Originally published March 23 2015
GMO food pushers turn out to be the ones who are 'anti-science'
by J. D. Heyes
(NaturalNews) Supporters of genetically modified seeds and foods have long claimed to have "science" on their side when it comes to pushing more GMO on society. But one noted scientist says they have it backwards: They are the ones ignoring science, not those opposed to GMO crops and foods.
Dr. (Dame) Jane Goodall, the noted primate expert, has recently endorsed a new book that argues companies responsible for developing GMO foods and crops have distorted evidence to downplay dangers.
As reported by Britain's Daily Mail:
Historically, critics of GM food have been lambasted by the GM companies, scientists who rely on their funding, and politicians, including the UK Government, as being "anti-science."
However, Dame Jane argues that the advocates of GM food have ignored evidence of harm with the result it is they who are guilty of being "anti-science."
She says that intervention in the food chain comes in the form of biotech giants like Monsanto, Syngenta and Bayer have used their clout with governments and industry to force GMO crops and foods onto plates in the U.S. without first conducting proper safety tests.
Book comes as UK, Europe consider lifting ban on GMO foods
As further noted by GM Watch:
The book, "Altered Genes, Twisted Truth," features a foreword by the renowned primatologist Dame Jane Goodall, who will also speak at the conference, hailing it as "without doubt one of the most important books of the last 50 years."
The findings contained in the book, which was written by American public interest attorney Steven Druker, come at a critical time; the United Kingdom is considering allowing the planting of commercial GMO crops after the European Parliament's decision to allow member states to opt out of the EU-wide GMO blockade that has existed thus far.
GM Watch noted that, based on evidence presented in the book, both Druker and Goodall claim that it is foolish to continue pushing ahead with technology that is unacceptably risky and which should not have been allowed into the marketplace to begin with.
Goodall is now part of a growing number of people working to keep GMO crops and foods out of Britain and Europe, as well as the United States. In recent days, legacy chocolate maker Hershey's announced it would no longer use GMO ingredients in its candies.
For Goodall, she sees GMO crops and foods as a "shocking corruption of the life forms of the planet." She further noted that the GMO process, which involves placing foreign genes into plants and seeds to create toxins that work to ward off insects or give them immunity to chemical pesticides, has altered them in fundamental ways.
"Anti-science"
Also, she says GMO supporters have essentially committed "fraud" by attempting to portray the false impression that the new altered plant varieties are about the same as those that are created via conventional methods of farming.
"This very real difference between GM plants and their conventional counterparts is one of the basic truths that biotech proponents have endeavoured to obscure," she said, as quoted by the Daily Mail. "As part of the process, they portrayed the various concerns as merely the ignorant opinions of misinformed individuals - and derided them as not only unscientific, but anti-science.
"They then set to work to convince the public and government officials, through the dissemination of false information, that there was an overwhelming expert consensus, based on solid evidence, that the new foods were safe," she continued. "Yet this, as Druker points out, was clearly not true."
GM Watch further noted that Druker's book is the result of 15 years of "intensive research and investigation." Druker came to prominence after filing a lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration, which ultimately forced the agency to reveal its files on GMO foods.
Sources:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk
http://www.gmwatch.eu
http://www.naturalnews.com/GM_foods.html
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