Originally posted on Huffington Post - 12/29/16

Someone is not thinking this through. A new tomato has been developed which kills the tomato fruit borer caterpillar that eats it. While this may seem like beneficial progress for farmers, this is completely absurd for human consumption.

A plant which kills life is not something that any parent wants to feed their child. A plant which has a caterpillar die within 24 hours is called poison, not food for our families.

Scientists may argue that the method used to kill the caterpillar is not harmful to animals or humans, but I would abstain and remain a healthy skeptic. Fruit flies and humans share 60% genetic similarities. A tomato fruit borer has a more complex system than a fruit fly, so one could surmise that the shared genetics between a tomato fruit borer and humans, would likely be more than 60%. If a plant can kill a caterpillar with more than 60% shared genetic similarities to humans, I would not add that risk to my child’s dinner plate.

The problem is that many people are unknowingly already doing this with BT (Bacillus Thuringiensis) Corn. BT genetically modified corn, has the toxin from a dead grain caterpillar genetically engineered to constantly produce more toxins inserted into every cell of the corn plant via a bacteria or virus infection. This means every cell of the BT corn plant has the ability to transfer a genetically modified toxin which explodes the stomach of the caterpillar consumer.

Did anyone think of the human consumers?

BT corn, which makes up 20% of the GMO corn crops in the USA, has been in our food and livestock feed supply for nearly twenty years. The other 80% of GMOs are engineered to withstand toxic chemicals, increasing the consumption of toxins which are known neurotoxins, hormone disruptors, and more. Studies have shown harm to animals from consumption of BT GMO corn and toxins, yet the FDA and the food industry continue to ignore them. Human illnesses have skyrocketed since GMOs, to such a level that not even politicians can ignore them. Food allergies have increased 400% since GMOs were first introduced. 1 out of 2 children in the USA has a chronic illness.

Health care costs are crippling our nation.

Many scientists, doctors and parents are now demanding the end to GMO food and the use of toxic chemicals, linking them to the tragic increase of childhood diseases and even deaths. Increasing consumption of GMOs via a toxic tomato would likely be against their recommendation. Hundred of children die each year from food allergies, a phenomena unknown to most people 30 years ago.

Currently, however, successful campaigns for “An EpiPen in every classroom” show nationwide concern that children can die from food. Genetic engineering of our food may solve one problem for the farmer, but it creates a host of avoidable risks and dangers to humans and animals which we simply do not need.