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PepsiCo Chooses to Continue Using GE Ingredients Despite Evidence of Harm
PepsiCo's 2009 shareholder proxy report contains a proposal (pg. 61) that paints a clear picture of the company's use of genetically-engineered (GE) food ingredients and its attitude toward this issue. The proposal describes a loose plan to remove GE ingredients from Pepsi's products in order to maintain "Company product integrity." The concern, archived for public record in the report, is that Pepsi products contain "potentially GE" corn, rice, canola, soy and sugar.
FILE - In this July 10, 2009 file photo, Pepsi products are on display in a grocery store in Danvers, Mass.(AP Photo/Lisa Poole, file) The controversy of GE crops is not a new one. For years, proponents of the biotech industry have maintained that GE crops are completely safe for human consumption and will benefit the world, while campaigners against GE foods have contended that the long-term dangers of this branch of science are unknown and uncontrolled. We now know that GE crops can pose extreme dangers for human consumption, animal consumption and for the biodiversity of the environment.
The report cites twelve well-documented incidences or studies in which the dangers of GE crops are clearly demonstrated. The evidence includes a 2007 study conducted in Paris, France, where rats were fed GE corn made by US biotech giant Monsanto. The results, which were published in the journal Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, were very unfavorable for the corn. The rats showed "signs of toxicity" in the kidneys and liver and developed problems in those organs.
In 2005, a GE pea developed by Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization provoked a strong immune response in laboratory rats when tested by scientists from the John Curtin Medical Research School in the city of Canberra. The tests carried out on the pea were of the kind normally undertaken on drugs, not on food. US law does not require this kind of testing and so it is highly probable that the pea would have been approved if it were tested in the US. The findings were published in The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2005). The study concluded that, "These investigations, however, demonstrate that transgenic expression of non-native proteins in plants may lead to the synthesis of structural variants with altered immunogenicity." In other words, GE plants can lead to unpredictable immune responses in humans.
In another 2005 incident, Syngenta admitted that it had accidentally sold unapproved genetically modified seed corn (Bt 10) in the US for four years (2001-2005). The mistake resulted in about 15,000 hectares planted with the unapproved variety and about 133 million kilograms of the corn making its way into the food supply.
The evidence in Pepsi's proxy report represents a fraction of the evidence available yet it alone sends a clear message that GE foodstuffs are potentially dangerous. The proposal clearly presented this information to Pepsi and its shareholders and recommended that GE ingredients be removed from Pepsi's products.
To quote Pepsi's response to the proposal: "We believe that genetically-modified products can play a role in generating positive economic, social and environmental contributions to societies around the world; particularly in times of food shortages." Pepsi's Board of Directors recommended that the shareholders vote against the proposal.
PepsiCo products include:
- Mountain Dew
- Amp energy drink
- Aquafina
- Sun Chips
- Lays potato chips
- Doritos
- Tostitos
- Tropicana juices
- Dole juices
- Quaker Oats
- Aunt Jemima Syrup
- Rice-A-Roni
- Gatorade
"Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food.... Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the FDA's job."
-- Phil Angell, Director of Corporate Communications, Monsanto, quoted in the New York Times Magazine, October 25, 1998
"Ultimately, it is the food producer who is responsible for assuring safety."
-- FDA, "Statement of Policy: Foods Derived from New Plant Varieties", (GMO Policy), Federal Register, Vol. 57, No. 104 (1992), p. 22991
24 Comments so far
Show All"'Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food.... Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the FDA's job.'"
This cold-blooded whine may be the most honest public pronouncement by Monsanto in three decades.
That list of foods marketed by Pepsico could be the start of a roster of processed foods that everyone should avoid.
q
Go to http://www.organicconsumers.org/ for extensive list of bad boys and products of the "food" industry. Read "In defense of Food" by Michael Pollan. Turn your life around. If I can do it, you can too. I was a pack a day unfiltered Camel smoker, heavy pot toker, meat and dairy, microwave meal consumer for most of my adult life.
My body started sending me signals.....I listened and started making changes.
Conscious eating, organic gardening are the foundation of the new, feel good, me.
With "health care" being in the sad state it is, who can afford to gamble with illness?
What's the problem...just don't eat the crap.
Look out for yourself...these corps do not give a damn.
The problem is that they don't label it so you can't tell. And, the environmental damage can be significant in terms of eliminating original genetic stocks. They regularly try to get organics into the GE fold.
Several years ago, having lunch with people I didn't know well, their conversation turned to the outrageous sex and violence on cable/satellite TV. I suggested the solution was to turn it off and stop buying their crap. I got lots of dumbfounded looks. Hope they thought it through later.
Eat local produce and stay away from processed food. I have been a vegetarian since 1975. I carry no health insurance. 64 years old...no docs and no prescriptions. That must tell you something. Good genes..yes..part of it. But, awareness of the garbage that is out there...fast food, hydrogenated oil, processed sugar, aspartame, HFCS...and other such poisons, really helps.
nevergiveup,
Love your posts bro,
You have the secret to life figured out. Cancer and Chromosome damage are all about exposure level. Stats show that those who stop smoking, go way up in longevity rates. I feel GE or GMO food are the same. The secret is to ween yourself off them as much as humanly possible. This means not eating anything in a plastic bag or container. If it's not in nature's wrapper, then you can be assured that it passed through the dishonest hands of an Ivy-League CEO from hell, who is so obsessed with cash, that he will put anything in that plastic wrapper to make him rich; e.g, scoop rotten peanuts off the floor and try to dilute it into the peanut butter (last year.) Even if it's an Apple, is it really an Apple? Does it have an occasional worm? Remember worms? It it doesn't don't eat it. You're eating bacteria genes that leach pesticides. You're eating fungacides and roundup and other gene combinations designed to enhance only shelf life and appearance.
FrankenFood is for Fools.
Unfortunately, because of the Fortune 500 Crime Family, most of the food in the US is unsafe, imho. Plant your own, trade with neighbors. Don't use money. Boycott everything until we get a redress of the many greivances this gov is afflicting us with.
Cheers,
TJ
"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." - Thomas Jefferson
Sounds like you're set, but what about the majority, who live in major rat-cage metropolises?
I think I must have written this, as I am and did the same! Also beat a fatal form of cancer in '05 with no meds, just a minor surgery and homeopathy. I eat organic food since '63!
I'll be boycotting Pepsi products. I usually don't use any of them anyway. Though, I have used Quaker Oats-surprised it is owned by Pepsi.
"Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food.... Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the FDA's job."
-- Phil Angell, Director of Corporate Communications, Monsanto, quoted in the New York Times Magazine, October 25, 1998
That is a criminal statement. Monsanto would not release such a statement today, 11 years later, because of the consumer climate.
About three weeks ago I gave up drinking soda and caffine. I stopped drinking coke and pepsi which I had been drinking non stop since I was a small child. The first week was hard because I was going through caffine withdrawals. There are times like last night that I really wanted a coke. Though coke was the soda I liked best I also drank pepsi when it was on sale. Now, after reading this article I am happy that I made the decision to stop drinking pepsi.
The spitfire in me says encourage and inspire people to boycott all Pepsi products until they STOP using GE modified food in their products. If they don’t care about the health of the people who use their products than we the PEOPLE should care enough to make them care through loosing the large profits. We could make signs and stand in front of stores and hand out pamplets that we made explaining to the shoppers why they should not BUY Pepsi products until they STOP using GE modified items in their products. I am just brainstorming here of ways that we in the Green Party could be active in our communities on this issue.
Our government has failed us. We have the FDA who says this statement: ” “Ultimately, it is the food producer who is responsible for assuring safety.”
– FDA, “Statement of Policy: Foods Derived from New Plant Varieties”, (GMO Policy), Federal Register, Vol. 57, No. 104 (1992), p. 22991
And we have the company who makes the GE food says this:” “Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food…. Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the FDA’s job.”
– Phil Angell, Director of Corporate Communications, Monsanto, quoted in the New York Times Magazine, October 25, 1998
I feel like we are playing Russian roulette just eating and drinking products. We don’t know if they are safe or if they are going to cause health problems that lead to death. Yet, the government agency FDA seems to be asleep at the wheel and is not ensuring that the food and beverages we drink in America are safe. How many more deaths are we going to hear because fellow Americans ate a food item like peanut butter? How many people are going to loose their beloved pet because the dog food or doggie treats they gave them were tainted? If the government doesn’t CARE about WE THE PEOPLE than it is time for WE THE PEOPLE TO STAND UP AND MAKE THEM CARE. If we can’t TRUST them to do their job than we must let them know that WE THE PEOPLE are going to BOYCOTT all food and beverage products that come from large corporations who have so little regard for US, the people. We must make them understand that WE THE PEOPLE WILL NOT TOLERATE this behavior of theirs that for large profits they use GE items in their products that are not healthy or good for us.
I say this is a time where SILENCE ISN’T GOLDEN, but a time for us the consumer to SPEAK OUT LOUD AND CLEAR.
chrisy58 August 24th, 2009 11:54 am...I hear your passion and have the same....BUT, without a voice in the MSM, we haven't a chance of organizing or informing the masses. This is the key....a voice in the media...a strong voice that rivals the major cacaphony and outrageous lies of morons like Beck, Hannity and O'Reilly.
Try Democracy Now on NPR - they broadcast worldwide and are "the Bible" for a lot of us
Try Democracy Now on NPR - they broadcast worldwide and are "the Bible" for a lot of us
Well, this could be Michael Moore's new movie(or someone else conscious). It's time people woke up to the fact that this piss--and others on the shelf nearby--is no more than flavored, carbonated sugar water! My Gawd, think of all the advertising money spent to push these health-endangering products that serve NO PURPOSE! Hell, they aren't even thirst-quenching!!!
Michael Moore is definitely the poster child for good nutrition and health.
Is PepsiCo a Chinese company?
I will be sending this article to everyone in my address book. If we all educate those close to us and they tell others there will be a small boycott. Then those people will tell someone and they will tell more. Until Pepsi feels the pinch.
genaman
Instead of griping about Monsanto , Pepsi and whoever else is feeding the public these GE crops. Lets get the laws change,so Corporate heads will be treated the same as any other murderer?
That the CEO's and the boards can all be executed or serve life without parole for killing one single partaker of their goods?
Call your legislaters and Congress people to make it so.
They want to use us as experiments, let them take the full responsibilities for their actions.
That's what they did to the Chinese execs who were found guilty in the milk-tainting incident. Unfortunately, Americans aren't half as just, fair and civilized as the Chinese are.
Calling legislators - as well as boycott and direct action - will surely involve griping about Monsanto, Pepsi, and whoever else is feeding the public these GE crops, won't it?
Do you mean "just griping"?
Once again, if it boils down to a tie between loss of/harm to human life and a loss of profit, the humans lose!
Boy, am I glad I don't drink that soda crap anymore.
All the products on the PepsiCo list are lacking in nutrition and good for nothing. GE or no GE ... Why buy them??? It's a waste of money and harmful to your health.
BOYCOTT!!!
FOR NOW AND FOREVER!!!
We have to put these corps completely out of business.
Can you imagine the amount of $ they make on children?
Boycott Monsanto, via Pepsico, Coca Cola (same stuff, and those two are the largest 2 legal exporters of Peruvian Cocaine into the US.) Also, boycott Altria, the new name for Phillip Morris' holding company, and Beatrice, Kraft, Whole Foods, why not? and Wal-mart.
If there are more cut and past and add to the list.
I think it also means boycotting KFC, part of Pepsi last i heard, and Burger King, McD's, etc.
Go see Food, Inc.
BOYCOTT!!! any and every company that is involved with GE products or produces them. Also boycott companies that financially support articles claiming that GE is safe. Hitting their wallets is the only language that ilk understands.