John Kinsman, president and founder of Family Farm Defenders will be joining us as our guest speaker.
From “With no labeling, few realize they are eating genetically modified foods” by Monica Eng
“Organic foods, by definition, can’t knowingly contain genetically modified organisms, known as GMOs. But genetically modified corn, soy, and other crops have become such common ingredients in processed foods that even one of the nation’s top organic food retailers says it hasn’t been able to avoid stocking some products that contain them….Used in an estimated 70 percent of all American processed food, genetically modified crops make up 93 percent of all soy, 86 percent of all corn and 93 pecent of all canola seeds planted in the U.S., which makes stocking only non-GMO products difficult, said Joe Dickson, quality standards coordinator for Whole Foods Market ‘Until there’s federal government mandated labeling of GMO ingredients, there’s no way to tell if packaged products contain GMO ingredients,’ Dickson said. ‘Our approach is to work in the spirit of partnership with our suppliers…to encourage them to take active steps to avoid GMO ingredients.'”
Questions for Consideration
Why is it important to know if foods have been genetically modified? What are the risks of consuming genetically modified foods? What are any benefits of growing GMO crops for individual consumers or producers? Do you want to avoid products that contain GMOs? Why or why not? What effect does harvesting GMO crops have on our agriculture and environment?
Want to learn more?
More about our guest speaker:
John Kinsman is an organic dairy farmer and forester from Lime Ridge, Wisconsin. John Kinsman is president of Family Farm Defenders (FFD), a group he helped found in 1994 to promote sustainable agriculture, fair trade, workers rights, animal welfare, consumer safety, environmental stewardship and – above all – food sovereignty. He is also the secretary of the National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC). Through FFD, John also works to relocalize food/farm economies and forge new economic relationships between consumers and farmers. John remains one of the leading U.S. critics of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and is also an outspoken critic of corporate globalization. As one of the farmer leaders involved in Via Campesina, the largest umbrella organization for farmers, fishers, foresters, hunters, gatherers, and indigenous peoples in the world – he has also traveled extensively around the world to share the message of food sovereignty.
Free and open to the public. For more information, call 312.422.5580.
If you need a sign interpreter or require other arrangements to fully participate, please call 312.422.5580. For parking locations near the facility, please visit Chicago Parking Map