Who eat's rice?

So I discovered an article that I thought I would share with you. A} because I love rice and I know many people who eat it B} because Riceland Foods is out of Arkansas and C} When I worked for the World Trade Center I did a lot of work for Riceland Foods.

So Riceland Foods is the largest supplier rice cooperative in the US, and according to the article I read from Reuters {Read it Here}, stated “Germany's Bayer Company which yes is the {aspirin company} was ordered by a jury here in {Stuttgart} Arkansas to pay Riceland $136.8 million for contamination of U.S. long grain rice stocks which had a genetically modified strain from Bayer that destroyed exports more than four years ago. “

According to Riceland’s homepage, {Riceland.com} “Riceland provides marketing services for rice, soybeans and wheat grown by its 9,000 farmer-members in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas. Each year, its 1,900 employees receive, store, transport process and market more than 125 million bushels (2.5 million metric tons) of grain. Riceland is the world's largest miller and marketer of rice and one of the Mid-South's major soybean processors. A major rice exporter and oil producer, Riceland markets rice and oil products under the Riceland and Chef-way labels, private labels, as ingredients, and in bulk. Riceland products are sold across the nation and to more than 75 foreign destinations.” The judgment given by the jury included payments to Riceland for $125 M in punitive damages, {though will be capped at $1M because of Arkansas Law} as well as $16.9M in compensatory damages.

So what is a "GMO" and why does this article matter? A GMO is a {Genitally Modified Organism} Food. According to Wikipedia; “GMO’s or genetically engineered organism (GEO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from different sources, which are combined into one molecule to create a new set of genes. This DNA is then transferred into an organism, giving it modified or novel genes. Transgenic organisms, a subset of GMOs, are organisms which have inserted DNA that originated in a different species.”

So my question is “Why do we alter our natural food source?” There are sooo many risks and side effects that occur after we eat them. From Infertility, colon cancer, damages to your immune system, super viruses AND food allergies, I’m still a little curious as to why the government does not put labels on these food items? GMO are mostly found in Soy, Corn, Cottonseed {used in vegetable cooking oils}, Canola Oil, Sugar from Sugar Beets, Hawaiian Papaya, Some Zucchini, and Crookneck Squash. {Source: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/08/30/gm-crop-escapes-into-the-american-wild.aspx}

So moral of the story,  just be careful next time you eat Rice, Corn, Soy, Canola Oil, Surgar, Papaya, Squash or Zucchini! :) I now understand "You are what you eat!"

Lucy