It's Halloween season. Beware of the scare tactics about health advocates that may sneak up on you. A previous article by a GMO proponent Julie Kelly in The Chicago Tribune used the Jelly Belly Company decision to go organic as a “lifestyle choice” to spread more lies about GMOs.

As a mother of three boys, one which almost died from food and another who nearly lost his future potential due to autism symptoms, I am fed up with the treacherous marketing tactics used by the food and chemical industry and their supporters.

The fact is that GMOs are foreign proteins, made in a lab, and they’re not proven to be safe for humans. Foreign proteins can cause inflammation in the gut, allergic reactions and over time, ulcers which develop into cancer. Look at the gross reality of the American Farmer Howard Vlieger’s pigs stomachs which ate GMO feed and ask yourself which is scarier? The slightly higher price for organic candy or not knowing whether or not the kids you give GMO candy to will have stomachs like these?
The author fails to mention that 100% of major GMO crops are “Pesticide Plants.” Pesticides kill.

I can’t think of anything more insane than spraying poison on our food, hiding that fact, spinning it as “better farming practices,” and then feeding that poison-laced food to our most vulnerable babies and children. And what is more terrifying is that it is systemic. Our government has agreed to this and subsidizes it. Our tax payer-funded, elected officials repeatedly side with the corporations rather than choosing to protect us.

The author’s claim that GMOs support farmers to grow food more efficiently may be true for the first few years, but she fails to mention the fact that these farmers are repeatedly exposed to neurotoxins, which can lead many harms including depression. The horrifying fact is that the highest number of suicides in any career in the USA are by farmers.

Long term, these toxic chemicals deteriorate the quality of the soil, leading to increased use of  fertilizers which pollute local waterways. They also reduce the soil’s ability to retain water, leading to increased drought, greater water usage, and increase the number of super weeds. In short, although it’s an appealing concept, GMO chemical farming actually enslaves farmers in a toxic treadmill of chemical cocktails. Our farmers are better than this.

The author fails to mention that 80% of GMOs are engineered to withstand Roundup weedkiller or glyphosate based herbicides (GBH). GBH can also be sprayed on non organic crops such as wheat, soy, and the sugarcane found in most candies. GBH is also used as a drying agent before harvest and residues are allowed on 158 of American food and feed crops. This herbicide does not dry, wash or cook off. Our children and our neighbor’s children eat them. They don’t have the capacity to detox these chemicals the way adults do. In fact, glyphosate based herbicides have been shown to be toxic below the levels allowed by the EPA. Even the American Academy of Pediatrics has stated that, “Prenatal and early childhood exposure to pesticides is associated with pediatric cancers, decreased cognitive function and behavioral problems.”

Although many will claim the pesticides used on our food are safe, as deemed so by the EPA, in fact, that approval process is faulty. The EPA has admitted to me directly that they do not have even one long term animal study on the final formulation of Roundup. Nor would they on any pesticide used on our food. Their policy is to only require safety studies on one declared “active chemical ingredient.” This means the claim that Roundup is safe is unfounded. In addition the other formulants in Roundup have been found to be 1000 times more toxic than glyphosate alone, and this of course is being ignored because it is not conducive to food or candy sales.

Pesticides have been scientifically linked to neurotoxicity, loss of IQ, birth defects, brain, liver and kidney damage, cardiovascular toxicity, endocrine disruption,testes damage, reproductive organ and placental cell damage, the destruction of gut bacteria which weakens the immune system, and to cancer.

So as inconvenient as it is to know, it still remains a fact that the candy most Americans are happily dole out to children everywhere on Halloween is contributing to the demise of the American health and culture. Companies like Dannon, Campbell’s Soup, Hershey’s and yes, Jelly Belly Company, are understanding that consumers do not want GMOs, we want organic. What is most terrifying for them is that this “trend” is not going away, and if they don’t listen to us and make changes, they will be ghosts of the past.

Zen Honeycutt

Executive Director, Moms Across America

P.S. Halloween is just the beginning of the the sugary Holiday Season. We think it is no coincidence that it is also labeled "flu season". Please reduce your family's sugar intake and increase Vitamin D and C to prevent the flu. Also make sure your candy purchases going forward are organic.

This is not a paid advertisement for any brands pictured, nor are they our sponsors.

Moms Across America is a 501c3 non profit organization whose motto is “Empowered Moms, Healthy Kids.” Find out more at www.momsacrossamerica.org

Halloween Flyers and Stickers

Print out these flyers and hand them out to help spread the awareness about GMOs and  eating healthy all year long, including Halloween!  Have healthy non-GMO treats?  Print out these stickers and attach them to your treats -- the parents will be thankful!  Right-click on the image to view and then you can download the image and print out.  It's that easy!