Usually I like to discuss the pros and cons of a particular element of food storage. I like to weigh the benefit versus the cost of the conventional and organic varieties. There is one “food” that has become so toxic and so polluted that I will not have it in my home.
Corn.
This crop is so far removed from the original maize grown here on the North American continent that it has become another species, viciously spearing tractor tires until they have had to be replaced with Kevlar – that’s right – the same material used for bullet resistant body armor.
There are no pros – not one. Only cons.
Why?
Up to 85% of corn grown in the United States is genetically modified.
Up to 65% of corn grown in Canada is genetically modified.
115,000 hectares of GM corn is grown in Spain, mostly for use as animal feed – this corn is sold to farmers in the US, Argentina, and Brazil and fed to livestock, further poisoning the food supply.
China will begin to grow the country’s first commercial GM corn in 2013.
As you can see by the numbers above, if you are a gambling person, the odds are that any food purchased in North America which contains corn is more than likely tainted by genetic modification.
If you’re wondering why that’s so bad, take a look at this photograph. It really doesn’t even require explanation when you see these poor rats who were fed a lifetime diet of GMO corn. Here’s the study for anyone who wants to read straight from the abstract. It is called the Seralini Study and it took place in France.
Mike Adams of Natural News succinctly summed up the findings:
• Up to 50% of males and 70% of females suffered premature death.
• Rats that drank trace amounts of Roundup (at levels legally allowed in the water supply) had a 200% to 300% increase in large tumors.
• Rats fed GM corn and traces of Roundup suffered severe organ damage including liver damage and kidney damage.
• The study fed these rats NK603, the Monsanto variety of GM corn that’s grown across North America and widely fed to animals and humans. This is the same corn that’s in your corn-based breakfast cereal, corn tortillas and corn snack chips.
Even the mainstream media seem shocked by the study, as evidenced by articles in Business Insider and the UK Guardian.
Monsanto’s public relations folks worked overtime, rallying quickly to dispute the study. Forbes Magazine and the BBC obediently published the rather biased findings of Monsanto’s studies. (It’s interesting to note that the French study took place over the 2 year life span of rats, while the Monsanto studies took place over a period of 3 months.) Forbes went all out, attacking the study in dozens of articles.
The reason that GMO corn is so toxic is twofold.
First is “round-up ready” corn. This corn, known as NK603 Roundup-resistant genetically modified corn – is engineered to be able to withstand heavy spraying of Round-up weedkiller, also made by Monsanto. So, in essence, farmers can inundate the soil and plant with weed killer, and everything but the corn will die. Both the GMO corn and the Round-up weedkiller are toxic to mammals, according to the French study.
Next is Monsanto’s genetically modified “Bt” corn contains a gene extracted from soil bacteria. This pesticide, when consumed, breaks open the stomach of certain insects and kills them.
A study that took place at Sherbrooke University Hospital in Quebec found Bt toxin has been detected in the blood of 93 percent of pregnant women tested; 80 percent of babies; and 67 percent of non-pregnant women.
The health threat doesn’t just end with cancer. According to an article by Jeffrey Smith on Mercola.com, Bt toxin also triggers immune response issues.
There’s already plenty of evidence that the Bt-toxin produced in GM corn and cotton plants is toxic to humans and mammals and triggers immune system responses. The fact that it flows through our blood supply, and that is passes through the placenta into fetuses, may help explain the rise in many disorders in the US since Bt crop varieties were first introduced in 1996.
In government-sponsored research in Italyii , mice fed Monsanto’s Bt corn showed a wide range of immune responses. Their elevated IgE and IgG antibodies, for example, are typically associated with allergies and infections. The mice had an increase in cytokines, which are associated with “allergic and inflammatory responses.” The specific cytokines (interleukins) that were elevated are also higher in humans who suffer from a wide range of disorders, from arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, to MS and cancer (see chart).
The evidence above is quite sufficient for me to say, without equivocation, that there is NO WAY I am feeding that stuff to my family. Any corn products that come into our home are strictly organic. There is no exception to this rule.
If the day comes when you are relying on your food storage, whether it’s because of dramatic inflation, a world-changing disaster, or a SHTF event, picture those tumorous rats – that is the future I envision if I stockpile these “foods” just because they are a little bit cheaper.
Either boycott corn items altogether or purchase only organic corn items.
Now….about those corn items. Not all corn comes on a cob. In fact, these days, most of it comes in a box, can or cellophane wrapper.
Did you know that more than 70% of processed food contains corn in some form or another? When you consider that 91% of corn in North America is GMO, and 70% of processed food contains corn, the simple math tells you that if you buy processed foods, you are most likely buying GMO corn.
The best information I’ve found for avoiding corn is on this website: Corn Allergens. Now, I don’t have a corn allergy but many people do – serious anaphylactic reactions. Because of this immediately life-threatening issue, the website is a virtual compendium of all things corn. I was very surprised to learn the everyday items that contain corn, most likely from a genetically modified origin.
In addition to the items on this list not including everything that contains corn, not everything on this list will contain corn. It is that they can contain corn, and therefore may need to be outright avoided or used cautiously. Read more about this on the Corn Allergens as Ingredients page. The items identified with an asterisk * are the most common items that might not always contain or be derived from corn. Proceed with caution!
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from the website Corn Allergens
Some of the things we particularly avoid (unless organic)
- Tortilla chips
- Corn flakes
- Corn puff cereal
- Nachos
- Cheese puffs
- Corn chips
- Polenta
- Grits
- Cornmeal
- Soft corn tortillas
- Anything sweetened with HFCS
- All commercial breakfast cereals
- Frozen, canned or fresh corn unless specifically marked non-gmo
- Popcorn
- Most commercially farmed meats, especially those boasting “corn fed”
This doesn’t mean you can never eat corn again! I just purchased 50 pounds of organic cornmeal and plan to grow a big patch of corn in my garden this year (heirloom variety, obviously!) If there is only one food you avoid in your long term food storage, please, make it commercial corn.
I just found your blog and I’m very excited to read all of your great info. This story makes me so sad. I love corn! I had corn chips with my lunch today! Everything we eat is contaminated. How did this happen? Who is responsible for this? I have always trusted our leaders to take care of us and the more I read the more disheartened I become. To paraphrase Dr. Suess, This problem is so big and so deep, there is no way to fix it, no way at all. Even if I switch to organic, I can’t get away from GMO corn products. Sigh.
Keep writing!
just found your blog as well…. just a question for ya….. even if corn is organic, what do you think the chances are that they may be contaminated? i’ve found an affordable source of organic feed corn for my animals, but am still uncertain…….
thanks for the great blog as well!
I think it’s very possible. I wish there was a good way to test for it. I do buy organic corn products myself. I just got cornmeal and popcorn in bulk last week, actually. The popcorn was “guaranteed” non-GMO, whatever that means. 😉
On thing that I was considering was trying to sprout the corn kernels. It’s my understanding that GMO corn is self-terminating. Now, I don’t know this for sure, but if it was, wouldn’t that mean the kernels would not sprout? Do you have any thoughts on that?
Hello
I just found your blog and love it ! I have been trying to catch up on all the reading available here, and just found this great article! After reading it I thought I should add that I have been avoiding corn even if it is organic as it is my understanding that unless the label says organic and non-GMO , organic corn can indeed be a GNO product!
Arianna – I’m so glad you stopped by – thank you for the kind words about the blog! 😀
It is my understanding that to be labeled organic, GMO seeds must not have been used. However, there is the caveat that through cross pollination, some organic corn may be tainted with GMOs. This article from Time Magazine (not my favorite source, but still a decent article) said that 6% of organic feed for cattle was tainted with GMOs. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1599110,00.html
I try very hard never to consume corn in any form that is not organic (pretty much impossible if you ever eat away from home). I do eat organic corn products once or twice a week, however.
Thank you very much for your comment!
Daisy
Some people are impossible to please….
First off, GMO crops are here to stay. Like it or not it was 100% needed, and will remain so as we try to feed an increasing number of people on our planet. If readers here wish to eat only organic, great, I have no problem with that. However, you must realize that organic practices can not feed the world population. The farmers of the world are (now) dependent on GMO crops to provide the crops that are needed, and to lower the costs of weed, and insect control. Would it be nice if we could grow things naturally? perhaps, but an unrealistic dream. we passed that point decades ago. Even the “Organic Farms” I know (here in my area) are now cheating. Not with GMOs perhaps, but with the use of fertilizers. I don’t blame them, they must make enough money off of their harvest to support families, a person does what they must do to continue on.
The labor required to be 100% organic, and to also keep the harvest profitable is difficult at best, and at times impossible. Myself, I stopped using chemical weed/insect control many years ago. however, i do use bt corn, and GMO soybeans. fact is, last time I checked, I was unable to find a supply of soybeans that were NOT round-up ready.
If you can grow a crop 100% organic, you are most likely a gardener. I don’t mean that unkindly, but to make a living as a farmer (provide for yourself and a family) 100% organic practices will not pay the bills.
To continue to feed the people of the world (not always done) in the way the consumers demand, GMOs and the farming practices we are using today are the only answer we have on the table.
As consumers you can drive the direction of future farming practices. Just be prepared that moving toward more organic will mean higher prices, and shorter supplies (unless you can provide a solution not yet seen).
Russia is feeding most of its people using small organic farms, so your comment is WRONG!!!
Russia cannot feed its population since the early sixties: it has been exchanging oil and gas for grain and corn (USA/Canada) for more than 50 years already. Potatoes from Holland, meat from Brazil. And trust me, the population is so poor, that literally noone cares about the organic origins of food in this country.
You bought the propaganda from the big GMO co’s about ‘ we can only feed the world with these altered crops’. The GMO issue is SO much more complex in terms of creating a balanced ecosphere. We cannot in less than 100 years, improve on what it has taken Earth trillions of seasonal cycles to produce all this biodiversity in near perfect balance. What hubris.
And the reason why organics are more expensive are because the gmo crops are SUBSIDIZED with american tax dollars, due the the heavy control of congress by big agra lobbyist dollars. And you don’t take into account the trillions of dollars we pay in ‘health’ care when the eaters of this altered food get disease related to poor nutrition.
Check out Jeffrey Smith’s extensive work on GMOs http://www.responsibletechnology.org/posts/gmo-health-dangers/
and
Vandana Shiva on India’s small farmers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3d9k23UyQQ
How are Doritos feeding the world.? It’s designed to increase yield which intern increases profits. So don’t give us the feed the world story it’s old and bogus.
Open Pollinated Corn, non GMO. If you can maintain a buffer from contamination it is the easiest and most dependable crop for the homestead. In combination with whole farm fresh milk and kale, as well as other crops, clover, etc. when available, corn can support the ancillary animals such as hogs and poultry. Without corn this would be difficult without outside inputs. Open pollinated corn has upwards of 10% protein, almost double the hybrids and GMOs. Milk is the key, especially if you want to keep a larger number of laying hens. As in days past (and maybe to return) the milk cow is the keyway to the whole farm. She produces the amino acids, calcium and micro nutrients that support the farm symbiosis, and all from grass! The Dexter or the Milking Devon also serve as triple purpose cattle – milk, beef and draft. Corn compliments the cow and is the easiest grain crop to grow.
Great article, Daisy. I have been following a similar ‘no corn’ policy. But, I am very dissapointed to read here that popcorn has been hijacked, too. Are you sure that popcorn is now GM? In all my research, this is the first I’ve heard of this horrific problem. I love popcorn.
The research says that there is no GMO popcorn. However, I’m not sure I believe this to be true. One reason I am suspiciousis that the Orville Reddenbacher company made enormous financial donations to defeat Proposition 37. Why would they care about labeling if their popcorn was non-gmo? I bought 25 pounds of organic popcorn for $28.50 from a company in Canada called Oak Manor Farms, and I felt that was a reasonable price. I just don’t trust the corn industry – *adjusts tinfoil hat* 😉
Thanks for a quick reply. In the meantime I checked on Yoder’s popcorn from Lehmans and it says GMO free on the product info page of their website. The Amish have been growing it since 1936, would be unusual if it had morphed in to GM. This is by far my favorite!
That’s right Daisy! Good to see someone like mind 🙂 oh cool we have matching hats 🙂
Thanks for this valuable information I have not been able to acquire elsewhere.
Thank you for the article. We also try to avoid GM foods, although they hide it so easily 🙁 I also wondered about the popcorn, but that’s been answered. But from my research, it’s only yellow corn, not white, that has been modified. Do you have information otherwise? Thank you again!!
You do realize that 100% of the corn we know as corn is actually genetically modified right? The original corn plant was a small grass-like plant that made 1 or 2 seeds. We modified it for hundreds of years to grow big and strong and have a huge yield when compared to its ancestor. Some actual science and less voodoo-science would help you not spread so much misinformation. -Spoken by a scientist.
Traditional breeding techniques are not GMO. GMO – Genetically Modified Organism = an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. This is the accepted definition. This from a farmer and agronomist!
Hey people,
Everything is sooo negative here.
Yes I understand the changes in food stuffs and additives, but
you have to look at the other side of the coin(,not corn)ha ha.. here.
Look how long people are actually living these days as of
a few centuries ago.
Yes there is this and that in our foods ,but something is right
when each generation is living longer than the last.
Just my opinion on a HAPPIER note.
HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!!!
Dan…
I did look up the Seralini study as suggested. What I discovered is that Elsevier has announced that they are retracting the infamous Seralini study which claimed to show that GMO corn causes cancer in laboratory rats. The retraction comes one year after the paper was published, and seems to be a response to the avalanche of criticism the study has faced.
In reading through the book “The Knowledge” by Lewis Dartnell he mentions that corn will be one of the important crops needed after a society collapse. He also mentions that most corn is prepared incorrectly today because there should be the addition of “ash” to the cooking water (known as nixtamalization or niztamalization).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nixtamalization
http://www.wisdomofcorn.com/blog/ash-cooking-for-corn-niztamalization
http://www.onondaganation.org/blog/2011/cooking-with-ashes/
He said when the Europeans first arrived in North America they made use of the crop but didn’t use the ash method which resulted in almost two centuries of people being afflicted with the disease “pellagra” (a niacin vitamin deficiency). Corn is one of the few foods that are improved by utilizing an alkaline (such as ash) in the cooking process.