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PostPosted: Sun Aug 22, 2010 6:27 am 
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A letter from Christina Calleros, Kellog's Consumer Affairs:

Thank you for your comments regarding the use of biotechnology ingredients. Like you, we want only the best ingredients to go into our products.

Biotech ingredients are safe and have become common in the open market. Sixty to seventy percent of packaged foods in the U.S. include biotechnology crops. Even organic ingredients can contain biotech ingredients due to cross-pollination.

We use biotech ingredients based on the backing of groups including the World Health Organization, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and the American Medical Association that confirm there are no safety concerns. You have placed trust in us to provide healthy, nutritious, and safe food. We will continue to evaluate our ingredients, suppliers and product formulas to give you the best products possible. Please be assured your concerns will be shared with our nutritionist and food developers here at Kellogg.

Sincerely,

Christina Calleros
Consumer Specialist
Consumer Affairs, Kellogg's

A comment from the Organic Consumers Association: Genetically engineered foods are not safe! Scientists reviewing Monsanto's own studies "have proven that genetically engineered foods are neither sufficiently healthy or proper to be commercialized." Genetically engineered crops and foods damage animal and human health, require vast amounts of toxic and climate-destabilizing herbicides and chemical fertilizers, generate superweeds that require deadly herbicides like 2,4-D for eradication, and spread genetic pollution into adjoining crops and plant relatives. Organic consumers don't appreciate Kellogg's "so-what" attitude toward the genetic contamination of organic crops!

We can grow food without genetically modified seeds and products that are bad for our families, plants, animals and our planet.


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PostPosted: Sun Aug 22, 2010 5:29 pm 
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Dear Doug,

I have a beef with all people who simply state the opinions of "experts", and leave the casual reader in the cold as to what the actual subject is, or why they are advocating a particular side.

Without proposing any evidence whatsoever, using different terminologies, and replacing reasoning with exclamation points, each and every side here looks like they're evading something, or are too busy or lazy to explain.

It is even unclear to me how advocating the use of organic horticultural practices, is even related to the subject which your post is about, in the first place. I wouldn't look to Kelloggs for opinions on genetics, nor to the OCA for affordable cornflakes.

Just feeling grouchy today, Doug.

But I do like what Howard says, and it's working for me.


Regards,
Mackel in DFW


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PostPosted: Sun Aug 22, 2010 6:12 pm 
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Fair point. Forum and Blog posts tend to be single subject and short. Here is some additional information regarding the concerns of Monsanto's products and practices:

http://www.dirtdoctor.com/organic/garde ... rch/id/60/
http://www.dirtdoctor.com/organic/garde ... rch/id/55/

Glyphosate: http://www.beyondpesticides.org/gateway ... hosate.htm

There are many links to research papers and stories here: http://www.organicconsumers.org/monlink.cfm


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PostPosted: Sun Aug 22, 2010 7:39 pm 
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Dear Doug,

The OCA has a campaign to make it law that genetically modified foods be labelled as such. That sounds reasonable.

But your statements about the harm caused by actual GMO's, rather than the herbicides they are made to be resistant to, is not currently based upon peer reviewed science.

I am a biologist and a new organic follower. My immediate gut reaction to the OCA website was how over the top it was with its mockery towards a large, well known cereal company. It smacks to me on a gut level, that more than a few of my organic brethren are socialist hippie corporate bashers.

The greatest impediment, in my opininon, to the success of the organic movement is it's association with radical politics and it's traditionally anecdotal advocacy.

Though it's intutive as a horticultural practice, it's also been marred by a lack of good science and proper peer review, and it's adherence in the past by a few wacky characters.

I pray that organizations like the OCA drop the organic label in it's name, it's misleading and disingenuous, in my opinion, though the organization does introduce some interesting hypotheses..

But it ain't organics in my eyes, it's a consumer advocacy group riding on the back of the success of the organic movemenet, nothing more, nothing less. It's about the old subject of eugenics, in it's twenty-first century manifestation.

Regards,
Mackel in DFW


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PostPosted: Sun Aug 22, 2010 9:24 pm 
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Dear Doug,

What had kept me from discovering the beauty of organic horticultural practices for forty-three years is a sullied reputation on it's part.

Due to faithful organic practices, I have only had to water my bermuda, watermelon, and okra twice, maybe three times this year. I give credit where credit is due, to Howard, and my becoming a newer parent and therefore poison-free for five years.

The problem with painting gmo's with such a broad brush, is what happens when we prevent funding toward a new crop that doesn't need pesticides or herbicides anymore, via genetic manipulation?

I have the same problem with global warming people. You want to get rid of carbon, stop throwing away your leaves and grass clippings, mulch them into the ground. We can "grow" our way out of this problem. Grow bamboo :).

Speaking of which, one can go online, like you had me do, and read about "the horrors of bamboo". An easily controllable plant has gotten a bad name by "advocates". Advocates are everywhere, the problem with any focus group is myopia. That's why I quit politics for the most part.

Man only became civilized when he first learned to manipulate the genes of previously wild animals and plants. It's the story of our success. Why not embrace it, especially now, biology is our destiny. Hunger, the climate, fuel, it's all possible through the promises of genetics.. Just something to think about.

Regards,
Mackel in DFW


Last edited by Mackel in DFW on Sun Aug 22, 2010 10:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Sun Aug 22, 2010 10:14 pm 
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Dear Doug,

If I was the gentleman that you are, I'd be a moderator, too. Have a great week.

Regards.
Mackel in DFW


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PostPosted: Mon Aug 23, 2010 6:33 am 
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Mackel,

All excellent points. Thank you for sharing you posts. Our community is relevant because of the informaiton, opinions and support our our community.

Also, even though "organic" labels and "organic certification" has some value in moving us in the right direction, the commercial use of the term "organic" is extremely onerous, bureaucratic and politically driven.

I agree with you that the OCA is a politically driven agenda organization. I am not endorsing their opinions or positions. I am posting some article trying to start good dialogue and information for our community. You are adding wonderful information to help us better understand the importance and practices of genetically modified plants. Thank you.


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