Author: Donna Appel (Page 13 of 23)

Have you ever seen an animal with a trademark? Neither had we…until recently. A genetically modified, trademarked salmon has been approved for human consumption by the FDA and will be available for purchase in the United States soon. The AquAdvantage® Salmon will soon be lurking in your sushi, with no warning label as to its origins and little proof of its safety.

AquAdvantage® is a product of AquaBounty Technologies, which has combined genes from various salmon and other fish to create a new animal that grows much faster than natural salmon—making it possible to farm more salmon in less time. The fish will be the first GMO animal to officially enter the human food chain, although it will undoubtedly be followed by a parade of other genetic monstrosities created solely for the convenience and cost-effectiveness of large-scale agricultural enterprises. It is currently being sold in Canada, and will soon make its way into American supermarkets as well. The Fishy Business of GM Animals Genetically modified animals pose a host of ethical, ecological, and economic problems. Among many other concerns, it’s important to consider:

⦁ Is it humane, responsible, or morally acceptable to tamper with an animal’s genes, modifying it in ways that may cause unknown harm to the animal or reduce its quality of life?

⦁ Is it ethical to create an entirely new species at all? Who gets to determine limitations on what sorts of animals are acceptable to create?

⦁ What happens when a newly-minted, genetically mutated animal escapes the confines of its warehouse/aquatic enclosure/pasture and mingles with other, natural species?

⦁ Is it reasonable to create animals that might, if allowed into the natural environment, cause ecological damage ranging from overpopulation to extinction?

⦁ Is it economically a good idea to introduced patented animals onto the market, opening the door to more Monsanto-type lawsuits and driving traditional farmers out of business? What animals should qualify as trademarked? What legal ramifications might occur when a trademarked animal breeds with a natural animal?

Although this list of questions reads a little like science fiction, these are valid concerns that should be dealt with now, before Pandora’s box can’t be closed. Furthermore, this is the tip of the iceberg where GM animals are concerned and decisions about the regulation of GMOs need to be made now rather than waiting until they must be made during a crisis. What Exactly is an AquAdvantage® Salmon? You won’t find much information about the nature of this fish on AquaBounty’s website. The information offered there only addresses AquAdavantage’s® alleged benefits, and the “frequently asked questions” are clearly crafted by the company to highlight positives while skirting around negatives. It’s doubtful that someone who has actual concerns about GM animals would ask AquaBounty questions like “How do restaurants benefit,” “How does the American economy benefit,” or “Can fast-growing salmon help reduce pressures on dwindling wild fisheries,” but this type of contrived “question” dominates their FAQ page. The company also doesn’t share its magic “recipe” for fast-growing fish. Under the Technology tab on its website, AquaBounty presents a scant few paragraphs about the genetic makeup of the fish, only mentioning that they’ve combined genes from two types of salmon to create the AquAdvantage® brand fish. This, of course, sounds reasonably wholesome—two salmon, after all, might breed in the wild. What they neglect to mention is that the fish also include genes from the Ocean Pout, an eel-like bottom dweller that lives deep in the cold depths of the sea. The eel’s DNA acts in part as a sort of antifreeze, which allows the modified salmon to continue to grow even during the winter when normal salmon don’t grow. The GM salmon grow to full size in just 18 months, rather than 3 years. The beefed-up fish dwarfs a salmon of the same age, certainly speeding up the time it takes for a farmed GM salmon to make it from tank to dinner plate. A Patented, Unhealthy Fast-Food Fish Salmon is a healthy food, right? So more of it coming into the American market will be good for our health? Nope. For starters, Wild Caught salmon is a very healthy food—but it differs vastly even from the farmed salmon that’s already on the market. Farmed salmon is fed a diet high in fat in order to speed growth. Its diet is largely comprised of GMO corn and soy, which are grown with Roundup. It has more calories than wild salmon and is much higher in inflammatory-causing Omega-6 fats. Farmed salmon are exposed to contaminants that are unhealthy for both fish and humans, and are given supplements to make their flesh pink (without this, the flesh of farmed salmon is a dull grey). When you’re farming a salmon that’s been genetically modified, you are taking on even more health concerns:

⦁ AquAdvantage® may cause or exacerbate allergies to finfish, because of the genetic process used to create them. Only one test for allergenic properties was done on just six fish (and that test was not double-blind). The results are that GM salmon seem to be 40 to 19 percent more allergenic, depending on the type. Even in this small test, it’s clear that more research needs to be done in the area of allergens with GM salmon.

⦁ Genetically Modified salmon contain high levels of IGF-1, a growth hormone that is known to cause breast, blood, prostate and colon cancer. This hormone is often used in meat production, but the FDA requires a waiting time in which the animal is taken off the hormones before it’s slaughtered so that the hormones have time to clear from the meat. AquAdvantage® Salmon have this hormone built into every cell, and it can’t be cleared before consumption.

⦁ AquAdvantage® Salmon contain 10 percent less healthy Omega 3 fatty acids than even farmed salmon—and the balance between Omega 3 and Omega 6 is worse than any other farmed salmon. They are fed on GMO soy, as well. Basically, they are the “fast food” of fish, switching speed and convenience for nutrition and sustainability.

Not only are genetically modified fish ethically problematic, environmentally and economically unsound and, frankly, creepy—they are also not as good for you as even farmed salmon and they pale in comparison to wild salmon. In addition, they may cause life-threatening allergies and, most alarmingly, cancer. Eating AquAdvantage® Salmon instead of wild-caught salmon is the equivalent of eating a Big Mac and thinking you’re eating a grass-fed ground sirloin burger on an organic, sprouted-wheat bun. Before these fast-food fish make it to American grocery stores without labels identifying their origins, please do what you can to educate yourself and your loved ones about GM animals—and, ask your local grocery stores not to carry AquAdvantage® fish. Even if the FDA approves it, we can hope that if the public won’t eat it the fish-factories won’t produce it.    

* Compliments of * Soups On Main * Hackettstown * NJ * 07840 * 908-736-6004 * soupsonmain.com *

Here are a few things that we were once told were good for us that turned out to be dangerous and even deadly. I’m willing to bet we can add GMO’s to the list too. Problem is that by the time we find out, it will be too late. Check these out and let me know if you agree.

Remember “Vitamin Donuts” from 1942. How about the Ovaltine ad from 1947? It is mind boggling. It advertised all of the nutritional perks packed into two glasses of powdered milk. I find this very similar to the many supposed health benefits contained in drinks like Gatorade, Red Bull, Power Ade, Monster Energy, Vitamin Water or Gatorade.

Remember when Dutch Boy advertised having fun with their “Lead Family” of paint products? This one came out in a brochure in 1923 emphasizing how kids could have fun. Lead family – are you kidding me? That is like inviting me to have fun with the chain saw family. How about enjoying an afternoon with the rat poison family. The powers that be knew about the harmful affects of lead for many years yet it wasn’t until 1977 that it was finally banned.

In the 1950 we were told that 7-Up would help babies grow up strong and fit. We were even given instructions for mixing this sugary pop with equal parts of cold milk. They said it would create a “delicious blended food drink”! Can you say diabetes?

When I was young, it seemed that everyone smoked. It was difficult to avoid. You smoked in restaurants, hospitals, elevators, automobiles, public functions, at home, on TV and in the doctor’s office. Actors, presidents, teachers, healthcare works, store clerks, factory works, wait staff, and even librarians smoked. “More doctor’s smoked Camels than any other cigarette” right? In those days, doctors were revered. They had offices next to God. We did anything the good doctor told us to do. As this Chesterfield ad stated, they had “scientific evidence on the effects of smoking”. I promise you they weren’t telling us how bad they were. And even if they knew, they wouldn’t tell us.

Now this one really got to me. I’m willing to bet that no male species of the human race ever used Lysol internally or even got it near his genitals. But this 1948 ad touted the internal use of Lysol as a marriage saver. They called it domestic bliss. They stated that Sue and Tom now lived in a “heavenly” state in their home thanks to Sue’s doctor telling her to douche with Lysol! Again, in those days you didn’t question your doctor. If your doctor said to douche with Lysol always for feminine hygiene, you did it. I’m thankful my mother didn’t share this little ditty with me.

Remember the DuPont ads showing babies wrapped in cellophane? The stork was a stretch but the cellophane seemed like a good option for wrapping most anything. In 1954, who knew that babies would suffocate from this marvelous DuPont product? If you did this today, you would be locked up for child abuse.

In the 40’s and 50’s the food fads for keeping your body trim were no different than they are today. Even back then, corporate America was pushing their products and telling us how good they were for us. These ads, from the American Meat Institute must be accurate right? Eating red meat is nutritious enough to eat it every day and processed meats preserved with nitrates are just “platters full of protein”. Let’s pile that wonderful protein high on that processed white bread we were told was so nutritional and chow down!

Don’t ever tell anyone that their health issues are their own fault OK? In the late 60’s, sugar was touted as the willpower wonder according to the ad sponsored by “Sugar Information”, whatever the heck that is. You were told to have a soft drink before your main meal and to snack on some candy about an hour before lunch. Who knew back then that it would be found to be more addictive than cocaine and heroine? How’s that willpower working for ya?

You have to love the roaring 1920’s ad for a healthy glow. Why bother going to your local doctor or beauty salon for a little pick-me-up when you can get zapped in the privacy of your own home. The good news is that you could use it for 10 days and it wouldn’t cost you a penny. I wonder what the expenses were in trying to heal from the damaging affects of this medical wonder.

Now, this has to be the mother of them all. It is a wonder any of us are living. We are medical miracles for sure. This 1946 ad claims that “exhaustive scientific tests have shown that, when properly used, DDT kills a host of destructive insect pests and is a benefactor of all humanity”. The ad further claims “to make healthier more comfortable homes” and “that dairy cows would be protected from the annoyance of many insects with DDT insecticides like Knox-Out Stock and Barn Spray”. Do you know that in 1962, a book called Silent Spring, written by Rachel Carson, a biologist, was published? It detailed the environmental impact of spraying DDT in the USA and questioned the logic in using this potentially dangerous chemical without sufficient understanding of its effects on human health and ecology. The book further stated that DDT and other similar chemicals were a threat to wildlife. Dah ya think this could be one of the reasons our bee population is dwindling? How about the fact that the USA spends more $$$ on health care than any other nation and we are the sickest. DDT was banned for agricultural use in the USA in 1972. Buyer beware; so much for Penn Salts service to industry, farm and home. Now let me sum this up by stating that Monsanto is one of the companies that originally manufactured DDT. Do you see where history is repeating itself? Monsanto is now putting GMO’d food on store shelves without knowing the long term ramifications. Monsanto is also spending millions of dollars trying to stop us from knowing what foods are genetically modified and which ones are not. Sounds like history repeating itself don’t ya think? The definition of insanity; doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Stand up and be a part of the solution and help stop the insanity before it is too late. Your children and their children will thank you. Be a legacy for all to remember.

Love and great health to all.

Coach D, Donna Appel
A Voice For Change