What happened during this period?
Large multinational corporations, such as Monsanto, have developed genetically modified soybeans. Soybeans with altered genetic structure are resistant to herbicides, have high yields and taste good. On the one hand, farmers who buy soybean seeds from Monsanto can produce grains below cost, bringing better returns. On the other hand, farmers who insist on traditional methods face lawsuits at any time. Because of the genetically modified seeds, the patent rights belong to the company. Even farmers who bought soybeans could not keep the seeds they planted. At the same time, if the company suspects that the pollen of the neighbor's genetically modified soybeans has spread to the traditional farmland, the farmer of the farmland must provide evidence to prove that there is no infringement against the company. On the government side, because of low-cost production, companies use their excess money to lobby parliament, and various agricultural states have also formulated farm bills and policies to protect companies in order to increase grain production. When people who are concerned about genetically modified foods propose to the FDA (the U.S. Food and Drug Administration) to label goods with GMOs, the FDA refuses to implement it because it will cause unnecessary panic among the people. It is also difficult to judge whether the move is based on concerns for the public or because of the company's money piled on the side of the fair scale. There is a fact that in 1972, the FDA conducted 50,000 food safety inspections, and in 2006, it was 9,164.
So is the food produced safe?
It seems not so simple. Inexpensive grains are shipped to factories that raise cattle, pigs, and chickens for feed. Grains make chickens grow very fast, and the breeding technology developed by Tyson Company - a completely dark rearing environment, makes chickens think it is night, and reduces activities, the original 3-month growth period is now only 49 days. The chicken has grown, but the chicken bones have not kept up with the growth rate, so the chickens raised in this way will basically fall to the ground after taking two steps. On the other hand, some states have made it illegal to take pictures of “farms” for publication in the media because of the company’s lobbying and executive composition—many of which are former FDA or congressional members. At the same time, the Department of Agriculture has heavily subsidized the company's high-yield grains, so that people can afford to pay $1 for a hamburger to fill their stomachs, but they need to pay $9 for a cauliflower. Cows were originally herbivores, but after eating grains, the E. coli bacteria in their bodies mutated, and the mutated bacteria were harmful to the human body. In addition, the factory-type intensive livestock processing lines also make meat easily contaminated with feces. Although there have been several mass meat recalls in the United States, it has not stopped companies from ignoring the small voices of the public in order to be more efficient and profitable. In the film, a mother's 8-year-old son died 12 days later after eating a burger with contaminated meat. The Ministry of Agriculture wanted to close the corresponding company due to the meat pollution incident. The company sued the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Commerce determined that the Ministry of Agriculture had no right to close the lawsuit. It was not until later that a new act was introduced that gave the Ministry of Agriculture this power. It took six years for the bill to pass.
90% of the beans in the U.S. are now genetically modified. This cannot be said to be the fault of GMOs, it is not that simple.
what can we do?
As said at the end of the credits, buy food from companies that respect workers, animals and the environment; pay attention to label ingredients; choose food from local farms, vegetables in season; tell parliament to raise food safety standards; change the world with every bite of your own food .
In this way, the foreign moon is still the domestic moon, and food safety issues exist as well. Looking forward to the domestic documentaries in this regard.
I just happened to see the threesome of Qiangqiang talking about GMO recently:
http://v.ifeng.com/news/society/201311/015e9109-a8f8-4dbe-a366-99fb219d51c7.shtml
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