There’s been a big issue out there in the food blogosphere that I haven’t covered on The Lunch Tray, but if your kid (and the rest of your family) drinks organic milk, this is something you need to know about.
Last week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, over staunch opposition from organic farmers, agreed to the unrestricted commercial cultivation of genetically modified alfalfa (developed by Monsanto to be resistant to the herbicide Roundup). Originally Vilsack had proposed restrictions on GMO alfalfa to protect organic farmers from cross-contamination, but faced with considerable Republican opposition, as well as opposition from some farmers and biotech companies, he eventually caved.
According to the New York Times, “Organic farmers can lose sales if genetic engineering is detected in their crops, which occurs through cross-pollination from a nearby field or through intermingling of seeds. And exports of nonorganic but nonengineered crops to certain countries can be jeopardized if genetically engineered material is detected in significant amounts.”
I’ve been following this issue on Facebook via my new friend Robyn McCord O’Brien, founder of the Allergy Kids Foundation and author of The Unhealthy Truth. One of the many links Robyn posted was to the Chewswise blog, which gives a readable summary of the potential impact of this decision — including fewer organic dairy farmers and higher prices for organic products. Their entire list of potential consequences here. (Also check out the Allergy Kids Foundation’s post questioning whether novel, genetically modified proteins could pose a particular allergenic risk for children.)
The USDA’s decision can still be challenged in the courts. Quoted in the New York Times, Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety, said his group would seek to have the decision reversed based on the alleged inadequacy of the environmental impact statement on which the USDA relied in making its decision.
I’ll keep you posted of any new developments here.
cyrell says
That´s the crux.
Nearly all genetically modified plants are used to feed lifestock.
90% of the worldwide produced soy beans are ending as feed, modified corn is the same.
So most people do not want to eat genetically modified foods, but the modified gens are also found in milk,eggs and meat of the animals which are feed with GMF.
You are eating them indirectly.