Your articles are wonderful, Stephen.

We have a real problem. Where to even begin to tell the public at large about the dangers of GMO foods, when they are already so widespread, also here in Australia; and when the normal channels of public information will not discuss the issue. In Australia there was a moratorium on GMO foods. That moratorium is coming to an end and agribusiness will be free to plant the poison everywhere.  We've recently had a few Canadians out here who said that in a few short years GMO organisms have started to pollute food production everywhere in Canada.

I personally have recently had a revolution in my eating habits and am becoming fanatical about eating only organically grown food. The biggest chain of food supermarkets here in Australia call themselves the "Fresh Food People". That description is everywhere in their stores and in their advertising. I eat a freshly picked, organically grown apple. I compare it to an apple bought at the supermarket, produced with chemicals, stored in a refrigerator for weeks, waxed and polished to make it look good. You feel like spitting it out, such a difference in taste. Someone wrote recently that we have "lost our minds". Yes, we have, but in another sense it would be more accurate to say that modern man now only has their minds - not the mind of reason, the higher mind, but the lowest part of the mind, the labelling, “either-or” mind, which is susceptible to slogans and advertising. Modern man has lost touch with their feeling and their instincts, and what one wise man called the "instinctive sensing of reality". So, at the supermarket they buy, and then go home to eat, "fresh food", from the "fresh food people". As you point out, animals will instinctively avoid food that isn't good for them, such as genetically modified food.

By the way, is it true that Monsanto is a subsidiary of Mitsubishi, the Japanese motorcar company?

Sydney, Australia

by Robert Hoogenboom (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 169 comments) on Friday, February 22, 2008 at 3:32:27 PM
 

Re: Monsanto & Mitsubishi

I have never heard of any connection between Monsanto and Mitsubishi, although I would never rule out a joint venture. The clique (zaibatsu) called Mitsubishi is one of Japan's oldest commercial enterprises and holds a notorious position in history textbooks for its support of the fascist regime that took Japan into World War II. It survived the Occupation and reformation and today is a conglomerate offering everything from cars to banking services. I don't know the history of Monsanto. My impression is that it was originally totally American. If Monsanto has a tie-up, I would expect it to be with Ajinomoto, who specialize in food additives. They gave us MSG and are licensed to produce aspartame. It is usually Ajinomoto that I hear about quashing the efforts of activists to have the latter product banned.

by Patricia 0rmsby (3 articles, 5 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 133 comments) on Friday, February 22, 2008 at 8:39:45 PM