This week we are reading Vandana Shiva's Stolen Harvest, which discusses the hijacking of the global food supply. She discusses the effects of monoagriculture, seed patenting, the American food system, and other food practices that are negatively affecting other nations, specifically India. In addition to reading this book, we are watching the documentary The Future of Food.
In the book, Vandana discusses the company Monsanto, in specific. This company nearly owns all the world's seeds, and they are ruthless. The film highlights this same company, telling the story of many farmers who have been taken to court by Monsanto. The reason being Monsanto crops were found on their fields. Because Monsanto has patented their genetically modified seeds, it is illegal for farmers to grow them. The upsetting part is that a majority of the farmers had no idea that Monsanto's seeds were growing on their farm, as the genetically modified crops are identical to the natural crops. Perhaps Monsanto has never heard of something called the wind? Well, according to court rulings, the wind is not an excuse for growing a patented crop. Monsanto, a huge company, has taken countless farmers to court, attempting to take everything those farmers have worked for, and often times succeeding. Vandana discusses what Monsanto has done to Indian agriculture, while the film discusses what it has done to American farmers.
The other hot topic is genetically modified foods and the effects they can have on our bodies. Some persons have experienced intense allergies. The other effects are not yet own. China has said that they will not shelve genetically modified foods until the effects are visible on American children. They are going to watch America's children for the next ten years. Doesn't that sound lovely? You have probably noticed that GMO labeling has been an extremely highlighted topic in the media as of late. If you do a quick google search, you will see that there have been a countless number of articles about them in the past months. This is because many people have been urging the government to mandate companies to label genetically modified ingredients in their products. It would basically look like this:
Not a big deal, right? The only people who usually read all the ingredients on a product are the people who really care. Also, in the European Union, this rule already exists. Companies claim that they do not want to do this because they simply don't want to lose any customers; however, in The Future of Food, a much more interesting fear is posited. The argument is that if companies were mandated to label this and a person had a negative reaction to it, it would be much easier to locate the responsible party. Anyways, I am having trouble eating altogether. I am repulsed by the food system. We patent seeds and blame the farmer, rather than wind. We treat all aspects of nature as profit, producing as much as possible, with no foresight into future consequences. It is repulsive and nerve-racking. There have been many bills proposed throughout the years to ask for GMO labeling, including several this past year. I urge you and everyone you know to become informed.
Also, I have included the trailer for The Future of Food. Watch it! But keep a tissue nearby.
The Future of Food Trailer
