Are GMOs, lab meat, and processed foods really safe?
Non-GMO and GMO-Breeding for Plants
We now have genetically modified organisms (GMOs), both plants and animals approved for the food supply, at least in the USA and parts of Asia. Lab-grown ‘meats’ are also being pushed.
Are GMOs safe to eat? Is it misleading, or even fraudulent, to tell consumers that products are GMO free?
Well, some seem to think so:
Most people have heard of Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMOs. … scientists nearly unanimously agree that products that have been genetically modified are every bit as safe as their non-GMO counterparts. A 2016 scientific review of more than 900 studies found that in over 20 years of use, billions of people have consumed products derived from GMOs without one verifiable case in which the GMO has caused illness or disease. Yet distrust and fear sell, so the crusade against these products has raged on.
The standard-bearer of this movement is the Non-GMO Project, a nonprofit that bills itself as “North America’s most trusted seal for GMO avoidance.” Companies pay the Project for verification, thereby earning the right to use the Non-GMO Project’s seal of approval: a butterfly perched atop a checkmark. Along with the seal typically comes a premium charge to the consumer.
Interestingly, while the Non-GMO Project has stamped over 50,000 products GMO-free, only 10 GMO plant types are even commercially available: apples, potatoes, corn, canola, alfalfa, soybeans, rainbow papaya, cotton, sugar beets and summer squash. In other words, the vast majority of the products that are sold at a premium as “GMO-free” literally could not be GMO if they wanted to be – no GMO version exists. These marketing tactics smell strongly of fraud. 01/09/19 https://dailyjournalonline.com/community/democrat-news/gmo-free-marketing-deliberately-misleading-consumers/article_d834451a-0ba1-5a28-bfea-8b4adb57c1a6.html
Well, I (Bob Thiel) am a scientist and do not agree that GMOs “are every bit as safe as their non-GMO counterparts.” That has actually never been proven.
The World Health Organization has concerns as well:
What are the potential dangers of GMOs?
according to WHO, the three main issues of concern for human health that are being debated are:
(i). The potentials to provoke allergic reaction (allergenicity);
(ii). Gene transfer (Gene transfer from GM foods to cells of the body or to bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, especially if the transferred genetic material adversely affects human health); and
(iii). Outcrossing (the migration of genes from GM plants into conventional crops or related species in the wild (referred to as “outcrossing”), as well as the mixing of crops derived from conventional seeds with GM crops, may have an indirect effect on food safety and food security. Cases have been reported where GM crops approved for animal feed or industrial use were detected at low levels in the products intended for human consumption).
Should you switch to organic food? That is a personal decision. … For many people in this day and age, it is simply impossible – too expensive, too time-consuming, too problematic – to make sure that they eat only foods that are verifiably safe in every respect. 01/09/19 https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/01/are-genetically-modified-foodsgmos-safe/
The above author seems to be implying that GMO foods are not verifiably safe in every respect. As a published scientist, I agree.
Now notice something from the FDA and a GMO-salmon company:
The FDA claims AquaBounty salmon and conventional salmon are both safe to eat, and say that so far there is no scientific data suggesting that genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) are detrimental to the health of humans. And Muir, who used government data to study the dangers of wild salmon being exposed to the genetically modified salmon, declared that “many of the fears surrounding GMO foods are overblown.”1
“These people who are anti-GMO are not data-driven, they are agenda-driven. And their agenda was to make sure a GMO product was never on a dinner plate,” he said …
Sylvia Wulf, CEO of AquaBounty, contends both wild and genetically modified salmon have the same nutritional value, thus there is no need for labeling in Canada. Westgate, of The Non-GMO Project, disagrees, saying consumers are robbed of choice when there is a lack of transparency, stating:
“People should know what’s in their food. It’s a transgenic species, a combination of three fish. A lot of people just feel it’s unnatural, and it’s not fish they’d want to feed to their children.”1
Sadly, genetically altering the food we eat is nothing new. The United States has been genetically engineering crops since the 1990’s, making them resistant to insects and pesticides. 06/03/19 https://www.healthnutnews.com/salmon-hatchery-to-raise-nations-first-genetically-modified-animal-cleared-for-human-consumption/
As far as implying that the pro-GMO forces are “data driven,” the reality is that they are money driven. The Bible warns:
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Timothy 6:10)
And that is what is happening in the laboratory food world to a major degree. Financial and other forms of greed are driving much of this.
THE FACT IS THAT THERE IS NO WAY THAT THE PRO-GMO FORCES CAN HAVE ENOUGH DATA TO PROVE WHAT THEY ARE DOING IS NOT DANGEROUS. At minimum, in order to get the kind of data to truly demonstrate safety, studies involving at least a million humans over a period of a couple of centuries would need to be done–and this has never happened. The pro-GMO forces act like they are wise and have facts on their side, but the facts remain that what they are doing is dangerous and when it comes to using human genes, also immoral. They have not, and cannot, test for all possible complications associated with what they are doing.
The Bible warns:
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, (Romans 1:20-22)
This whole GMO and human editing experiment has had negative consequences and will have more in the future.
As far as nutritional benefits of GMOs some of their promoters point to, many of those ‘benefits’ are based upon a lot of assumptions that I do not believe hold up well in the real world and will leave it at that for now.
Humans may not know the long-term effects of GMOs for many years (if we have enough years until Jesus returns–afterwards, He can clue us in).
The USA has been in the forefront of risking the food supply by pushing GMOs. Nearly all corn and soy beans (about 90%) in the USA are GMO, and there are many other vegetables that are GMO. Europe has resisted these items.
Emerging Health Risks in Human Studies
Nearly two decades after genetic engineered crops have been in your grocery store, human studies are only now starting to be performed — but not in the United States.
Why is no research being done on the potential human health risks of GMOs in our country? The ag-bio companies won’t let it happen.
…
Scientific American magazine agreed: “Agritech companies have given themselves veto power over the work of independent researchers.” Scientists must literally ask these corporations for permission before publishing independent research on genetically modified crops. (Source: Scientific American Magazine, August 13, 2009)
Despite safety claims, it has been reported by the Institute for Responsible Technology that:
- GMOs fail allergy tests
- GMOs may make you allergic to non-GM foods
- GMOs and liver problems {in lab animals}
- GMOs, reproductive problems, and infant mortality {in lab animals}
Source: 1https://responsibletechnology.org/gmo-education/health-risks/
Now one danger that has been proven is that the chemicals associated with GMOs crops seem to be resulting in dramatic reductions in the bee and monarch butterfly populations (see EU further bans neonicotinoids to protect bees and California Monarch Butterfly Numbers Decline 86% in 2 Years).
Here is a report from Harvard about a GMO rice risk:
The decrease in glutelin levels in rice, for example, was associated with an unintended increase in levels of compounds called prolamines, which can affect the nutritional quality of rice and increase its potential to induce an allergic response. (Harvard. Genetically Modified Foods. ©2012 Presidents and Fellows of Harvard College. Published by the Center for Health and the Global Environment. http://chge.med.harvard.edu/topic/genetically-modified-foods viewed 06/05/13)
Some have claimed that rats fed GMO corn developed tumors and organ damage:
Rats fed a lifetime diet of Monsanto’s genetically engineered corn or exposed to the company’s popular Roundup herbicide developed tumors and suffered severe organ damage, according to a French study…The study links varying levels of both the Roundup herbicide and the transgenes in Monsanto’s patented NK603 corn to mammary tumors and severe liver and kidney damage.
The rats were either fed the NK603 corn alone, corn treated with agricultural levels of Roundup, or given water treated with Roundup at low levels commonly found in contaminated drinking water and used in agriculture in the United States. In each group, there were two to three more deaths among female rats compared to control groups, and the rats on the Monsanto diet tended to die more quickly. (Ludwig M. French Study Finds Tumors and Organ Damage in Rats Fed Monsanto Corn. September 19, 2012. http://truth-out.org/news/item/11639-french-study-finds-tumors-and-organ-damage-in-rats-fed-monsanto-corn viewed 06/05/13)
In humans, who are not as ‘controlled’ as rats in a clinical trial, the results are not as obvious. Plus, tend to take time.
Consider that the Bible warns:
11 Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. (Ecclesiastes 8:11)
The reality is that groups like the US Food and Drug Administration have approved all kinds of foods that they claimed were safe.–but did not realize were unsafe for decades.
Consider the case of hydrogenated fats. Probably, the first commercial hydrogenated trans-fatty acid product was Crisco shortening, which was introduced in 1911. The scientist who developed the first partially hydrogenated fats, Paul Sabatier, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry jointly with fellow Frenchman Victor Grignard in 1912. The US and other world governments promoted these ‘food’ products. But, finally in 2013, the FDA warned about them (see FDA finally rules that hydrogenated trans-fatty acids are not safe). It took over a century.
As a scientist, let me state that the main tests are for acute reactions and causing cancer in animals. They rarely check for much more and cannot possibly test for every possible consequence.
What about ‘fast food’?
Prof Nicolas Cherbuin, who led the research published in Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, said: “We’ve found strong evidence that people’s unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise for sustained periods of time puts them at serious risk of developing type 2 diabetes and significant declines in brain function, such as dementia and brain shrinkage.
“People are eating away at their brain with a really bad fast-food diet and little-to-no exercise.” …
He said: “The damage done is pretty much irreversible once a person reaches midlife, so we urge everyone to eat healthy and get in shape as early as possible — preferably in childhood but certainly by early adulthood.
“Many people who have dementia and other signs of cognitive dysfunction, including shrinking brains, have increased their risk throughout life by eating too much bad food and not exercising enough.”
06/14/19 https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9297187/fast-food-dementia-damage-irreversible/
It has been my clinical experience that many people have developed problems from consuming supposedly safe (non-GMO) foods that their bodies did not handle correctly. Hence, I have even more concerns regarding supposedly safe human-engineered ‘GMO foods.’
Additionally, scientists are combining a variety of animal genes as well as genes of creatures like spiders. Even humans and pigs (see Pig-Human GMOs proposed and British scientists insisting on human GMOs).
The USA has recently taken steps to increase GMO and other food monstrosities.
June 11, 2019
NEW YORK (AP) — President Trump wants to make it easier for genetically engineered plants and animals to enter the food supply, and he signed an executive order Tuesday directing federal agencies to simplify the “regulatory maze” for producers.
The move comes as companies are turning to newer genetic engineering techniques that make it easier to tinker with the traits of plants and animals. …
Jaydee Hanson of the Center for Food Safety said gene editing could also be used to make more significant changes, including those that would never happen in nature, and said oversight is necessary.
“Some of this is what I call a faith-based approach, and not science-based approach to regulation. They have faith that none of these things are going to cause any problems,” Hanson said. https://www.apnews.com/2895e0f0ef344d16bfcf6f457ed2e759
Yes, this is faith in money and politically-influenced people. Not faith in God.
It is not that all the GMOs developed will necessarily cause harm. But they simply have not been tested to insure that they cannot contribute to many types of chronic health complaints.
So, yes, I believe it is safer for my body to try to avoid ‘GMO foods.’
The production of GMO crops places massive amounts of the food supply at risk for destruction. While in nature, there is variety of crops, with GMO-crops there is a uniformity that is unnatural.
This mono-culture uniformity puts the entire crop at risk because if one plant succumbs to a pest, the entire crop is susceptible as well–this can lead to famines.
Paul told Timothy that love of money can cause many sorrows. Notice that Jesus told that famines were one of the sorrows that would come:
8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. (Mark 13:8)
While some claim that GMO-crops are resistant to various pests, the reality is that several years ago, Monsanto learned that its corn that was supposed to be resistant to a root pest was, in fact, susceptible to it (see Pestilence Issues and Genetically-Modified Corn). The scientists there hope to work around this, but the time will come that disasters and troubles will result in famines and I have long suspected that GMOs would be part of the reason.
In the last (20th) century, I started to get published for my positions against genetically modified foods (Thiel R. Labeling of genetically modified foods should be a fundamental consumer right. HealthKeepers, 2000; 2 (3):16-19; Thiel R. ANMA’s official position on genetically modified foods. ANMA Monitor, 1999;3(4)5-8). And since then, more and more information has come to light suggesting dangers to the environment and health related to GMOs.
I do not believe that it is misleading nor fraudulent for products that do not contain GMOs to contain a statement to that effect on their labels. I think that telling the truth like that is a good thing.
As regular readers of this COGwriter Church of God News page are aware, I have long warned that likely crop failures associated with GMO grains are putting the USA and its Anglo-allies at extreme risk of being destroyed.
Most Americans do not like to accept this, but it is nonetheless true.
The Continuing Church of God (CCOG) is pleased to announce the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:
GMOs, Lab meat, Hydrogenation: Safe or Dangerous?
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have been in the US food supply for over 20 years. Are they safe? Which ten GMO plants are now widely commercially available? What about laboratory-grown ‘meat’.? Hydrogenated trans-fatty acid products have been consumed for over 100 years. Are they safe? Certain scientists claim that the data proves the safety of GMOs and lab-meat. But do they have enough data? Are the proponents of GMOs and lab-meat driven by data or greed? How long is long enough to test these ‘foods’? Can overly processed foods lead to type 2 diabetes or dementia? Are there allergy, gene-transfer, and outcrossing risks with GMOs? What risks does the World Health Organization say that GMOs pose? Do studies involving animals show real dangers with GMOs? On June 11, 2019, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order reducing government oversight over GMO plants and animals. Was this wise or dangerous? Is the food supply at any risk? What did Jesus teach? What does the Bible teach that God’s people should eat?
Here is a link to the video: GMOs, Lab meat, Hydrogenation: Safe or Dangerous?
Thousands of years ago, God inspired one of his prophets to pen the following, which encourages people to eat what is good:
2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance. (Isaiah 55:2)
Intentionally eating GMOs, in my view, is something people should try to avoid. I do not think that GMOs are good food.
My book Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse has the following::
Humans should eat what is good (cf. Isaiah 55:2). Donald Trump, like others before him, has made statements supporting the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to be consumed as foods (Goldberg M. President-Elect Donald Trump and Organic Food – How Concerned Should We Be? Living MaxWell, November 10, 2016). Increased reliance on GMOs by the United States puts the nation at major risk for nearly complete crop failures. The Bible warns that famines (Matthew 24:7) and food shortages (Revelation 6:5-6) are coming and Donald Trump may further help set the stage for this. …
The debt situation of the U.S.A. is putting it at risk of being unable to recover should it be hit by weather problems, terrorist acts, war, riots, solar flares, severe earthquakes, civil unrest, devastation of their genetically modified food supplies, food shortages, and/or various pestilences–an intensity of “sorrows” such as Jesus discussed in Matthew 24:4-8 leading up to the time of the Great Tribulation. Political issues, climate change, trade policies, communication’s deals, and other events are pushing the U.S.A. to a position that will encourage its takeover someday. Disasters, especially if there is an ElectroMagnetic Pulse (EMP) attack or a severe solar flare storm, could be part of a so-called “perfect storm” of events that could set the USA for destruction. (Thiel B. Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse. Nazarene Books, 2017)
Donald Trump’s executive order on GMOs is NOT good for the USA.
GMOs are putting the food supply of the USA at risk. So are things like lab-grown ‘meat.’ Instead of having an animal grow, lab-grown meat is a bunch of cells grown in a laboratory–this is simply not the same as meat from an actual animal.
Lab-grown ‘hamburger’ ()
But since it looks and tastes like the real thing, people will go for it.
Encouraging more GMOs is hazardous to the environment and ultimately will negatively impact humanity–even more than it has so far.
While the consumption of small amounts of GMO ‘foods’ does not appear to be harmful, I personally do not consider that long-term consumption of GMOs by humans is wise nor safe.
But the word of God warned that because of love of money and delays in punishment humans would pursue things that they should not. The whole GMO and overly-processed food industries continue to push for things that are not good.
Some items of possibly related interest may include the following:
GMOs and Bible Prophecy What are GMOs? Since they were not in the food supply until 1994, how could they possibly relate to Bible prophecy? Do GMOs put the USA and others at risk? Here is a related YouTube video GMO Risks and the Bible.
Chimeras: Has Science Crossed the Line? What are chimeras? Has science crossed the line? Does the Bible give any clues? A video of related interest is Half human, half pig: What’s the difference?
Just What Do You Mean — Repentance? Do you know what repentance is? Have you truly repented? Repented of what? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject.
Is God’s Existence Logical? Is it really logical to believe in God? Yes! Would you like Christian answers to give atheists? This is a free online booklet that deal with improper theories and musings called science related to the origin of the origin of the universe, the origin of life, and evolution. Two animated videos of related interest are also available: Big Bang: Nothing or Creator? and A Lifegiver or Spontaneous Evolution?
What is Your Destiny? Deification? Did the Early Church Teach That Christians Would Become God? What is your ultimate destiny? What does the Bible teach? Is deification only a weird or cultic idea? Are you to rule the universe? Here is a link to the video sermon What is Your Destiny?
Did Early Christians Believe that Humans Possessed Immortality? What does John 3:16, and other writings, tell us? Did a doctrine kept adopted from paganism? Here is a YouTube video titled Are humans immortal?
Christians: Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God, Biblical instructions on living as a Christian This is a scripture-filled booklet for those wishing to live as a real Christian. A related sermon is also available: Christians are Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God.
Why Were You Born? Why did God make you? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject. You may also wish to read the article What is Your Destiny? or watch the video, also titled What is Your Destiny?
Building Character: Going on to Perfection Once you have accepted Jesus, do you need to strive for perfection and build character? A related video sermon is available: Going on to perfection and building character.
What is the Meaning of Life? Who does God say is happy? What is your ultimate destiny? Do you really know? Does God actually have a plan for YOU personally? If you would like to watch videos covering subjects of this article, you can click on the following links: Why YOU? Why Do YOU Suffer? and What is the meaning of your life?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Donald Trump in Prophecy Prophecy, Donald Trump? Are there prophecies that Donald Trump may fulfill? Are there any prophecies that he has already helped fulfill? Is a Donald Trump presidency proving to be apocalyptic? Two related videos are available: Donald: ‘Trump of God’ or Apocalyptic? and Donald Trump’s Prophetic Presidency.
Trump Presidency Magic 8 Ball or Bible Prophecy? BBC reported that one might as well use a ‘Magic Eight-Ball’ to try to predict what will happen in the remaining time of Donald Trump’s presidency. What is a ‘Magic Eight-Ball’? Dr. Thiel not only explains that, but also briefly goes over 10 biblically-based warnings he wrote would happen if Donald Trump were elected that have already began to come to pass. He also goes over something he wrote back in 2008 that the Trump presidency is also helping lead to fulfillment. Should you trust Bible prophecy or not? Dr. Thiel says that Bible prophecy can be trusted, despite the view of skeptics and others that either overlook or despise the Bible. This is a video.
Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse This 188 page book is for people truly interested in prophecies related to Donald Trump and the United States, including learning about several that have already been fulfilled and those that will be fulfilled in the future. The physical book can be purchased at Amazon for $12.99 from the following link: Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse.
Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse-Kindle Edition This electronic version of the 188 page print edition is available for only US$3.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse-Kindle Edition.
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