But even that paled in comparison to the shock at watching a documentary called The Future of Food. The show focused on genetically modified organisms (GMOs), specifically grains and soybeans that have been genetically modified to be be unaffected by the weedkiller called Roundup.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNezTsrCY0Q

On the surface, that doesn’t sound like such a bad thing, does it? Have a crop that you can spray with a weedkiller that will wipe out just about anything that’s green: the Roundup kills all the weeds and leaves the “good” plants alone.

But if you dig a little deeper, you’ll find that all that glitters is not gold, as the saying goes. First, the genetic modifications Monsanto makes to the plants – using similar techniques to what viruses use to invade cells (sorry, that sounds melodramatic, but it’s quite true) – involves insertion of genes from a variety of organisms that include a variety of bacteria and other non-plant species. What are the long-term effects of mutation and cross-species pollinization? What if someone who consumes the GMO grain products is allergic to one of the elements introduced into the grain?

Then there are the legal aspects, which were equally shocking. Monsanto and other companies conducting this sort of development patent the genes they develop, and have – successfully, it seems – made the legal case that anything that those genes can be identified in is essentially owned by the company. For example, if a truck carrying Monsanto GMO grain drives by your farm and some of the seed blows off into your field and germinates, guess what? You just violated Monsanto’s patent rights and are subject to a fine!

I just about dropped dead: if somebody else’s grain contaminates your crops, you’re the “bad guy” who’s on the hook. I had thought that the legal system was pretty well rotten, but this was too much.

But the scariest thing is that companies like Monsanto have developed genes for crops that are variously called “suicide” or “terminator” genes. There are different types, but basically that means that the crops will grow one season and not produce any viable seed that could be replanted.

So what happens when crops that have this terminator gene cross-pollinate with non-GMO crops? And yes, I said when, not if, because if crops like this are allowed outside the laboratory (heck, who knows, maybe they already are) it’s inevitable that they’re going to come in contact with and contaminate non-GMO crops.

But the worst part is that there’s no requirement for food manufacturers to label GMO ingredients in our food. So you could be eating something right now that has genetically modified corn, and you’d never know it. Why is that? Maybe it has something to do with so many senior government positions (up through 2004, at least, when the film was produced) being occupied by senior executives of Monsanto and other companies. That doesn’t strike me as a conflict of interest. Really.

So, what’s to do about it? First, learn more and – as with many things – express your feelings to your congressional representatives. I, for one, would at least like to see appropriate labels for food containing GMO products. That’s a good place to start, but there’s a lot left to do.

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