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Source of Article: http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/secretingredients/archives/154294.asp Feds don't require animal tests on engineered food. But Want something new to worry about? A study released this week by the
Austrian government shows that Monsanto's genetically engineered corn will
reduce fertility – at least in laboratory mice. The Center for Food Safety said the
"important study" funded by the Austrian Ministry of The Health,
Families, and Youth "is cause for great concern over the long-term
consumption of genetically engineered crops." Bill Freese,
the science policy analyst for the center said: "It's no surprise to us
that "The FDA must stop letting
biotech companies self-certify their (modified) crops as safe, and instead
establish strict, mandatory testing requirements, including long-term animal
feeding trials," he added. I asked the USDA and FDA whether this
is correct, but they haven't gotten back to me yet. The study found that mice fed the GE
corn diet had fewer litters, fewer total offspring, and more females with no
offspring, than mice feed the conventional corn. The scientist attributed the reduced
fertility to the engineered corn feed, and said it might be related to
unintended effects of the genetic modification process. Zentek
said that further studies are "urgently needed" to corroborate his
team's findings. Monsanto modified the corn to survive
direct spraying with its Roundup herbicide, while a built-in insecticide
kills certain "This study should serve as a
wake-up call to governments around the world that genetically engineered
foods could cause long-term health damage," said Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center, a nonprofit
food-safety advocacy organization, He added: "The center calls upon
national and international authorities to place a moratorium on the
distribution of GE products for human consumption unless or until their
safety can be undeniably established." Here is a link to an English version of the study
so you can evaluate for yourself. This just in from Monsanta: The St. Louis-based, worldwide
supplier of chemicals and engineered seeds, reacted quckly
to comments Greenpeace made on the Austrian study. The chemical giant pointed out that
the study was not peer-reviewed and was "inconsistent with over a decade
of reputable, peer-reviewed, scientific studies, including multi-generational
studies, which demonstrate and confirm the safety of GM crops." Jerry Hjelle,
a Monsanto VP, said that activist groups for years have attempted to call
into question the safety of biotech crops. "The safety of our products is
our utmost priority," he said. "We are already examining the
on-line report along with other evidence assessing the safety of GM
corn." Huh. Okay. |
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