"The Future of Food" movie trailer (chilling documentary)

[Lorien]

Netflix kept putting this one at the top of my recommendations list for months. The title was boring, so it took me a while to get around to ordering it. I watched it several weeks ago and have felt very uneasy about processed food ever since! The trailer doesn't do it justice; this documentary will chill you to the bone:

http://www.thefutureoffood.com/trailer.htm

From the SF Gate: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/11/07/LVG709K7MV1.DTL

(snip)

Just about everybody is pretty serious about their chow," says Deborah Koons Garcia, enjoying the understatement. "Even if they don't eat good food, they're serious about their junk food."

No matter how serious they are, though, Garcia knows most people don't realize that genetically engineered foods have quietly slipped into much of the American food supply, mostly from corn and canola. They're in an estimated 60 percent of all processed foods.

She wants people to understand the risks, in her view, while there's still time.

"We are at a crossroads," says Garcia, fending off the wet affections of her three Dalmatians as she explains why she's spent the last three years and a chunk of what she calls her "Jerry money" making "The Future of Food," a documentary about GMO (genetically modified organism) foods. Though Garcia has made films all her life and runs her own production company, Lily Films, she is better known as the widow of Jerry Garcia, the legendary Grateful Dead lead singer and guitarist who died in 1995.

"Someone needed to make this film, because if this technology isn't challenged and if this corporatization of our whole food system isn't stopped, at some point it will be too late," says Garcia

(snip)

My synopsis: Monsanto seeks to control the world's food supply. It intends to patent nearly every "useful" living organism, and charge every farmer, researcher, scientist, or student who makes use of their patented organism. They've even patented breast cancer cells, making breast cancer research expensive. They create frankenfoods and sell them to manufacturers with little to no testing as to their effects on human health or the environment. Monsanto says the government is responsible for food safety, while the ex-Monsanto executives who run the FDA say that Monsanto should voluntarily test it's products. There is no accountability here. None.

[PDJane]

1. I can no longer eat corn.

Not corn, especially not processed corn products.

I used to love the stuff, but it plays havoc with my blood sugar and I can no longer properly digest the stuff.

I don't think it's coincidence that this happened just about the time when all corn started being genetically modified.

[Lorien]

3. I've had the same reaction in recent years

I grew up eating corn picked fresh from my Mennonite grandparent's huge vegetable garden. We'd sometimes eat it raw, fresh off the stalk. Now I can't handle it at all. My blood sugar spikes and I get terribly hot, then I feel queasy for about six hours or so. I never had that problem with the fresh picked corn (grown from seed kernels that had been saved for generations. They were very, very frugal).

[nosmokes]

2. thanks for the post lorien. i'll be sure to catch this doc!

i only have one minor quibble and that's Deb Koons Garcia's claim we're at the crossroads. i believe we blew through the 4 way stop sign at the crossroads a while back and are now hurtling forward paying no heed at all to the *bridge out ahead* signposts along the way.

[Lorien]

5. Yeah, I remember reading an article about Monsanto's actions in Iraq

They now have put it into law in Iraq that farmer's MUST use Monsanto seed that has been genetically modified to contain a "suicide" gene (the doc mentions this modification). The seed only grows one year, then can never reproduce again. The farmer's are then forced to buy new seed the following year. Seed saving of non-Monsanto seeds is forbidden. Iraq isn't the only place where this is happening. In the end, farmer's need to depend on government subsidies (our tax dollars)to survive. They get little to no profit from the crops they sell because it all goes back to Monsanto, the fertilizer companies, and the pesticide makers.

[Nite Owl]

6. I remember this too

it was in those rules that Bremmer set at the very beginning after the invasion. As I recall the Iraqi farmers had seeds, cultivated over generations and they are forbidden to use it, they have to use the Monsanto seed. There are so many things going on, the power that is setting out all the corporate fascism has so many tentacles.

[Lorien]

7. Even the conservatives I know are starting to worry

I lent one RW libertarian "the future of food" and he was completely shaken by it, calling it "a real eye opener". Suddenly he understands the corporate connection/ control of our government and the need for regulation. I highly recommend sharing it with any conservative that you know; they might finally understand what fascism truly is.

[nam78_two]

4. Thanks for the post-I will be sure to catch it

:thumbsup:
K&R

[Lorien]

8. Kickin' it for the late night crowd

:kick:

[WiseButAngrySara]

9. K&R and thanks for posting. ....n/t

[MadHound]

10. So what to do?

Use the power of your purse. There are farmer's markets out there, CSAs, U pick 'ems, roadside stands and other such sellers. All of which sell healthy, nutritious, non-GM food, that is grown naturally, without chemicals. Of, if you have the space and time, you can grow your own. If we all started buying our produce this way, the power of the purse would force a change.

Sure, this can be a bit more expensive(though not necessarily), it does require more time, and in the winter you have to rely on produce that you've frozen, canned or otherwise preserved. But is your health not worth it? In my opinion it is, and judging from the posts here, others think so also.

So walk away from the grocery store, get to know your local small farmers, get to know your food. You won't regret it, and those folks who've been suddenly unable to eat or digest corn, well, I've got some Country Gentleman for you, an heirloom variety going back to 1890, that you'll just absolutely love.

[druidity33]

12. trouble...

Most crops can be pollinated by wind. Google Percy Schmeiser and you'll see how an Organic farmer can be sued for the pollination of his plants by Monsanto plants several miles away. Monsanto sued HIM! They ruined HIS crop!

The fact that these plants are even out there is TREACHEROUS. Virtually 75% of all Canola grown in Canada has 'evolved' into GM plants. They'll just take over, all by themselves. REALLY SCARY SHIT.

We must eliminate the agricultural practice of mono-culture and Corporate controlled GMO research.

[MadHound]

16. I agree that we must put a stop to GM foods and the corporations that back them

And bringing political pressure to bear is a good thing, one that I'm not trying to discourage. However with our government and legal system bought and paid for by corporations of all stripes, the political solution is going to be a long drawn out process that could take decades, or even generations.

However hitting these companies in the pocketbook can very well end this much sooner. Corporations follow the money, and if enough money starts pointing away from Frankenfoods and towards heirloom and organic crops, the corporations will follow.

And while there are crops that are pollinated by the wind(corn and other grains most notable among them), most are pollinated by bees and other insects. Thus, having a local bee colony nearby is vital(which is why colony collapse disorder is such a hot topic now), for it the colony will polinate only with other local plants, keeping the heirloom integrity of the crop. As far as other crops that are pollinated by wind, hand pollinating is becoming an increasingly common practice among farmers. Once a plant is pollinated, it makes little difference what the plants are up the road, they won't accept pollen from any others. This is a labor intensive practice, one that involves good timing, but it is becoming increasingly common. It also bumps up the price of the produce due to the labor intensive nature of the process, but the benefits are well worth it.

So yes, follow up the political avenues as you can. But please, don't turn your back on your local small farmer. Bringing economic pressures to bear is an efficient means of bringing about change.

[Lorien]

31. The documentary covers that very thing

they interview a Canadian farmer whose canola crops were pollinated by Monsanto's GM crops. Monsanto went onto his land and claimed patent infringement. Now Monsanto owns the subsequent generations of his crops, and he pays them to use "their" seed. :grr:

[femmedem]

13. Here in CT, I'm able to buy local produce all through the winter.

Our local Stop N Shop sells bok choi, spinach, turnips, parsley and various Asian cooking greens from an organic farmer located about 20 miles away. :)

With a little protection, home gardeners can also grow some fresh produce all year.

[glitch]

23. Bok choi is wonderful, it can grow year round here in Seattle. Self-seeding, very good for you.

And tasty! I highly recommend it.

[Lorien]

24. Also support the Kucinich/ Boxer bill to require accurate food labeling

GMO content and country of origin needs to be required to help people make the right food choices, and to demand that they not be used as guinea pigs for companies like Monsanto and ConAgra.

[rman]

11. Also see google: Monsanto terminator gene

3rd world farmers are forced to use GE crops that are engineered not to reproduce, so they have to buy those GE seeds every season...

[Dakini23]

21. Vandana Shiva

Here is an interesting article about Vandana Shiva, she talks about Monsanto and the terminator
gene. I learned about this woman after seeing a film about her on LINK TV. She is working to keep food untainted by these deadly GMO's.

http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/shiva.html

[rman]

26. She's one of those unsung heroes of our time.

I hadn't seen that article yet.

If we thought things were bad in 1998, where does that leave us now?



In Motion Magazine: Why are patents the new form of colonialism?
Published August 14, 1998
http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/shiva.html

Dr. Vandana Shiva: Patents are a replay of colonization as it took place 500 years ago in a number of ways. Interestingly, even at that time, when Columbus set sail and other adventurers like him, they also set out with pieces of paper that were called the letters patent which gave the power to the adventurers to claim as property the territory they found anywhere in the world that was not ruled by white Christian princes.

more...

[Lorien]

32. Fascinating article

thanks for the link!

[seemunkee]

14. I watched it last month

It was so depressing that I stopped it and took a couple of breaks before finishing it.
Damn good documentary that should scare the crap out of anyone who watches it.

[Eurobabe]

15. thanks Lorien, great to see you!

:hi: I am buying a copy, and thankful that I now live where I don't have to worry about GMOs. Food tastes like it USED to. Good, fresh, full of flavor.

Phuck MONSANTO and their greed!!!

[Lorien]

30. Didn't you move to Germany?

or am I thinking of someone else? The EU is pushing back against Monsanto and their ilk, thank goodness!

[Eurobabe]

38. Yes I am now located in an undisclosed location

and loving it. Unfortunately Bayer Agriculture is a German company still foisting their shit (GMO corn with Bt) on the rest of the world. I am investigating ways to protest against them.

:hi:

[NashVegas]

17. This Is An Important Film

Instead of focusing on the "Frankenfood" argument, Garcia dives into patent issues.

[IDemo]

18. Monsanto is doing wonders in Iraq

for their shareholders --

Iraqi Farmers Aren't Celebrating World Food Day
Nov 11, 2004

As part of sweeping "economic restructuring" implemented by the Bush Administration in Iraq, Iraqi farmers will no longer be permitted to save their seeds. Instead, they will be forced to buy seeds from US corporations -- which can include seeds the Iraqis themselves developed over hundreds of years. That is because in recent years, transnational corporations have patented and now own many seed varieties originated or developed by indigenous peoples. In a short time, Iraq will be living under the new American credo: Pay Monsanto, or starve.

more --> http://www.vegsource.com/articles2/iraq_seeds.htm

[Lorien]

19. Thanks for that link

I was trying to find that article earlier. They hate us for our freedoms? Yeah, right....

[rman]

27. If that's not racketeering i don't know what is

Forcing people to buy your product under the threat of being sued into bankruptcy or prison.

Local mob or gang forcing people to pay for protecting them, under the threat of wracking your business.

Difference? Perhaps the fact that the former is "legal". Maybe we should have a look at just how those laws come about.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racketeering

[gravity]

36. Iraqis can't reuse the seeds they buy from US corporations

They still have the oppurtunity to use their traditional seeds and reuse them as always.

[On the Road]

20. Some Strange Synchronicity Going on Here

I was just looking at this alternate culinary future:

[Jcrowley]

22. K&R

[Javaman]

25. Excellent , Excellent film. I promote it every chance I get.

It's a must watch for anyone who cares about this nation and what you eat.

[hang a left]

28. These types of movies should really be available on PPV

I am hoping I can rent it.

[AllegroRondo]

29. its not just Monsanto

another drug company (I cant recall which) patented a gene that works with a drug they make for allergies. If someone has this gene, the allergy drugs will not work well on them, and about 40% of people have it.

So what do they do? They REFUSE to make a test for the gene, or to let any other company make a test for the gene. Why? If they did, they couldnt sell their allergy medicine to 40% of new allergy sufferers, who must then try this drug first to see if it works on them of not. Cant mess with sales!

[cyberpj]

35. DuPont to build biotech plant in India (Can you say GM corn and rice?... I knew you could...)

DuPont to build biotech plant in India
By LULADEY B. TADESSE, The News Journal
Posted Wednesday, March 14, 2007 at 11:59 am

DuPont Co. will open its first plant biotechnology center outside the United States at a new research center in Hyderabad, India.

The biotech center will be located in the $22.5 million DuPont Knowledge Center which is expected to break ground this month and open in early 2008.

DuPont is leasing a facility near the site and already has hired 20 new crop genetics scientists for the center. Another 80 scientists will be hired by the end of the year.

“The center will allow us to access tremendous scientific talent in the region in support of DuPont’s efforts to create products that address the food, feed, fuel and materials challenges of the 21st Century,” said Balvinder S. Kalsi, president and chief executive of DuPont India.

The biotech center is part of DuPont’s $100 million investment in research to develop new seed products and speed up their introduction to the market. Last month, the company announced its plans to add more than 400 positions globally, including 20 in Delaware, to boost the competitiveness of its seed subsidiary, Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc.

Pioneer, the largest U.S. corn seed producer, will fill the new positions with existing DuPont workers as well as new hires.

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID...

[cyberpj]

33. Bush suppresses GE crop warnings -This article is from Oct 04; anyone think it's worse by now? YUP.

Bush suppresses GE crop warnings

Leaked report acknowledges genetic threat
18 October 2004

NAFTA agrees: US genetically engineered maize is threat to Mexican crops.
Enlarge Image

Mexico City, Mexico ­ Monsanto and the US Government have been telling the world that genetically engineered crops pose no contamination threat to natural indigenous species. But Greenpeace has learned from a leaked report that NAFTA disagrees and is recommending steps to avoid a genetic threat to natural maize in Mexico. Surprise, surprise: the Bush Administration is attempting to suppress the report.

The report, written by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) of the North American Free Trade Agreement (US, Canada and Mexico) recommends that all genetically engineered (GE) maize imports be labelled as such and that all US maize entering Mexico should be milled upon entry, to prevent living seeds from being planted intentionally or accidentally.

The Bush Administration has intervened several times to delay the publication of the report -- completed three months ago -- and there is still no official date for its publication.

The scandal began in September 2001 when the Mexican government announced that scientists had discovered contamination of indigenous varieties of maize with genetically engineered (GE) varieties. The likely source of the contamination is imported maize from the USA.

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/bush-suppresses-ge-crop-warnin

[cyberpj]

34. Are GM Crops Killing Bees?

So long, so long, so long... thanks for all the pollen!

"If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man." - Albert Einstein

COLLAPSING COLONIES
Are GM Crops Killing Bees?
By Gunther Latsch

A mysterious decimation of bee populations has German beekeepers worried, while a similar phenomenon in the United States is gradually assuming catastrophic proportions. The consequences for agriculture and the economy could be enormous.

Walter Haefeker is a man who is used to painting grim scenarios. He sits on the board of directors of the German Beekeepers Association (DBIB) and is vice president of the European Professional Beekeepers Association. And because griping is part of a lobbyist's trade, it is practically his professional duty to warn that "the very existence of beekeeping is at stake."

The problem, says Haefeker, has a number of causes, one being the varroa mite, introduced from Asia, and another is the widespread practice in agriculture of spraying wildflowers with herbicides and practicing monoculture. Another possible cause, according to Haefeker, is the controversial and growing use of genetic engineering in agriculture.

As far back as 2005, Haefeker ended an article he contributed to the journal Der Kritischer Agrarbericht (Critical Agricultural Report) with an Albert Einstein quote: "If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man."

Mysterious events in recent months have suddenly made Einstein's apocalyptic vision seem all the more topical. For unknown reasons, bee populations throughout Germany are disappearing -- something that is so far only harming beekeepers. But the situation is different in the United States, where bees are dying in such dramatic numbers that the economic consequences could soon be dire. No one knows what is causing the bees to perish, but some experts believe that the large-scale use of genetically modified plants in the US could be a factor.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,473166,00.html

[Lorien]

37. Wouldn't surprise me

Monsanto doesn't do testing on it's crops, and neither does the EPA or FDA. The consequences of what we don't understand here could be catastrophic.