decisions, not only for the American food supply but also for the American products exported to the world.
"They are supposed to be protecting the people, but what it seems to me is the Department of Agriculture is protecting and promoting Monsanto," said Phil Geertson.
What’s left of America’s organic farming industry is familiar with Monsanto’s stranglehold on the US market. Phil Geertson of Geertson Seeds in Idaho took Monsanto to the Supreme Court because of claims its Roundup Ready Alfalfa seeds were contaminating his farm lands.
David Snively, the general counsel for Monsanto, said: “This product will be out there, so farmers need to coexist."
Geertson lost the case and Monsanto won. Winning means losing to the world market, especially when the European Union and other Western nations like New Zealand refuse American food products because of their ingredients and the lack of labeling.
"It's incredible what is going on," said Geerton
Obesity, corporate takeover and the future of America’s health…these are all looming concerns as Americans continue to bite into genetically altered foods. It’s a lot to swallow for a country where there's an abundance of food and an increasing waistband stretching from high echelons of the government to your dinner table.
George Hemminger of Survive and Thrive TV spoke to RT about the US Food Modernization Act. The act is supported by corporate food interests and opposed by local farming, organic, raw, and natural food groups.
“This is a bill designed for the corporate government monopolies and considering the economic situation right now it’s totally absurd,” said Hemminger.
The bill further bans individuals from removing, cleaning and storing seeds, which would essentially end private and local farms.
In the current market a large number of private and small farms have been formed, people growing their own food and selling the surplus to friend and neighbors. The bill would target these individuals by regulating them out of existence.
“This is just one in many steps our government has taken to partner with big large corporations. I mean, this is a sense this is fascism, this is corporatism, it is leading to the destruction of our economy,” said Hemminger.
He argued that eventually the people are going to have to rise up and take the politicians out of office to stop the government from creating such laws and regulation.
“Growing your own food should be as natural as eating your own food” said Hemminger.
Corporate interests control the food and agricultural supply, which dominates the way American eat. Until that changes health will not change.
“We should have diversification of the food supply, not centralization of it,” added Hemminger.
27.08.2010, 00:52
2 comments
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27.08.2010, 01:26
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The bit that most are missing in this bill is the actual distribution mechanism Monsanto and others seek to impose. GM foods, whatever the type, have something in common. They're effectively sterile, which means the farmer has to buy new seed each time he plants a crop. Guess who supplies it to him. So any move to directly, or by implication, limit the opportunity to grow own's food, points clearly and directly to the agri-corporates, and their proxies in the political system seeking to monopolise the food distribution system. This is a dangerous path to take, and i agree with the blogger who wrote Monsanto won't stop with just the US. Europe has been under massive pressure for many years to allow GM foods into agri-business, with the intent of monopolising seed supply, and the subsequent hike in prices as a result. Don't be fooled by this bill. It's another step in the agri-corporate intent to make growing your own food illegal, or only permissible with "approved" seed supply. US citizens should be marching in their millions to stop this bill, or they'll wake up one day to find themselves completely at the mercy of a distribution monopoly, as has been in the case in their other industries over many years. Europe might seem quaint, somewhat socialist/welfare oriented, and obstructionist, but time and again they've turned back the corporate wave, and protected the citizens from falling into slavery, and the feudal system dressed up as US style capitalism. I strongly urge the Russian government to wield a responsible axe on behalf of its citizens, and kill off immediately any attempt to introduce GM food, or any corporate driven derivative of that in the country, no matter how slick or deceitful the propaganda/marketing. Stop any of the monopolistic intent coming from abroad dressed up as "trade deals", and keep the precious right of citizens to grow their own food, from natural seed stock. It's a right that should not be given up for any reason.
This entire story makes little sense. Both the GMO and high fructose corn syrup arguments are valid, but it almost seems as if the person putting the story together doesn't know the difference between them. Furthermore, how on earth does Obama get blame for Clarence Thomas and Margaret Miller? It's almost as if the person putting together this story had the right information given to them by someone else, but had no idea how to put it together logically because he or she has no personal understanding of the topic.
One can start a research by googling "who invented Aspartame".
HOPEFULLY Russia does NOT use it on their farms and in their animal feed. Do the research Russia........ please. Their farm land will be destroyed for generations.
Pilots [u.s. navy and u.s. air force etc] warned their pilots to not use Aspartame. google pilot magazines give warning to pilots about Aspartame and seizures and blindness. [u.s. air force does not drink zero coke]
You can google that also.and check this out http://wn.com/Monsanto[14 videos in above LINK]