March against Monsanto – No more GMO’s

I believe in whole foods. I believe in the American ideal of choice. So why in a nation founded on the right to freedom and choice are we allowing big corporations like Monsanto to manipulate our food, not label food that’s been genetically modified and then demolish the small farmer? It seems I’m not the only one that’s fed up and frustrated. Yesterday I took part in a world-wide March Against Monsanto. It was estimated that 2 million people in 52 countries and 436 cities protested against Monsanto. As I was walking and chanting alongside about 2,000 people in Dallas, I couldn’t help but wonder what the chief’s of Monsanto were doing.

I wondered if marching would make any difference. And then I saw people driving past us, slowing down and reading our signs. I saw the police take action and block off the streets so we could walk without worrying about traffic and waving us on with smiles. I watched kids marching and knew that they would talk about the march at school. That’s when I knew that what I was doing would make a difference.

America is the land of the free yet why aren’t we aligning with the other 8 European countries to ban genetically-modified (GMO) foods? I commend companies like Whole Foods for taking a stand and stating that by 2018 all GMO foods in their grocery stores will be labeled. It’s only 2013 but Whole Foods has already started this process. I’ve started to shop at Whole Foods even more because they are already labeling those foods that are not GMO modified. I find a sense of peace knowing the foods I’m feeding myself and my family is not modified.

What if you don’t have a grocery store that’s labeling non-GMO foods, what if you live in a country that doesn’t have a choice about GMO foods, like Tanzania, Ghana, and Ethiopia who are the new guinea pigs in the Grow Africa Partnership? A partnership with mega-corporations like Monsanto that plan on providing GMO seeds under the auspice to feed Africa. African Civil Society’s are not wanting these public/private partnerships because like in America, Monsanto is taking over the local farmer and making them “debt slaves to the corporations, while destroying the ecosphere for profit”. This is all in the name of providing food for the poor. Since when did a big corporation really care about helping others? 

What also sickens me is that Bono, the man who so passionately wrote about those suffering in Ireland, is siding with Monsanto. He is the spokesperson and the face of this initiative. He has sold out. I understand that people in all countries need food but do we need food at the cost of the local farmer, at the cost of our health? These frankenseeds and pesticides that Monsanto, originally a pesticide company, has created have spawned a new breed of super bugs. We are in a war with bugs and the more we manipulate, the stronger the bugs get. 

What can you do? 

1. Reach out to you local representative and petition against GMO’s in your area 
2. Educate your friends, family and co-workers about GMO’s (here’s a link to 10 reasons to avoid GMO’s)
3. Shop at your local farmer’s market
4. Buy only those products you know have not been genetically modified

Originally posted on Wholehealthgirl