| The front page news story in June that
| |
| | malnourished people, and the lists grow
|
| human breastmilk has been found to
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| | long of those awaiting operations.
|
| contain over 350 manmade chemicals which
| |
| | Key mineral and vitamin deficiencies are
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| are being passed onto breastfed babies in
| |
| | becoming widespread18 – thought to play
|
| increased toxic concentrations1 may have
| |
| | a vital part in the increase in poor
|
| shocked many people. It may unfortunately
| |
| | health, behavioural problems and even in
|
| have caused some mothers to stop
| |
| | the increasing number of criminals.
|
| breastfeeding their infants, and others
| |
| | Preventative health is not a popular term
|
| to avoid it altogether, despite official
| |
| | in this country. Through our taxes
|
| pleas that breast is still best.
| |
| | we’re paying millions of pounds each
|
| (It’s a shame there was no similar
| |
| | year to support unsustainable farming and
|
| report available at the same time into
| |
| | food, to clean up the mess of fiascos
|
| pollutants in formula milks, dairy cows
| |
| | such as BSE, to detect residues of
|
| and their milk.) But while the WWF-UK
| |
| | harmful substances which shouldn’t be
|
| report behind the headlines may have been
| |
| | put on or in our food in the first
|
| new, the tragedy it told wasn’t.
| |
| | instance, to have our drinking water
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| Many warnings of this toxic chemical
| |
| | cleaned of farming pollutants (many of
|
| legacy being passed from generation to
| |
| | which still remain), to set up a food
|
| generation have been voiced over the past
| |
| | agency and yet more committees to monitor
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| 50 years by scientists, organic and
| |
| | and regulate conventional food processing
|
| environmental pioneers and activists who
| |
| | (when it’s the production system which
|
| foresaw the dangers or witnessed first
| |
| | is the real problem) and worrying
|
| hand the evidence of it in both animals
| |
| | developments such as GM foods, and to
|
| and humans around the world. Worryingly
| |
| | support an ailing health service treating
|
| many of these experts and scientists,
| |
| | an ever increasing number of polluted
|
| such as Liverpool University foetal
| |
| | people at the end of the polluted food
|
| toxicologist Dr Vyvyan Howard, say and
| |
| | chain.
|
| have the evidence to show that the
| |
| | Surely we have the basic right to be able
|
| intrauterine effects of these chemicals
| |
| | to buy and eat uncontaminated food free
|
| (even in small amounts and especially in
| |
| | of artificial chemical additives and GM
|
| combination) is even more toxic and
| |
| | ingredients? Surely our babies and our
|
| harmful to the developing embryo and
| |
| | children have the right not to be force
|
| foetus. The damage is already being done
| |
| | fed these substances or poisoned by them
|
| before our babies are born.
| |
| | in the womb, on the breast or in their
|
| Published warnings made available to the
| |
| | weaning solids? So where do we turn? To
|
| public have included Rachel Carson’s
| |
| | the politicians and government agencies
|
| seminal book Silent Spring in 1962, Dr
| |
| | who say there are no risks and it’s all
|
| Theo Colborn’s Our Stolen Future in
| |
| | perfectly safe (as they did during the
|
| 1996 and Professor John Wargo’s Our
| |
| | BSE crisis?) Just what is safe for us to
|
| Children’s Toxic Legacy in 1998. Their
| |
| | eat and to feed our families? Organic and
|
| collective pleas for official sanity have
| |
| | biodynamic foods, including those grown
|
| largely fallen on deaf ears and so the
| |
| | under permaculture systems, hold the
|
| legacy – which stretches to the
| |
| | answer. Their benefits include the fact
|
| furthest reaches of the earth affecting
| |
| | that they are grown as naturally as
|
| Eskimos, polar bears (some of which have
| |
| | possible without the aforementioned
|
| been found to be hermaphrodites), seals,
| |
| | unnecessary additives, and that they are
|
| dolphins and whales alike2 – has
| |
| | processed without others such as
|
| continued unabated.
| |
| | hydrogenated fats, modified starches,
|
| So what does all of this have to do with
| |
| | artificial flavourings, colourings,
|
| the food we eat? Surely the sources of
| |
| | sweeteners, preservatives and most other
|
| most of these pollutants contaminating
| |
| | E numbers commonly found in many
|
| our breastmilk and body fat are beyond
| |
| | non-organic foods. Instead of being
|
| our control – the fallout from years of
| |
| | intensively farmed unsustainably so that
|
| industrial waste pollution from factories
| |
| | natural resources are depleted, and the
|
| and production of PVC plastics and other
| |
| | traditional hedgerow landscape destroyed
|
| consumer goods, and from traffic
| |
| | and turned into monoculture prairies;
|
| pollution, etc.? Think again. The food we
| |
| | organic lands and soils are nurtured and
|
| eat – something we can control – is a
| |
| | built up naturally and gradually with
|
| major contributor. Most of our food is
| |
| | plant and animal manures, composts and
|
| produced on an industrial scale, using
| |
| | rotation methods to increase their
|
| artificial fertilisers – up to
| |
| | fertility – the way they traditionally
|
| two-thirds of which leach into and
| |
| | were before the ‘grow big and quick at
|
| contaminate groundwater, lakes and
| |
| | all costs’ chemical methods were
|
| streams3 – and pesticide, herbicide and
| |
| | introduced.
|
| fungicide chemicals which carry poison
| |
| | Scientists and organic pioneers such as
|
| hazardous warnings on their containers
| |
| | the great late Sir Albert Howard promoted
|
| and require protective clothing and a
| |
| | the human health benefits of foods farmed
|
| licence when used. In 1997 alone, over 25
| |
| | this way as far back as the late 1930s
|
| million kilograms of these chemicals were
| |
| | and early 1940s when he warned about the
|
| sold in the UK and most were sprayed onto
| |
| | dangers of going down the chemical
|
| Britain’s fields.
| |
| | additive route with farming and the
|
| Most of these are not biodegradable and
| |
| | public’s food, telling us (based on
|
| persist to contaminate the environment,
| |
| | decades of his international work and
|
| kill wildlife (many birds, including
| |
| | studies) that: ‘A fertile soil means
|
| three quarters of the skylark population,
| |
| | healthy crops, healthy livestock and last
|
| have vanished from the countryside due to
| |
| | but not least healthy human beings. Soil
|
| intensive farming practices5),
| |
| | fertility is the basis of the public
|
| contaminate our drinking water (millions
| |
| | health system of the future.’19 Lady
|
| of pounds is spent each year trying to
| |
| | Eve Balfour, founder of the Soil
|
| remove pesticides by water companies6)
| |
| | Association in the late 1940s similarly
|
| and leave detectable residues in or on
| |
| | said ‘The soil is a living organism.
|
| our foods and drinks.
| |
| | The health of man, beast, plant and soil
|
| Our daily diet is now reported to contain
| |
| | is one indivisible whole.’20 Nutrition
|
| residues of some 30 different artificial
| |
| | pioneers of the 1930s, Drs Weston Price
|
| chemicals7 and a supermarket apple may
| |
| | and Francis Pottenger of the US, and Sir
|
| have been treated up to 40 times with any
| |
| | Robert McCarrison of the UK, showed
|
| of 100 chemicals. The government warns us
| |
| | through their extensive studies of humans
|
| to peel fruits such as apples and pears
| |
| | and animals on wholesome diets natural to
|
| and peel, top and tail carrots due to
| |
| | them versus refined diets unnatural to
|
| ongoing detection of these residues, and
| |
| | them that good health depends on good
|
| the wide variance in residue levels.
| |
| | nutrition.
|
| It’s now thought that one in 1000
| |
| | How sad then that all this early
|
| apples could give you a headache or
| |
| | foresight on the need for good, healthy,
|
| stomach upset. UK farmers are even
| |
| | unadulterated food was officially ignored
|
| occasionally found to use chemicals
| |
| | and that instead organic organisations
|
| banned for use in this country on produce
| |
| | such as the Soil Association have had to
|
| grown for human consumption, and imported
| |
| | struggle with limited funds and
|
| foods can also contain residues of
| |
| | continually battle authorities to have
|
| chemicals from the UK banned list.
| |
| | organic food and farming recognised for
|
| Many of these pesticides are known
| |
| | its merits and benefits to human health
|
| carcinogens and are also linked to other
| |
| | and the environment. Organic farming
|
| degenerative diseases such as
| |
| | still makes up less than one per cent of
|
| Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Some are
| |
| | total UK agricultural land; and people
|
| also hormone disrupters, mimickers or
| |
| | have to march, protest and forcefully
|
| blockers – able to trigger
| |
| | demand what should be our birthright –
|
| hormone-related diseases.
| |
| | the right to pure, wholesome, affordable,
|
| The feed of livestock and poultry bound
| |
| | unadulterated healthy food. Also, an
|
| for our dinner tables as meat can contain
| |
| | organisation as valuable to healthy
|
| pesticides, routine antibiotics
| |
| | future generations as the charity the
|
| (contributing to the current looming
| |
| | Foresight Association for the Promotion
|
| crisis of resistant super bugs in both
| |
| | of Pre-conceptual Care remains relatively
|
| animals and humans, and the increasing
| |
| | unknown in the public eye and poorly
|
| loss of effectiveness of lifesaving
| |
| | funded. It helps to get thousands of
|
| antibiotics), colourants (to help battery
| |
| | couples around the world each year onto
|
| hens produce yellow yolks), growth
| |
| | healthy organic wholefood diets as part
|
| hormones, and even engine oil (remember
| |
| | of its programme four to six months
|
| the recent Belgian foods debacle?) and
| |
| | before they conceive in order to produce
|
| stray dead dogs (a practice stumbled upon
| |
| | a healthy baby.
|
| in Ireland in livestock bound for the
| |
| | The successful Gerson therapy for
|
| EU).
| |
| | battling cancer only uses organic foods
|
| Farmed fish are also fed colourants (to
| |
| | and claims the therapy simply doesn’t
|
| turn the flesh pink) and drugs to prevent
| |
| | work with non-organic produce. Men eating
|
| outbreaks of disease, which invariably
| |
| | organic diets have been shown to have
|
| reach wild waterways.13 And will we ever
| |
| | higher sperm counts than those who
|
| forget BSE and CJD? And what about
| |
| | don’t, and Foresight has research
|
| genetically engineered foods – GM
| |
| | results showing a ninety percent success
|
| ingredients are already found in 60 per
| |
| | rate, with most of its couples following
|
| cent of non-organic processed foods and
| |
| | its organic food programme going on to
|
| most will remain unlabelled despite new
| |
| | have healthy, ideal weight babies –
|
| EU legislation.
| |
| | even for those couples who previously
|
| A recent Food Commission survey also
| |
| | were ‘infertile’. By comparison
|
| revealed that there can be up to two per
| |
| | IVF’s average success rate is 16.7%.
|
| cent GM ingredients in non-organic
| |
| | There are countless positive anecdotes
|
| products labelled ‘GM free’ and that
| |
| | from individuals and families in books
|
| the EU is likely to set a two to three
| |
| | such as The Shopper’s Guide to Organic
|
| per cent tolerance level. New toxins are
| |
| | Food by Lynda Brown and The Organic Baby
|
| feared from these new, untested (on human
| |
| | Book who have converted to organic foods
|
| health) foods which have been found to be
| |
| | and noticed a marked improvement in their
|
| toxic to many insects and have foreign
| |
| | own and their families’ health.
|
| genes transplanted into them from other
| |
| | Anyone who eats a mainly organic diet
|
| plant or animal species and viruses which
| |
| | wouldn’t dream of going back
|
| are used to ‘switch’ the new genes
| |
| | intentionally. While we await the
|
| on.
| |
| | scientific evidence to prove what we
|
| GM food production also poses the biggest
| |
| | already know about organic wholefoods and
|
| threat to organic food production through
| |
| | their benefits, and as the supply and
|
| contamination by cross-pollination –
| |
| | quality continues to increase (there is
|
| many campaigners fear that the two cannot
| |
| | now three times the amount of UK land in
|
| co-exist on an island the size of
| |
| | conversion than there is existing as
|
| Britain.16 And while we make all this
| |
| | organic) the jury is in session daily on
|
| ‘progress’ with hi-tech food
| |
| | the case of non-organic food and farming
|
| production and farming, cancers, other
| |
| | and its detrimental effects on our health
|
| degenerative diseases and infertility are
| |
| | and our environment, collecting more and
|
| rising and sperm counts and nutrient
| |
| | more damning evidence against it.
|
| levels in our farming soils and food are
| |
| | It’s time the judge finally ordered its
|
| declining.17 The NHS groans with the
| |
| | demise.
|
| burden of more and more sick and
| |
| |
|
