Monsanto, GMO Labeling, and Little Red Riding Hood

Barbara H. Peterson

Farm Wars

Aaaaahhh yes, the story of the Big Bad Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood. A child’s tale…. Or is it?

Currently, two states have enacted GMO labeling laws. Well, sort of. It’s an “I will if you will” game, in which the laws only go into effect if certain other states do the same thing. If they don’t, well, we don’t. No harm, no foul, and no one gets hurt by the Big Bad Wolf – Monsanto, that is.

I maintain that this “I will if you will” labeling dance is a distraction from the real fight, which is a complete ban. The UK is being invaded by GMOs and they label. Australia is testing GMO wheat, and they label. When will we learn? The beat goes on and the GMOs (genetically modified organisms) spread, labeled or not.

Will labeling GMO food stop the type of destruction and environmental pollution caused by growing GMO crops and trees? No. While I am not against labeling and know that good people are spending their lives on it, I also realize that there is a bigger picture. Only a ban will stop the spread of GMOs. Three California counties – Marin, Trinity, and Mendocino, and now, one county in Washington state – San Juan, have instituted a ban on growing them. Labeling? Well, that’s okay with the big guys. They are more than happy to do the labeling dance, because in the end, they know they will win if they can keep us on the path of labeling without addressing what really needs to happen….. banning.

Labeling is merely a band-aid that appears to cover the wound of genetic contamination and proliferation without really addressing the root of the problem – the relatively unchecked proliferation of GMOs. If you are going to remove an invasive species, it is best to start at the root. Labeling cannot be the endgame. If it is, we are screwed, pass the Vaseline please, and afterwards, how about a nice cup of labeled GMO coffee?

If Aspartame was banned, we would not be seeing it in our food supply. It is labeled. And now they want it put in “flavored” milk for children. We have an epidemic of people hooked on it, thinking it is healthy and will help them lose weight. The marketing plan worked. You see, it doesn’t matter how bad something is, just as long as you can put a “healthy” spin on it and market it as natural.

Since its introduction in France in 1979, aspartame has grown to be the world’s most popular low calorie sweetener. Aspartame is made from two amino acids, which are the building blocks of all protein. Because aspartame has a clean, sweet taste but virtually no calories, it is the ideal alternative to sugar. Aspartame also contributes to good dental health. Although products with aspartame are of special benefit to diabetics and those who wish to lose weight, they are widely used by people who simply want to maintain a well-balanced, healthy diet. Aspartame is used in many food and beverage products, including soft drinks, yogurts, desserts, confectionary, hot chocolate and table-top sweeteners.

AminoSweet® is Ajinomoto’s brand of aspartame. Ajinomoto Sweeteners Europe S.A.S. manufactures and sells AminoSweet to the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries throughout Europe, the CIS, the Middle East and Africa from its headquarters located in northern France. Quality assurance and environmental safety are top priorities for The Ajinomoto Group and are fully integrated into all aspects of production. Ajinomoto is the only aspartame supplier that can offer the security of multi-sourcing: the company can supply aspartame not only from its plant in France, but also from its manufacturing facilities in Japan.

http://www.ajinomoto-europe.com/en/ap-sweetener.html

We assume that labeling will automatically be the end-all be-all because people will see the label and not buy the stuff. NOT! Most will buy the hype that Monsanto, the FDA, and the USDA put out that it is safe, effective, and good for us. Maybe we should just put it in a pill, or mainline it. Oh, wait, we are….

Labeling is a game that can be manipulated by the monied players, and you and I are not one of them. Monsanto knows this. So, while we do the labeling dance – I will if you will, Monsanto plays the part of the Big Bad Wolf, the consumer gets to play Little Red Riding Hood, and you guessed it, Grandma is the label. Here is how the story goes:

A mean wolf wants to eat the girl, and the food in the basket. He secretly stalks her behind trees and bushes and shrubs and patches of little grass and patches of tall grass. He approaches Little Red Riding Hood and she naïvely tells him where she is going. He suggests the girl pick some flowers, which she does. In the meantime, he goes to the grandmother’s house and gains entry by pretending to be the girl. He swallows the grandmother whole, and waits for the girl, disguised as the grandma.

When the girl arrives, she notices that her grandmother looks very strange. Little Red then says, “What a deep voice you have,” (“The better to greet you with”), “Goodness, what big eyes you have,” (“The better to see you with”) “And what big hands you have!” (“The better to hug/grab you with”), and lastly, “What a big mouth you have,” (“The better to eat you with!”) at which point the wolf jumps out of bed, and swallows her up too. Then he falls fast asleep.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Red_Riding_Hood

So, as we skip merrily down the lane to GMO labeling, the Big Bad Wolf follows us, convinces us he is something he isn’t, and directs our path. He then hurries on ahead and gobbles up Grandma (any sort of real labeling law) and replaces it with his own version – one that will allow him to continue on, business as usual, until Little Red Riding Hood arrives and is gobbled up.  And they say this is a children’s tale…

©2013 Barbara H. Peterson

Tags: agriculture, Barbara H. Peterson, Farm Wars, farmwars, genetic engineering, GMO, Health, labeling, monsanto