GM Flax may Have Already Contaminated World Food Supply Since 90’s

Genetically modified wheat found in an Oregon field has many people talking about the potential for GM crops to contaminate the traditional, non-GMO food supply. But these rogue wheat seeds from Monsanto aren’t the only problem. As a matter of fact, genetically modified flax seeds from the late 1990s are still being found across the globe.

The GM flax (FP967), later renamed to Triffid, was authorized for use in the late nineties in both the U.S. and Canada. But before it could be produced and sold for commercial production, concerns of the European market stopped Triffid in its tracks.

In other words, European countries would have likely stopped importing flax from the West. Now, however, the same countries who were concerned about the safety of Triffid are dealing with contamination.

Triffid was first found in Germany in 2009. Since then, it’s turned up in Romania, Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, Slovenia, France, Greece, Switzerland, and dozens of other countries around the world. In total, the seed—which was never produced commercially—has found its way into at least 30 countries around the world.

In 2001, after it was determined the seeds would not be profitable and production on a mass scale was nixed, Triffid was de-registered and was supposedly destroyed. Obviously, that wasn’t the case. The spread of this GM seed variety is a clear example of how genetically modified crops and traditional crops simply can’t coexist.

“GE contamination is already costing the taxpayer,” said Lucy Sharratt of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network. “Contamination is inevitable and these costs will keep recurring.”

Some have suggested the GM flax being found globally isn’t Triffid but a similar, non-approved strain. Testing is underway to determine with certainty, but whether it’s the previously approved-the-nixed seed or another unapproved strain, the seriousness of this contamination is frightening.

By hook or by crook, genetically modified seeds and their makers are bent on taking over the global supply. How else can we explain the proliferation of a seed never put into commercial production?

How else can we explain Monsanto’s GM wheat, never approved for use, showing up in an Oregon wheat field? While the seed makers would have you believe their hands are clean, they would also have you believe their products are safe—something we know to be a farce.