Bernie Sanders Calls Out US Policy on GMOs, Slams Monsanto
Senator from Vermont and Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has been standing up for sustainable farming and non-GMO food. This piece isn’t meant to prop Sanders up on a pedestal but rather is meant to be a reminder to consider how your favorite presidential candidate will vote on GMOs once elected.
Sanders helped to pass legislation that protects family-owned farms, not huge Agrichemical farms that monocrop our food sovereignty into oblivion with the Farm Bill in 2014. He also, on the surface, supports allowing states to require labels on foods containing “genetically modified organisms” (GMOs) based on the consumer’s right-to-know, though he does not believe that GMOs are necessarily bad. At least he champions our right to know what we are eating.
“Unlike people in the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Australia, South Korea, Japan, Brazil, China, Russia, New Zealand and other countries where labels are required, Americans don’t know if the food they eat has been genetically modified. People have a right to know what they are eating,” says Bernie Sanders, US Presidential Candidate.
He continues:
“I think all over this country, people want to know the quality of the food they’re eating and what they’re giving to their kids is good quality. We just don’t know all that much about genetically modified food. . .
Not a huge friend or fan of Monsanto, he also has comments about one of the world’s most hated companies:
“Monsanto and other companies are saying states can’t do it [label GMOs]. It is a federal prerogative. My amendment said if California, Vermont, Connecticut, other states want to go forward, they should have that right.”
Bernie Sanders was interviewed two years ago by CNN – you can see his stance on GMOs here:
Christina you continue to repeat this crap about GMOs to the detriment of the public. There has not been a single person hospitalized by GM food, but organic food has killed people. Do you really expect all your readers to be as ignorant as you?
Also Monsanto is OK with volunteer labeling – I think that is wrong. I stick with the FDA who don’t want labels to confuse people. The FDA want labels when facts back up the safety warning.
Look at Chipotle – went GMO-free and lost sight of the real hazard – bacteria and viruses. Wake up and see the light
You can’t prove that no one has been hospitalized because of GMO foods, they aren’t even labeled, they are hidden in our food supply so it would be difficult to track and document any harm due to GMOs. And you may think GMO labels will confuse people but you are highly underestimating consumers, or perhaps you just don’t understand labels yourself. Also your statement “The FDA want labels when facts back up the safety warning”, the GMO label isn’t a safety warning, it just gives everyone the freedom of an informed choice. No one else should be allowed to decide what others are allowed to know and not allowed to know when it comes to their food.
They are smarter than us and know what’s good for us so much better than we that they want to use our government to protect us from our own stupidity.
Their research counts and ours does not. Tony is right– we have to learn our place, stop being so uppity, and respect our corporate superiors who know what is best for us.
I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but this is one of the funniest posts I’ve ever read. You must live in a bubble. You’re obviously oblivious to the level of corruption in our government and biggest industries like biotech and big pharma. Were you around for the whole “big tobacco” lie? You should read some of the American history of corruption in politics and industry. You’re basically saying we should blindly trust government and industry to be kind and considerate over making profits. Yikes.
If you really want to help people look into the effects of sand blasting jeans for consumers and its effects on people in developing nations. Massive harm just to make people look cool. Might as well label them with a skull and crossbones
wo biggest environmental threats do not include GMOs or glyphosate but …………..radon gas and smoking — why up at top of lis. pesticide residues in food way down the list. 1,000 natural pesticides in food versus manmade.
Try taking pineapple extract and placing in a dish of human cells – kills them very quickly – a bunch of pest protecting agents naturally produced to protect the plant against diseases and bugs. Place pineapple of meat to tenderize the meat – it literally produces protein digesting enzymes. Can it harm people – yes especially those with weakened guy lining. Is it labeled – no. One of the newer potent allergens – kiwi fruit – does it kill – yes …it is labeled NO.
It is crazy to not label foods that can kill and require labeling of foods that have never killed in 20 years of use
Are you joking? Smoking and radon gas? How many babies/ children are smoking? Smoking is a CHOICE! We have the ability to test for radon and correct it if an issue is found!
What we have zero control of is the consumption of of GMOs and their associated cancer causing pesticides! GMOs are not labeled!
There are two main GE crops—One is BT toxin which is an unnatural synthetic form of a naturally occurring soil bacteria which is far more toxic than its natural counterpart, this bacterium’s DNA has been genetically engineered into the seed, so this toxin is then expressed in every cell of the plant, insecticidal proteins in every tassel, pollen, grain, leaf, stalk and root cell, it cannot be washed off nor will it degrade in sunlight like its natural counterpart, another fun FACT is our corn then becomes a registered pesticide with the EPA…yummy….then there are Roundup Ready crops that have been genetically engineered to withstand heavy doses of Roundup without dying, so mothers get to feed their babies Glyphosate ridden breast milk which the WHO (World Health Organization) deemed as a probable carcinogen and the rest of us get to process it though our kidneys and out in our urine…..Not to mention the active retro virus called the cauliflower mosaic virus that is used to turn the desired trait on and then the antibiotic marker used to ascertain if the desired trait is being expressed… antibiotic resistance anyone? They also stack these traits together in one crop! The process of creating a GM plant causes massive collateral damage in the DNA….approximately 2 to 4 percent of the DNA is mutated/different compared to its parent. This can result in increased or new allergens, toxins, carcinogens and anti nutrients! There were never any independent, long-term, minimum of 3 mammalian species, preferably multi-generational studies done to deduce toxicology in human beings concerning the consumption of GMOs…. it’s criminal that they were allowed into our food supply….PERIOD!
These are the genetically engineered crops to avoid…buy organic or Non GMO project verified until we can obtain proper labeling and transparency…..corn, soy, canola, cottonseed, zucchini, crooked neck squash, papaya, alfalfa, potatoes, apples plus some wheat and rice have contamination…over 80 percent of the food found on grocery store shelves contain at least one of these crop ingredients in there processed product …such as HFCS, modified corn starch, hydrolyzed yeast protein, MSG, soy lethicin and many more are hidden ingredients in these processed foods…. another crop most people would never think about is genetically modified bacteria which can be used to ferment cheese, wine, beer, dairy products and let’s not forget aspartame/ NutraSweet which is made from genetically modified bacteria excretions / waste..you also need to watch out for the synthetic genetically modified bovine growth hormone (rBGH/rBST) this is found in milk and some dairy products…watch out for GMO salmon which will ruin the environment and GMO apples…they have 2, 4-D crops which is a component of Agent Orange, waiting in wings for approval; as Roundup ready crops have failed because of super weeds and super bugs….so as previously stated now the active ingredient in Roundup which is Glyphosate can be found in human urine, human breast milk, organs, even bones and Bt toxin has been found in blood… Next we will have 2, 4-D to add to our bodily fluids but hey do not worry BIOTECH says it is perfectly safe… We must stop the lunacy before its too late!
You are truly so much wiser and smarter and better informed than stupid people like me who don’t agree with the industry sponsored snark you just graced us with.
Are you joking? Smoking and radon gas? How many babies/ children are smoking? Smoking is a CHOICE! We have the ability to test for radon and correct it if an issue is found!
What we have zero control of is the consumption of of GMOs and their associated cancer causing pesticides! GMOs are not labeled!
There are two main GE crops—One is BT toxin which is an unnatural synthetic form of a naturally occurring soil bacteria which is far more toxic than its natural counterpart, this bacterium’s DNA has been genetically engineered into the seed, so this toxin is then expressed in every cell of the plant, insecticidal proteins in every tassel, pollen, grain, leaf, stalk and root cell, it cannot be washed off nor will it degrade in sunlight like its natural counterpart, another fun FACT is our corn then becomes a registered pesticide with the EPA…yummy….then there are Roundup Ready crops that have been genetically engineered to withstand heavy doses of Roundup without dying, so mothers get to feed their babies Glyphosate ridden breast milk which the WHO (World Health Organization) deemed as a probable carcinogen and the rest of us get to process it though our kidneys and out in our urine…..Not to mention the active retro virus called the cauliflower mosaic virus that is used to turn the desired trait on and then the antibiotic marker used to ascertain if the desired trait is being expressed… antibiotic resistance anyone? They also stack these traits together in one crop! The process of creating a GM plant causes massive collateral damage in the DNA….approximately 2 to 4 percent of the DNA is mutated/different compared to its parent. This can result in increased or new allergens, toxins, carcinogens and anti nutrients! There were never any independent, long-term, minimum of 3 mammalian species, preferably multi-generational studies done to deduce toxicology in human beings concerning the consumption of GMOs…. it’s criminal that they were allowed into our food supply….PERIOD!
These are the genetically engineered crops to avoid…buy organic or Non GMO project verified until we can obtain proper labeling and transparency…..corn, soy, canola, cottonseed, zucchini, crooked neck squash, papaya, alfalfa, potatoes, apples plus some wheat and rice have contamination…over 80 percent of the food found on grocery store shelves contain at least one of these crop ingredients in there processed product …such as HFCS, modified corn starch, hydrolyzed yeast protein, MSG, soy lethicin and many more are hidden ingredients in these processed foods…. another crop most people would never think about is genetically modified bacteria which can be used to ferment cheese, wine, beer, dairy products and let’s not forget aspartame/ NutraSweet which is made from genetically modified bacteria excretions / waste..you also need to watch out for the synthetic genetically modified bovine growth hormone (rBGH/rBST) this is found in milk and some dairy products…watch out for GMO salmon which will ruin the environment and GMO apples…they have 2, 4-D crops which is a component of Agent Orange, waiting in wings for approval; as Roundup ready crops have failed because of super weeds and super bugs….so as previously stated now the active ingredient in Roundup which is Glyphosate can be found in human urine, human breast milk, organs, even bones and Bt toxin has been found in blood… Next we will have 2, 4-D to add to our bodily fluids but hey do not worry BIOTECH says it is perfectly safe… We must stop the lunacy before its too late!!
at least he has kept his convictions, not like Hillary who goes with whatever is popuar!
Awesome! That seals the deal. I was considering Bernie, but wasn’t sure what his take was on GMOs, and now he’s got my vote!
Clinton says that Bernie doesn’t have the experience to be President,well neither does she! Bernie as Commander in Chief would pick his best team, not like Hillary who would be rewarding positions of power to the likes of Monsanto and big Pharma executives! All my freinds here inAustralia are hoping Bernie will win, if not they will go to Trump rather than Clinton. Alistair Victoria Australia
I don’t think there ever been a candidate that follows his convictions to his federal Legislation that he has supported over 20 years.Their our no SP2000 companies attached to him like 99% of our legislators in DC.We have the most corrupt two party system in the modern advance economics world nations with the most ignorant voters in the modern world!Bernie is hands down the working classes choice,but since most working classes vote on emotions and not on the real voting records since they have NO CLUE of legislation,they always vote against their interest!