Canola - Canada's Oil Spill Onto The American
Market
By Janet Allen <janetplanet1@earthlink.net>
c. 1997, 2000 All Rights Reserved 2-3-2000
"Knock knock..." "Who's
there?" "Canola..." "Canola who?" "Canola you
scientists please explain what's so good about eating oil from the genetically
altered rapeseed plant?"
When it comes to the fats and oils we Americans
use for cooking, whether at home or in the commercial food industry, Canola oil
can best be de- scribed as the "new kid on the block." A Neighborhood
Watch of sorts, however, has been organized recently by health and consumer
advocates who have some well-founded suspicions that this biotech test-tube baby
is not all that its seeds are cracked up to be. Although the official image of
Canola oil has been almost that of a panacea, a heart-healthy,
make-your-doctor-proud alternative to other naughty fats, perhaps it's time to
flip the coin of opinion and wander into the territory of those who beg to
differ. After all, some degree of controversy is brewing on this front, and the
new kid you've welcomed into your frying pan just may be playing with matches,
ready to watch your good health go up in smoke.
KING 'LEAR': WHAT'S IN A NAME?
But first...a little background on the
defendant: A brainchild of the Canadian seed-oil industry, Canola was fashioned
from its genetic ancestor as a safer, more palatable variety of what was
previously referred to there as "lear oil" ("low erucic acid
rapeseed"). Its name was changed for the international market to an
abbreviated version of the term Canadian oil, hence: "Canola."
Distracting the public's attention from any association with the word
"rape" was just the first of many premeditated ploys to coax the
blank-slate consumer into accepting this promising new culinary commodity.
The Rapeseed plant has been grown for thousands
of years for camp oil and cooking oil, and in the 1940's was employed as a
lubricant for steam locomotives and ship engines (soon being replaced by diesel
fuel). In addition, this semi-drying oil is used as a fuel, soap base, synthetic
rubber base, and illuminant for slick, magazine-style, color pages. A member of
the mustard family, Rape oil, according to some sources, is also used to produce
the chemical warfare agent "Mustard Gas," as well as the more benign
homeopathic remedy "Thiosinaminum." Canadian farmers were initially
introduced to it as an oil crop in 1942, but not until 1957 was an edible form
of its oil first extracted. However, its versatility was limited as a commercial
crop due to some inherently negative characteristics. It contained high amounts
of two undesirable substances: ERUCIC ACID, which can be harmful to humans, and
GLUCOSINOLATES, which have the damaging effect of inhibiting livestock growth.
But scientists will be scientists, and eventually breeders were successful in
developing varieties low in both of these compounds. In 1974, researchers at the
University of Manitoba, Winnipeg utilized genetic engineering techniques to
alter its chemical composition, making Canola more suitable for consumption.
According to the Canadian Canola Growers
Association (CCGA) based in Manitoba, "Canola is a multi-million dollar
industry that contributes immensely to the Canadian economy through job creation
and trade." That's not too surprising, considering the Canadian government
provides large agricultural subsidies to growers of this crop. Whereas in the
1940's, a mere 6,000 acres of rapeseed was harvested there per year, the
nineties decade has seen the figure multiply to 10.5 million acres annually,
nearly half of that grown in Saskatchewan. Now that the Canola boom has hit
hard, American farmers have grabbed a piece of the action in our Pacific
northwest, north central, and southeast, where blossoming fields of the bright
yellow flower is a familiar sight in summer. Each plant produces numerous pods
(about one-fifth the size of pea pods, but similiar in shape), within which are
tiny round seeds that are crushed to obtain the 40% oil they contain. The
remainder of the seed is processed into canola meal, sold as a high-protein
animal feed. Currently, Canola holds the position of fifth in the world trade in
agricultural crops, after rice, wheat, maize, and cotton. It is the third most
significant Canadian grain export, after wheat and barley.
All sounds fine and dandy...so where's the
problem?
POLITICS AS USUAL
In 1988, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
permitted the coined name "Canola" to be used as a generic name for
"lear oil," resulting in a significant increase in its importation
into this country. Today, we purchase in excess of 80% of Canada's total
production of edible vegetable oils, 63% of which is Canola. As a matter of
public record, the Canadian government and industry paid our (FDA) $50 million
dollars to have Canola oil placed on the GRAS ("Generally Recognized As
Safe") list, part of a scheme to sidestep the otherwise lengthy and much
more expensive approval process. Thus a new industry was created. What's more,
absolutely no medical research on humans was required or completed (similar to
the approval of food irradiation and genetically engineered foods) to establish
the oil's safety or benefits before money was spent to promote it in this
country. However, the misconception that experimentation with non-human species
is a viable tool for determining safety apparently led scientists to engage in
studies with laboratory animals that were "disastrous. Rats developed fatty
degeneration of heart, kidney, adrenals, and thyroid gland. When canola oil was
withdrawn from their diets, the deposits dissolved but scar tissue remained on
all vital organs." Yet the ironic thing is that, even though these studies
were mistakenly believed to have some validity, they were nevertheless
disregarded anyway...just another good example of bad science, wasted revenues,
and unnecessary suffering.
GREASE IS THE WORD, IS THE WORD THAT YOU
HEARD
The nutritional springboard off which Canola
oil's career was launched involves the discovery by dietary experts that it has
the lowest level of saturated fat content (6-7%) of any oil, contains more
cholesterol- lowering monounsaturated fat (58-62%) than any except olive oil,
and has a moderate level of polyunsaturated fat (32%) The latter two are deemed
to be essential sources of energy and possible factors in lowering the risk of
heart disease. Like all non-animal derived, plant-based fats, it is
cholesterol-free. Another selling point is Canola's distinction of containing
Omega-3 (10-15%) and Omega-6 (23%) fatty acids, reputed to lower both
cholesterol and triglycerides, as well as contributing to brain growth and
development. Log onto any Canola industry website, and this is the standard
company line you'll encounter, with minor variations. Fazio Foods Intl., a
Vancouver-based operation, even went so far as posting: "Nutrition experts
recognize canola oil as having the best fatty acid ratio." I guess these
"experts" live on one of those other planets where the vastly superior
flax, hemp, borage, and blackcurrant oils have yet to be cultivated. In addition
to some of the above glowing sentiments, the FOOD LOVER'S COMPANION by Sharon
Tyler Herbst states: "The bland-tasting canola oil is suitable both for
cooking and for salad dressings." Apparently harboring an ignorance about
this devitalized, flavorless ingredient, Ms. Herbst should be informed that all
oils lose their naturally nutty, unique, full-bodied tastes and aromas (as well
as nutritive content) after the manufacturing industry's tireless assault of an
array of destructive processes: Refining; Degumming; Batch acidulation;
Bleaching; Deodorization; High temperature expeller pressing; and Chemical
extraction methods using gasoline-like solvents. Now doesn't that sound
appetizing?
HOW SWEET IT ISN'T
In speaking with Sam Gerard, health consultant
and CEO of The Ultimate Life corporation (manufacturer of health products,
including the best-selling The Ultimate Meal nutritional powder), I was
delighted to receive a logical, simple outlook on the whole issue of Canola
oil's merits: "It's not a matter of how bad it is, but about how great it's
not. It's not even in the equation, nowhere near the Top Five best oils, falling
way below even Safflower. It might be low in saturated fat, but it's by no means
the best in essential fatty acids, which is the primary purpose of consuming
oils. No matter how much technology advances, all it's ever trying to do is
mimic or duplicate the abundant genius of nature. Emphasizing Canola's good
points is a marketing concept, because they are selling Canola oil, and can't
tell you to go out and buy the much healthier Flax or Borage or Olive, which are
their competition." According to Gerard, Flax ranks in first place (richest
in Omega-3 and -6 essential fatty acids) and Borage a close second (the highest
source of gamma linoleic acid at 21%, as compared to Evening Primrose Oil at
below 10%). As high temperatures would destroy their healing qualities, they
should be used cold in salad dressings and cereals, or added to foods after
cooking. Extra-virgin Olive oil (third on the list) and Sunflower oil (fourth)
are more stable and may be used for frying or other heat-related preparations.
Although Hemp oil is the true winner in the "best ratio of essential fatty
acids" category, Gerard feels that the product's cleanliness and integrity
is still in question because it is such a young industry, with controls and
standards not yet in place. (Please call 800/THE-MEAL--or 800/843-6325--for
further inquiries about The Ultimate Life products.)
DOWN IN THE MOUTH
Detouring from this common sense,
elimination-by-default approach to Canola oil's fall from glory, other health
advocates are taking a more vocal, radical position. Sally Fallon, author of
NOURISHING TRADITIONS,
writes: "Rapeseed is unfit for human
consumption because it contains a very long-chain fatty acid called "erucic
acid," which in large quan- tities is associated with fibrotic lesions in
the heart. Canola oil was bred to contain little if any erucic acid (2%) and has
drawn the attention of nutritionists because of its high oleic acid content. But
there are some indications that Canola oil presents dangers of its own. It has a
high sulphur content and goes rancid easily. Baked goods made with Canola oil
develop mold very quickly. The Omega-3 fatty acids of processed Canola oil
contain trans-fatty acids similar to those in margarine and possibly more
dangerous to the health." Fallon concludes with the warning that it should
be avoided completely. Even the conservative HARVARD HEALTH LETTER refers to
trans-fats as "the new enemy," citing mounting scientific evidence
that they contribute to heart disease and other adverse conditions.
Award-winning researcher Edward Siguel, M.D., Ph.D., author of ESSENTIAL FATTY
ACIDS IN HEALTH AND DISEASE, was invited to investigate fatty acids as part of
the Framingham Cardiovascular Offspring Study. After developing a sensitive test
to determine amounts within the human system, he found a definite correlation
between trans-fat levels and cardiovascular illness. In 1994, in a presentation
before the Second Annual Symposium on Functional Medicine, Siguel concluded that
"the insufficiency of EFA's (essential fatty acids) may underlie many of
the chronic diseases so prevalent in Western societies," cautioning as well
that low-fat diets not based on whole foods might be hazardous in this regard.
Surprisingly, Fallon offers evidence that
tropical oils such as Palm kernel and Coconut are actually a healthier option to
Canola and believes that the bad rap they have received is a result of intense
lobbying by the vegetable oil industry. Extremely stable, they can be stored at
room temperature for many months without turning rancid (and thereby
carcinogenic). Although they contain between 80-90% saturated fat, over
two-thirds of these are in the form of short- and medium-chain fatty acids
(often called "medium-chain triglycerides"), including the notable
"lauric acid." Found in large quantities in both coconut and mother's
milk, it appears to have strong anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties and
may safeguard us against bacteria and mold so prevalent in our food supply. She
observes that, as one-third of the world's nations in tropical areas have
switched to polyunsaturated vegetable oils, the incidence of intestinal
disorders and immune deficiency diseases has increased dramatically.
"The saturated fat scare has forced most
manufacturers to abandon these safe and healthy oils in favor of artifically
saturated, hydrogenated soybean, corn, and cottonseed oils--the waste products
of America's three biggest crops." (The first two are grown mainly for
livestock feed; as much as 80-95% of these crops go to fatten up our animals,
not to sustain hungry humans.) And according to Russell Jaffe, M.D., a noted
medical researcher, cottonseed oil--which, not being considered a food crop, may
be heavily sprayed with toxic pesticides-- contains toxic fatty acids similar to
those in the rapeseed oil that was taken off the market 30 years ago after being
suspected of causing several deaths. Cottonseed oil is cheap and plays a
widespread role in the food industry, commonly used to fry potato chips and in
(often times hydrogenated) baked and processed items.
UP IN SMOKE
The medical community is aware of a rare fatal
degenerative disease called Adrenoleukodystrophy (ADL), which is caused by
long-chain fatty acids (c22 to c28) building up and eventually destroying the
protective sheath (myelin) surrounding our nerves. Canola falls into this
category, being a c22 long-chain fatty acid. In addition, it potentially
degenerates into dangerous trans-fatty acids when heated above 320 degrees
Fahrenheit, which always occurs during commercial processing. Despite
manufacturer claims that their product is "expeller-pressed" or
"cold-pressed," (meaning no external heat source was applied), very
high temperatures are still generated by the machinery and cause extensive
damage. Even "lightly refined" canola oil is subjected to most of the
chemical processing steps applied to regular grocery store oils, the main
difference being that chemical solvents aren't used to extract the oil from the
seeds, and that preservatives and defoamers aren't added.
Those who will defend Canola may bring attention
to the fact that the Chinese and Indians have used for centuries with no ill
effects, but according to Udo Erasmus ("FATS THAT HEAL, FATS THAT
KILL"), their oils were in an unrefined form, which makes a world of
difference. However, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal on June
7, 1995 by Amal Kumar Maj, smoke emitted from rapeseed oil used for stir frying
in China was found to emit carcinogenic chemicals, increasing the incidence of
lung cancer in that country. And an ABC news report broad-cast on Feb. 15, 1994
aired results of a medical study which confirmed a definite link between the
consumption of Canola and Soy oils and the development of prostrate cancer in
men.
John Thomas, author of "YOUNG AGAIN: HOW TO
REVERSE THE AGING PROCESS,"
is another opinionated health activist who sees
no need to mince words. "Rape is the MOST (emphasis is his) toxic of all
food plants...a toxic weed...deadly poisonous...does NOT belong in the
body." Thomas argues that its tendency to form latex-like substances causes
agglutination (clumping or sticking together) of the red blood corpuscles,
thereby resulting in congested blood flow throughout the body and an
antagonizing of the central and peripheral nervous systems. He claims that hair
loss, anemia, constipation, irritability, pulmonary emphysema, respiratory
distress, glaucoma and even blindness may be the result for both animals and
humans consuming Canola oil.
Yes, baldness. Due to starvation of the scalp's
cells due to inadequate blood and lymph flow and poor removal of accumulated
wastes. Yes, blindness. From tissue death similarly due to reduced circulation.
"Agglutinated blood corpuscles CANNOT squeeze through the extremely tiny
capillaries of the posterior eye and therefore cannot deliver oxygen to the
mitochondria. When they die, the cells die and the tissues of the retina
atrophy...Loss of vision IS a known characteristic side effect of canola
oil."
But the worst isn't over. Thomas goes on to
explain several more constituents of Canola oil that wreck havoc on our
well-being. Large amounts of "iso-thio-cyanates," or
cyanide-containing compounds, inhibit the mitochondrial production of ATP
(Adenosine Triphosphate), the energy molecule that fuels the bio-electric body
and keeps us young.
It is rich in "Glycosides," as well,
which interfere with biochemistry. (In rattlesnake venom, it is this ingredient
that inhibits your muscle enzymes and causes instant immobilization.) He claims
that both canola and soy oils act as inhibitors of our metabolic enzymes by
binding to their active sites and blocking activity. Additionally, the organic
alcohols they contain depress the immune system by causing our "white blood
cell defense system--the T-cells--to go into a stupor and fall asleep on the
job...Canola alcohols are extremely 'PURE' and far more toxic than man-made
fermented products--even hard liquors." All in all, he feels the
astronomical onslaught of these oils from processed psuedo-foods is causing a
pile-up of biological insults, accelerating our descent into premature old age.
(Since John Thomas' book is not footnoted and makes no scientific references,
his intriguing statements no doubt demand further investigation.)
SWIMMING IN THE GENE POOL
As biotechnology extends its greedy tentacles
into almost every imaginable crevice of the food supply, applications to the
further improvement of the Canola crop were inevitable. During the mid-1980's,
the International Development Research Centre began funding agricul- tural
projects in which Canadian, Chinese, and Egyptian scientists began collaborating
on the exchange of germplasm to create a new hybrid seed (available to Canadian
farmers in 1995) with promising advantages: crop yield increases,
disease-resistance, shorter growth cycles, and the ability to adapt to
conditions in countries (India, Ethiopia) that could not before support it. Also
on the agenda are several new genetically-engineered strains of B.t. (Bacillus
thuringiensis), an effective, natural, biological pest control agent used to
protect Canada's fields of Canola. Harmful only to certain insects, though not
to people, animals, or the environment (going on the assumption that bugs are
not part of the "environment"), the new strains are being specifically
developed for use in different climates and against a wider range of insect
species. Long-term implications are frightening, however, according to Dr.
Joseph Cummins, Professor Emeritus of Genetics, University of Western Ontario:
"It has been shown in the laboratory that genetic recombination will create
highly virulent new viruses from such constructions. Modified viruses could
cause famine by destroying crops or cause human and animal diseases of
tremendous power."
The genetic modification of agricultural
commodities is almost exclusively a money-making venture, although claims are to
the opposite.
Regardless of the fact that the vast majority of
consumers (85%) have made it clear in surveys that they prefer gene-altered
foods be labeled so they may avoid purchasing and eating them, farmers, food
processors, and multinational pharmaceutical/chemical companies are plowing
their biotech steamroller right through the kitchens of those keeping them in
business. Bruce Dalgarno, President of the Canadian Canola Growers Association,
in the press release dated April 18, 1997, notes that both "the CCGA and
grower group boards have passed motions supporting the development of novel
trait canola, including herbicide-resistant varieties," also providing
guidance to government and corporate scientists.
However, health, ecology, and consumer advocate
organizations such as THE PURE FOOD CAMPAIGN and FOOD AND WATER know big
business too well to buy all the hype or to trust the glib tongue and
pat-on-the-back approach of their slick public relations campaigns that there is
nothing to worry about. A growing number doctors, microbiologists, and genetic
experts are jumping on the bandwagon, greatly concerned about the potentially
devastating effects of tampering with, rearranging, and attempting to fool
Mother Nature. Various field and medical research has already demonstrated some
of their fears to be true, including adverse health reactions (including
allergies) and rampant, uncontrollable biological pollution of ecosystems.
Brian Tokar, a Harvard biophysicist and Food and
Water's Biotechnology Consultant, points to one sure indicator that behind the
corporate, well-intentioned, Cheshire cat humanitarian facade crouches a beast
of purely economic incentive: "For years, the $50 billion biotechnology
industry has claimed that their new genetic technologies are going to feed the
world, relieve population pressures, cure all the deadliest diseases, etc. The
reality, unfortunately, is very different...The single most popular area of
research has been for chemical companies to try to engineer crops that are
resistant to their own brand of herbicide." True enough when it comes to
Canola. Monsanto and Hoechst/AgrEvo are both experimenting with varieties that
would be able to withstand high doses of two deadly weed killers: Glufosinate
and Glyphosate. Bacteria genes would be inserted into Hoechst's variety to
achieve this result. Along the same lines, Calgene's "Laurical" canola
(approved for sale by the USDA and FDA in 1995 for use in soap and food
products) has been shot up with bacteria and virus genes as well, in addition to
California bay, turnip, and rape.
Canola was introduced to the masses as a magic
bullet, another quick-fix solution to so many health problems we dig ourselves
into with our knife and fork. Now it appears that government and industry may
have been profiteers firing blanks, making a whole lotta noise so we would flock
in droves to the Canola circus. Once again, we must become our own detectives.
As Roger Bacon once wrote: "Since the days of revelation, the same four
corrupting errors have been made over and over again: submission to faulty and
unworthy authority; submission to what it was customary to believe; submission
to prejudicies of the mob; and worst of all, concealment of ignorance by a false
show of unheld knowledge, for no other reason than pride."
_____
FRANKENCROPS AND BIODEVASTATION: CANOLA AND
OTHER GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOODS
By Janet Allen <janetplanet1@earthlink.net c.
2000 All Rights Reserved
This article is a continuation on the subject of
two previous columns published in the California Sun: In the February/March 1998
issue, we investigated the development and manipulation of canola as a food
crop, how it was incorporated into the human diet on a grand commercial scale,
and researched claims about some negative health effects that are not generally
publicized. In the June 1998 issue, we explored additional scientific and
medical research along these lines, as well as watching how biotechnology and
genetic modification had succeeded in extending their greedy tentacles into
almost every imaginable crevice of the world,s food supply. We will now delve
deeper into the matter of genetically engineered organisms (GMO,s) and the
irreverent push by corporations to force them down the throats of an unwilling
public.
LAYING DOWN THE LAW OF THE LAND When we left
off, the battle over the labeling and safety testing of biotech foods had
reached a new level of intensity in the United States when a coalition of 31
highly visible environmental, farming, and scientific organizations filed a
formal legal petition to the Environmental Protection Agency on September 16,
1997. Groups including Greenpeace, the Sierra Club, the International Federation
of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), and the Institute for Agriculture and
Trade Policy charged the federal agency with gross negligence over its approval
of genetically engineered crops, calling for their removal from the market, as
well as fundamental changes in the U.S.,s presently lax regulatory laws
governing these agricultural products. The EPA failed to give a substantive
response within the following 90-day answer period, providing an opportunity for
further action. In a resounding shot over the bow of the biotech establishment
and the Clinton administration, attorneys from the International Center for
Technology Assessment (ICTA) filed a comprehensive lawsuit on behalf of
consumers, scientists, environmentalists, chefs, and religious groups to force
the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to require mandatory labeling and
adequate safety testing of all genetically engineered foods and crops. The
lawsuit was announced at a well-attended press conference in Washington, D.C. on
May 27, 1998.
According to Andrew Kimbrell, Executive Director
of ICTA and co-counsel on the case, "The FDA has placed interests of a
handful of biotechnology companies ahead of their responsibility to protect
public healthThe agency has made consumers unknowing guinea pigs for potentially
harmful, unregulated substances. According to ICTA attorney Joseph Mendelsohn,
current FDA and USDA labeling policies not only ignore public surveys concluding
that 90% of American consumers want mandatory labeling of GMO,s, but also
blatantly contradict federal laws. For example, the "Food, Drug, and
Cosmetic Act mandates the labeling of "materially altered foods such as
those exposed to nuclear radiation. What,s more, the lawsuit calls attention to
the fact that current "no labeling policies constitute a violation of many
Americans, spiritual and religious beliefs, posing a significant threat to
religious freedom and ethical choice. Segments of the population including Jews,
Muslims, Seventh-Day Adventists, and vegetarians need to avoid foods which
contain substances derived from animals, whose genes are currently being
inserted into the DNA of numerous vegetable and grain crops. (Genetic material
from pigs have been inserted into spinach, human genes into pigs, fish genes
into tomatoes, firefly genes into tobacco, and bacteria and virus genes into
numerous crops.) Additionally, genetic pollution of the environment,
irreversible reduction of the diversity of the world,s most significant food
crops, and an upsetting of the balance of numerous ecosystems could very likely
be the untimely legacy of this technology out-of-control. Greenpeace,s
BenediktHaerlin is convinced that an all-out ban is our one saving grace.
"Regulators around the world are well aware of this problem, but have not
dared to draw the necessary conclusions. Instead, they have agreed to the
thoroughly inadequate voluntary resistance management, presented by the chemical
industry. The genetic modification of agricultural commodities is almost
exclusively a money-making venture, although claims are to the opposite.
Regardless of the fact that the vast majority of consumers (85%) have made it
clear in surveys that they prefer gene-altered foods be labeled so they may
avoid purchasing and eating them, farmers, food processors, and multinational
pharmaceutical/chemical companies are plowing their biotech steamroller right
through the kitchens of those keeping them in business. Bruce Dalgarno,
President of the Canadian Canola Growers Association, in the press release dated
April 18, 1997, notes that both "the CCGA and grower group boards have
passed motions supporting the development of novel trait canola, including
herbicide-resistant varieties," also providing guidance to government and
corporate scientists. However, health, ecology, and consumer advocate
organizations such as THE PURE FOOD CAMPAIGN and FOOD AND WATER know big
business too well to buy all the hype or to trust the glib tongue and
pat-on-the-back approach of their slick public relations campaigns that there is
nothing to worry about. A growing number of doctors, microbiologists, and
genetic experts are jumping on the bandwagon, greatly concerned about the
potentially devastating effects of tampering with, rearranging, and attempting
to fool Mother Nature. A variety of field and medical research has already
demonstrated some of their fears to be true, including adverse health reactions
(including allergies) and rampant, uncontrollable biological pollution of
ecosystems. Brian Tokar, a Harvard biophysicist and Food and Water's
Biotechnology Consultant, points to one sure indicator that behind the
corporate, well-intentioned, Cheshire cat humanitarian facade crouches a beast
of purely economic incentive: "For years, the $50 billion biotechnology
industry has claimed that their new genetic technologies are going to feed the
world, relieve population pressures, cure all the deadliest diseases, etc. The
reality, unfortunately, is very different ...The single most popular area of
research has been for chemical companies to try to engineer crops that are
resistant to their own brand of herbicide." True enough when it comes to
Canola. Monsanto and Hoechst/AgrEvo are both experimenting with varieties that
would be able to withstand high doses of two deadly weed killers: Glufosinate
and Glyphosate. Bacteria genes would be inserted into Hoechst's variety to
achieve this result. Along the same lines, Calgene's "Laurical" canola
(approved for sale by the USDA and FDA in 1995 for use in soap and food
products) has been shot up with bacteria and virus genes as well, in addition to
California bay, turnip, and rape.
BLUE GENES
Critics and watchdogs of the
speeding-out-of-control biotech and genetic engineering industries have long
felt that they are disasters waiting to happen. Aldous Huxley forecast problems
in his 1932 book BRAVE NEW WORLD, while Erwin Chargoff (eminent biochemist and
Father of molecular biology) categorized such technologies as a "Molecular
Auschwitz. In his book HERACLITEAN FIRE, he notes the "awesome
irreversibility of genetic experi- mentation and warns that this technology
poses a greater threat than the advent of nuclear science. He writes, "I
have the feeling that science has transgressed a barrier that should have
remained inviolate. You cannot recall a new form of life. A severe shortage of
legislation demanding government regulatory and enforcement agencies, strict
fines, and codes of ethics has all too often left the fox guarding the henhouse
in numerous enterprises, inviting widespread neglect and abuse of potentially
harmful technologies. The corporate "Hall of Shame within the food
irradiation industry is lengthy enough to fill a roll of toilet paper, and
there,s little chance of wiping that slate clean when it comes to the biotech
bulletin board. Already, the evidence of dangerous carelessness has started to
roll in, with Canola topping the bill. On April 18, 1997, the St. Louis
POST-DISPATCH carried the story (only 84 words long, under a confusing headline,
and buried deep in a news wrap-up column on the business page) of Monsanto,s
discreet recall of "small quantities of a genetically engineered Canola
seed containing an unapproved gene that had gotten into the product by mistake.
However, Canadian government officials claimed the amount was not small, as
60,000 bag units of two different varieties (sufficient to seed some 60,000 to
750,000 acres of land) had to be retrieved. Some had already been planted when
Monsanto discovered the error, which apparently had gone undetected for a
substantial period of time. The recalled "Roundup Ready Canola was
genetically manipulated to withstand increased spraying with Monsanto,s
billion-dollar herbicide, glyphosate, marketed under the trade name Roundup.
This agricultural wonder product is responsible for a large proportion of the
chemical giant,s annual profits, being utilized by farmers and backyard
gardeners alike to kill weeds. Ordinarily, it is so lethal to the plants that it
must be used more sparingly, but Monsanto, with its eye on boosting sales, found
a way to allow plants to be douse with many times the usual dose. Inserting the
wrong gene configuration into a commercial product is precisely the kind of
catastrophe that opponents have been predicting for a decade. Despite
proponent,s insistence that such mistakes could never happen due to rigorous
quality-assurance programs and tight government regulations, this incident
proves a more threatening scenario: That the system is a failure and our safety
is at risk. If this could happen in Canada, where stricter controls are in
place, it could definitely occur in the United States at some future date.
Limagrain Canada Seeds, Inc. of Saskatchewan, which was selling the Canola seeds
under license, appeared to blame Monsanto squarely for the mistake. Company
spokesperson Gary Bauman explained that only Monsanto, who possesses the
expertise to detect genetic differences, could have discovered the apparent
contamination. In addition, tracing the exact origin of the error will be
difficult this late in the game, because the seeds now available for testing are
progeny (offspring) of the originals. "We may never know how it happened.
Small comfort from the scientific experts we are
asked to trust. With our food, with our health, with our lives, with our future.
_____
For more information, please contact: PURE FOOD
CAMPAIGN: (310)399-9355; (800)253-0681 Website: www.purefood.org TEN SPEED PRESS
(Dr. Lee Hitchcox): (800)841-BOOK PLEXUS PRESS (John Thomas): (800)659-1882 or
1885
The Health Effects Of Canola Oil - None Dare
Call It Rape
By Don Harkins for the SPOTLIGHT From the Idaho Observer 5-99
http://proliberty.com/observer/19990502.htm 12-13-99
The cheapest cooking oil on the market today is
called canola. It is used to fry potatoes in fast food restaurants and is found
on the list of ingredients for mayonnaise sold in health food stores. Canola is
taking the place of peanut oil in peanut butter and is being blended with olive
oil for domestic kitchen use.
Canola is a name that recently appeared in the
marketplace and is apparently derived from Canadian-oil. Canola oil is actually
produced from the rape seed plant. Rape (Brassica napus), a member of the
mustard family, is listed in the Encyclopedia Britannica as a poisonous plant
with toxic effects which include pulmonary emphysema, respiratory distress,
anemia, constipation, irritability and blindness in cattle.
According to John Thomas, author of Young Again:
How to Reverse the Aging Process, The name canola disguised the introduction of
rape oil to America.
Rape oil was widely used in animal feeds in
Great Britain between 1986 and 1991 at which time its use was discontinued,
Thomas wrote.
Most people remember the mad cow disease
epidemic and that cows, pigs and sheep went blind, behaved insanely, attacked
other animals and people and had to be destroyed.
Reports at the time blamed the erratic behavior
of livestock on a viral disease called scrapie (in sheep and pigs) and mad cow
disease in cattle. However, when rape oil was removed from animal feed, 'scrapie'
disappeared, Thomas explained.
According to Dr. Len Horowitz, author of
Emerging Viruses, AIDS and Ebola: Nature, Accident or Intentional, What is
scrapie in sheep, mad cow disease in cattle, wasting disease in wild game
animals, whirling disease in fish is Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease in people.
English experts told people not to panic if they
had been cooking with rape oil when mad cow disease was at its peak in Great
Britain, said Thomas. The 'experts' added that the effects of rape oil ingestion
takes at least 10 years to manifest.
With grain prices down and grass seed growers
faced with increasing opposition to their seasonal field burning, beautiful
yellow rape fields are contrasting deep green panoramas of what has
traditionally been field after field of grasses and grains in the northwest
United States. Rape, the most toxic of all food-oil plants that has no natural
insectoid predators, is a weed that can grow vigorously in most climates and
terrains throughout North America.
Rape toxicity
The toxic properties of the rape plant are
cyanide-containing compounds called isothiocyanates. Thomas explains that
cyanide inhibits the production of ATP in our bodies. ATP is the energy molecule
that powers the body and keeps us healthy and young.
According to Thomas, ...glaucoma is the result
of insufficient blood flow due to agglutination (clumping together) of the red
blood cells and waste buildup on the cells and intercellular fluids. Thomas
believes that ingestion of rape over time may cause glaucoma.
Thomas also believes that ingestion of rape over
several years causes other vision irregularities such as retinitis.
Thomas explains how the clumped red blood cells
cannot squeeze through the tiny capillaries in the posterior of the eye and,
therefore, cannot deliver oxygen to the mitochondria (the rod-shaped bodies in a
cell that facilitate the metabolism of fats, sugars and proteins).
Rape oil, as metabolized in the body, produces
the latex-like substance that causes the agglutination of red blood cells,
explained Thomas.
In this respect, glaucoma has much in common
with hair loss, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and
hearing problems.
Rape and the central nervous system
Rape is an acetlycholinesterase inhibitor.
Acetylcholine is critical to the transmission of signals from nerves to muscles.
When the normal function of aceytlcholinesterase is compromised, nerve fibers
are not able to send the signals properly and muscles will not respond as
expected.
In the last 20 years we have seen a dramatic
increase in muscular disorders such as multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy.
Soy and (rape) oils are players in the outbreak of these disease conditions. So
are the organophosphates--insecticides such as malthion-- used in food
production in the name of efficiency, commented Thomas.
There are many people throughout the country who
are convinced that rape oil is poisonous to the human body and that the body
digests rape in such a fashion that congests the blood and restricts the flow of
lymph fluid which can cause a myriad of physical and psychological disorders.
Moreover, using processed foods containing canola oil, soy oil and chemical
additives confuses the body and weakens the immune system, continued Thomas.
Thomas recommends that anybody who desires to
enjoy optimal health must take personal responsibility for what they put into
their bodies. 'Health care' industry is an oxymoron, concluded Thomas; it
protects its own health and its own economic interests. Learn to protect your
health and economic interests by learning how to take care of yourself. Then act
on that knowledge.
Young Again: How to Reverse the Aging Process is
published by Promotion Publishing, San Diego, CA. _____
The Idaho Observer P.O. Box 1353 Rathdrum, Idaho
83858-1353 Phone: 208-687-9441 Email: <mailto:observer@dmi.netobserver@dmi.net
Web: Link
Canola Oil - Is It Safe? Evidence Points To
BIG Trouble
Compiled by Darleen Bradley
From Hilary A. Thomas <standingrock@pagosa.net> 5-9-99
Canola Oil
This article is made public here on the net as a
public service announcement and does not necessarily reflect the views of this
website owner. We encourage you to do further research and determine the
validity of the following for yourself.
Canola oil from the rape seed, referred to as
the Canadian oil because Canada is mainly responsible for it being marketed in
the USA The Canadian government and industry paid our Federal Food and Drug
Administration (FDA). $50 million dollars to have canola oil placed on the
(GRAS) List "Generally Recognized As Safe" . Thus a new industry was
created. Laws were enacted affecting international trade, commerce, and
traditional diets. Studies with lab. animals were disastrous. Rats developed
fatty degeneration of heart, kidney, adrenals, and thyroid gland. When canola
oil was withdrawn from their diets, the deposits dissolved but scar tissue
remained on all vital organs. No studies on humans were made before money was
spent to promote Canola oil in the USA.
Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) is a rare fatal
degenerative disease caused by in a build up long-chain fatty acids (c22 to c28)
which destroys the myelin (protective sheath )of the nerves. Canola oil is a
very long chain fatty acid oil (c22). Those who will defend canola oil say that
the Chinese and Indians have used it for centuries with no effect, however it
was in an unrefined form.*
My cholesterol level was 150. After a year using
Canola oil I tested 260. I switched back to pure olive oil and it has taken 5
years to get it down to 160. Thus began this project to find answers since most
Doctors will say that Canola oil is O.K.
My sister spilled Canola oil on a piece of
fabric, after 5 pre-treatings and harsh washings, the oil spot still showed. She
stopped using Canola oil ,wondering what it did to our insides if it could not
be removed from cloth easily.
Our Father bred birds, always checking labels to
insure there was no rape seed in their food. He said, "The birds will eat
it, but they do not live very long."
A friend who worked for only 9 mo. as a quality
control taster, at an apple-chip factory where Canola oil was used exclusively
for frying, developed numerous health problems including loose teeth; gum
disease, gum and nail beds turned gray; numb hands and feet with cramps, swollen
arms and legs upon rising in the morning; extreme joint pain especially in
hands; cloudy vision; constipation with stools like black marbles; hearing loss;
skin tears from being bumped; lack of energy; hair loss; and heart pains. It has
been five years since she has worked there and still has some joint pain, gum
disease, and numbness. A fellow worker, about 30 yrs. old who ate very little
product, had a routine check up and found that his blood vessels were like those
of an 80 year old man. Two employees fed the waste product to baby calves and
their hair fell out. After removing the fried apple chips from the diet their
hair grew back in.
Be sure to check products for ingredients. If it
says, "This product may contain one or more of the following".... and
lists Canola oiL you can expect it to contain canola oil because it is the
cheapest oil and the government subsidizes Canola oil to some industries
involved in food processing, bakeries and schools.
My daughter and her girls were telling jokes.
Stephany hit her mom's arm with the back of a butter knife in a gesture,
"Oh mom" not hard enough to hurt. My daughters arm split open like it
was rotten. She called me to ask what could have caused it. I said, "I'll
bet anything that you are using Canola oil". Sure enough, there was a big
gallon jug in the pantry.
Rape seed oil is a penetrating oil, to be used
in light industry, not for human consumption. It contains a toxic substance.
(from encyclopedia ) Even after the processing to reduce the erucic acid
content, it is still a penetrating oil. We have found that it turns rancid very
fast. Also it leaves a residual rancid odor on clothing.
Rape seed oil used for stir-frying in China
found to emit cancer causing chemicals. (Rapeseed oil smoke causes lung cancer)
Amal Kumar Maj. The Wall Street JournaL June 7, 1995 pB6(W) pB6 (E) col 1(11 col
in). * taken from FATS THAT HEAL AND FATS THAT KILL by Udo Erasmus.
Canola oil is a health hazard to use as a
cooking oil or salad oil. It is not the healthy oil we thought it was, it is not
fit for human consumption.