March Against Genetically Modified Foods Goes Today
Saturday, May 25, 2013 @ 5:37 AM
Prince George, B.C. – The battle against what is seen as the polluting of our food supplies with genetically modified foods will take to the streets of Prince George today.
The March Against Monsanto will kick off at 11 this morning at City Hall and make its way to Millennium Park. Organizer Karmjeet Manhas says the local march is part of an international awareness movement that includes over two million marchers in 400 cities in 40 countries around the globe. The reason behind it is to voice opposition to genetically modified foods. He says U.S.-based Monsanto owns the patent to 90% of those foods in the world. He says another big problem is that Monsanto owns about 70% of all seed patents in the world. “They have a type of technology called Terminator Seeds, which means that a seed doesn’t grow back, you have to go back and buy from them. That is very expensive for farmers.”
Manhas says Monsanto has been trying to block the identification of genetically modified foods. “For years they have prevented the labeling of those foods in North America. Fifty-four countries have banned or required mandatory labeling of those foods. But basically if you’re educated about the food and you know what it is, if it’s labeled it doesn’t sell, right? So we’re marching for GM labeling on all such foods.”
Manhas says “scientists in independent studies outside of Mansanto believe that there should be a minimum of ten years before these get released onto the market. This is the reason why the entire Euro zone, China, Japan, New Zealand, Australia have all banned genetically modified foods. And we’re behind for various reasons, one of which is the heavy lobbying of the U.S. government by Monsanto.” Asked how this spills over into Canada, Manhas says “we’re basically on par with the United States. We don’t have legislation to protect us. If you go to the grocery store and you ask what is genetically modified, you’ll just get a shrug of the shoulders. They’ll point you out to where the organic is, but we don’t have that option. It’s not clearly labeled as genetically modified. People don’t know what they’re buying.”
He says that’s what the march is about. “It’s about education, and awareness and a solution. We’re just encouraging people in a peaceful march and saying please, look. And when you look you’ll change your mind.” Those taking part in the march are encouraged to wear red and carry a sign signifying what the issue, and the march, means to them.
Comments
Is Monsanto2013 this year’s Kony?
Another reason I will keep buying organic…the taste is better and now this!!
Food genetics has been the biggest contributor to alleviating global food shortages in human history. Monsanto is a bully, but this is another, of many, misguided causes.
Further more, there is virtually no plant that hasn’t been modified over the last 500 years. That’s what farmers do. Seeds that faired better in droughts were kept for that purpose. Same for diseases. This resulted in overall improvements which to some is a bad thing. Go figure.
nonsense, have you seen some of the studies about food sold as organic?
So the if its no biggie why are they so against labelling food?
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