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True Food Website |
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Ten tips to remember
when you go to the supermarket.
PART II |
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GMOs =
Genetically Modified Organisms
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Supermarkets carry many
brands,
often including their own store brand. If you don't want GMOs in
their store brand corn flakes, you need to tell them - consumer
pressure can work!
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In Britain, consumers asked supermarkets to stop using GMOs in
their store brands; today, virtually every major chain there has
eliminated GMOs. Many say they will also stop using GMOs as
animal feed, so their meat and
poultry
products will be GMO-free.
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Kellogg's has told
Europeans they will stop using GMOs, but here they say their
cereals contain GMO ingredients. Companies like Nestle,
Kraft, McDonalds and others also have this double
standard.
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7. |
Back to fresh
products |
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With no GMO-free brands, the best way to avoid GMOs is to buy
fresh
produce,
other whole foods (nuts, grains, beans, rice, etc), and organic
food as much as possible.
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The same companies that have sold pesticides for the past 50
years are now selling GMOs. These companies say that pesticides
are safe and environmentally friendly.
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The evidence of the past 50 years shows that pesticides have
been an environmental and public health
menace.
Recent studies show that herbicides and insecticides in the
environment effect the immune system, hormone levels, and
brain
functioning, and that children are especially at
risk.
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Now the companies that brought us toxic pesticides are trying to
genetically alter all of our food. They say that GMOs are safe
and environmentally friendly. They say GMOs can replace
pesticides. But they still sell pesticides, and now they link
their toxic chemicals to GMO crops.
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The real solution to pesticide use is truly sustainable
agriculture. For example, organic production, which by
definition excludes the use of GMOs. Organic farms:
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8. |
Organic food
is popular |
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It is the
fastest growing segment of the food industry: at 20% per
year, the organic industry is a $6 billion a year business,
growing faster than computers or telecommunications.
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When given a choice between GMOs, conventional food, or organic
food, most Americans said they would prefer organic.
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Other than supermarkets, you can also get organics at farmer's
markets or through community supported agriculture (CSA)
projects,
whereby
farmers deliver fresh produce directly to a community or
individuals. Check state or regional farm organizations for CSA
farms in your area.
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9. |
Organic food
can be more expensive but... |
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The health and environmental costs of pesticides in the U.S.
have been estimated at as much as $4 billion a year. These are
costs that we all pay through higher taxes, expensive health
care, environmental clean-up, etc.
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Chemical companies and industrial farms get huge subsidies from
our tax dollars. Over 99 percent of government research and
development funding goes to biotech and chemical farming. There
is no level playing field for organic farmers.
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If organics were supported like industrial farming, the price
would
go down and we would avoid the costs associated with
industrial farming.
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10. |
GMOs are
potentially more dangerous
than farm chemicals !!
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Pesticide pollution is
long lasting,
but attempts can be made to clean it up or contain it.
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GMOs, once they are released into the
environment, cannot be recalled. Genes can't be
traced or
stopped.
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The only way to avoid genetic pollution is to stop the release
of GMOs. That's why Greenpeace calls for a
ban on GMOs
in our farms and food.
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Source:
True Food Website |
GLOSSARY |
brands: commercial
names (marcas comerciales)
poultry: chickens, turkeys and ducks (carne de ave)
produce: fresh fruits and vegetable grown for the
market (cosecha de frutas y verduras)
menace: threat (amenaza, peligro)
brain functioning: brain working (funcionamiento
cerebral)
fastest growing segment: commercial segment
growing faster than others (segmento de más rápido
crecimiento) |
whereby: as a result of which (como resultado de
lo cual los)
would go down: would fall (caería, se
reduciría)
long lasting: existing for a long time (de larga
duración)
traced: followed, discovered (analizados,
investigados)
ban: an official prohibition (prohibición) |
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Click here to read PART I of this article.
Pulsa aquí para leer la PARTE I de este
artículo. |
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MAS "SALUD Y BIENESTAR"
FORO
INICIO |