SAFETY AND AWARENESS IN FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

• GMOs (2 sources)• Pesticides, Herbicides, Fungicides• Heavily processed foods• Foods with no nutritional value

GMO - GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISM

A GMO is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA

molecules from different sources*, which are combined into one molecule to create a new set of genes.

This DNA is then transferred into an

organism**, giving it modified genes. Transgenic organisms, a subset of GMOs, are organisms which have inserted DNA that originated in a different species.

GEO – Genetically Engineered Organism GM – Genetically Modified

* Sources such as bacteria, viruses, pesticides, chemicals and radiation

** Organisms such as the DNA for seeds for plants such as soybean, corn, canola and cottonseed oil

WHY ARE THEY DANGEROUS?

GM foods have not been shown to be safe to eat

• GM is an imprecise way of incorporating foreign material into crops• The resulting foods have undergone little or no testing• Animal tests have shown worrying health effects• It has shown positive effects for cancer in the long run

• (especially cancer of the stomach)

• Currently these foods are unlabeled in the US and on the market• GM crops are a long term economic disaster for farmers• GM crops contaminate and destroy natural and conventional crops• GM crops are causing new and stronger allergic reactions• Impact on the environment in unknown

PRODUCTS THAT ARE GMOS ( SOURCE 1)

Current estimates of GMO products include the following: 91% of soybeans grown in the United States are GMOs. 88% of cotton is genetically modified. 75% of corn has been genetically modified. These items are often highly processed and added to many different convenience foods in forms like:

Cottonseed oil Soybean oil Soy protein High fructose corn syrup Corn oil Canola (rapeseed) oil

MORE GMO (SOURCE 2)

Animal Products

GMOs are used in the feed of various animals and farm raised fish. Always try to choose grass fed or wild caught meat products, certified organic, or products that are labeled non-GMO. Meat Dairy Fish Eggs

High Risk Products There are thousands of GMO ingredients. This should be considered a HIGH RISK abbreviated list.

Corn syrup Corn starch Corn oil Cornmeal Fructose Dextrose Glucose

Soy meal Lecithin Isoflavone Tofu Soy protein isolate Vegetable oil Cottonseed oil Canola oil

Aspartame Vitamin E Xanthan gum Tempeh Tofu Vitamin B-12 Baking powder MSG

PARTIAL LIST OF GMO FOOD PRODUCTS

Salad Dressings Infant Formula Bread, Rolls, Pastry Baby Cereal Canned rolls and breads Hamburgers and Hotdogs Margarine Processed Meats Mayonnaise Crackers Chocolate Cookies Candy Fried Foods Frozen Foods Chips Tofu Veggie Burgers

Soy Burgers Meat Substitutes Aspartame Ice Cream Frozen Yogurt Tamari Soy Sauce Soy Cheese Soy Nuts and Products Processed Cheese Pasteurized Cheese Tomato Sauce Marinades Barbeque Sauce Soups Canned Stews Sauces Dried and Dehydrated Soups/Sauces  

Condiments Drinks Protein Powder Baking Powder Alcohol Vanilla Peanut Butter Pasta Enriched Flour Powdered Sugar Children’s snacks Cereals Cake and Baking Mixes Frozen pie and pastry shells  

GMO SEEDS ARE SPREADING

Solid: The five countries producing more than 95% of commercialized GMO

Dashed: Other countries producing commercialized GMO

Over30

countries have banned GMOs

PESTICIDES, HERBICIDES & FUNGICIDES

A pesticide is any substance or mixture of substances intended for: preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest.

Though often misunderstood to refer only to insecticides, the term pesticide also applies to herbicides, fungicides, and various other substances used to control pests.

Pesticides…on our food, even after washing;…in our bodies, for years;…& in our environment, traveling many miles on wind, water and dust.

PESTICIDES, HERBICIDES & FUNGICIDES

(PAN) Pesticide Action Network

PAN works to loosen the pesticide industry’s control over global agriculture by holding accountable governmental bodies that are charged with regulating pesticides. They have been in business for over 27 years, across six continents–and are working to reform our food industry.

Pesticides were introduced into farming 70 years ago, along with petrochemicals-derived fertilizers, which set U.S. farming down a costly and unsustainable path. Along the way, community-scale farming was nearly destroyed, generations have suffered ill health ranging from cancer to autism and Parkinson’s, biodiversity has taken big hits, and the six mega-corporations who dominate the pesticide industry have gotten very rich and very powerful.

www.whatsonmyfood.org

A FEW FACTS ABOUT PESTICIDES

• Pesticide regulations in the U.S. are well behind much of the rest of the industrialized world. This is mostly because agrichemical corporations like Monsanto have too much influence in Washington

• The human health impacts linked to pesticide exposure range from birth defects and childhood brain cancer to Parkinson's’ Disease in the elderly.

Autism Breast Cancer Children’s Diseases Diabetes Parkinson’s Disease

• Farm workers in particular remain the least protected class of workers in the U.S. Poisoning incidents among farm workers are vastly underreported – yet in California alone, hundreds of cases of pesticide poisoning are documented every year.

• Occupational exposure to pesticides in acute cases range from dizziness and nausea to death; chronic exposures are linked to the same array of diseases listed above plus a few more listed below.

Acute poisonings Allergic asthma in farm workers Childhood leukemia

Organophosphates Parkinson’s Disease

PAN TESTING AND FACTS

•6 suspected hormone disrupters were found on cranberries. These chemicals are linked to cancers, obesity and developmental disorders.

•Atrazine, a pesticide, is found in 94% of US drinking water. Banned in Europe, Atrazine disrupts hormone systems.

•An average american child gets 5+ servings of pesticide residues in their food and water daily.

•888 million pounds of pesticides are applied each year in the US. That is approximately 3 lbs per person.

•14 different pesticides were detected in one strawberry sample. 697 of 741 tested positive for residues.

•Attention Deficit Disorder in children are linked with Pesticides on Food says a new study out of Harvard. Results showed that even tiny, allowable amounts of a common pesticide class can have dramatic results on brain chemistry.

www.whatsonmyfood.org

HEAVILY PROCESSED FOODS = NO NUTRITIONAL VALUE

Fast Food

If it's boxed, bagged, canned or jarred and has a list of ingredients on the label, it's processed.

Methods used to process foods include:

Canning

Freezing

Refrigeration

Dehydration

Aseptic Processing(flash heating process)

Drying

Roasting

Hot/Cold Smoking

Breading

DISEASES LINKED TO HEAVILY PROCESSED FOODS

• CANCER - Some synthetic chemicals used in the processed foods industry are known to have carcinogenic properties.

In fact, a seven-year study conducted by the University of Hawaii of almost 200,000 people found that those who ate the most processed meats (hot dogs, bologna) had a 67 percent higher risk of pancreatic cancer than those who ate little or no meat products.

• OBESITY - Heavily processed foods are usually higher in sugar, fat and salt, and lower in nutrients and fiber than the raw foods used to create them, making them the perfect choice if you're interested in unhealthy weight gain and water retention.

According to the World Health Organization, processed foods are to blame for the spike in obesity levels and chronic disease around the world. • HEART DISEASE - Many processed foods have trans fatty acids (TFA), the dangerous type of fat you don't want in your diet. TFA's give a rise to LDL, the dangerous cholesterol, and decrease HDL, the good one.

HEAVILY PROCESSED FOODS

• FAST FOOD

• canned foods with lots of sodium • white breads and pastas made with refined white flour, which are not as healthy as those made with whole grains

• packaged high-calorie snack foods, like chips and cheese snacks

• high-fat convenience foods, like cans of ravioli

• frozen fish sticks and frozen dinners

• packaged cakes and cookies

• boxed meal mixes

• sugary breakfast cereals

•processed meats such as sausages, hot dogs, ham and bolgna

MY PROJECT

A series of stickers promoting my social issue of:

Safety and Awareness in Food and Agriculture

• 2 stickers for GMOs

- GMOs in plant/products- GMOs from animal products

• Sticker for Pesticides

• Sticker for highly processed foods rendering no nutritional value

GMO AWARENESS IN ACTION

GMO AWARENESS IN ACTION

GMOS AWARENESS FROM ANIMAL PRODUCTS

GMOS

AWARENESS

FROM

ANIMAL

PRODUCTS

PESTICIDE AWARENESS

PESTICIDE AWARENESS

HEAVILY PROCESSED FOOD AWARENESS

DESIGN CHOICES:

• Pictograms were used for the simplicity in showing actions and processes – instead of a lot of text.

• Also to lessen the seriousness of the issue and gain attention to the images telling the story. This was chosen instead of using traditional warning, caution, and skull and cross bone imagery.

• Black and red colors were used because black usually has the connotation of being “negative”, can be associated with “death” and “power” and “authority.” Red often being associated with “ danger”, “power” and is the color of “stop signs and stop lights”- indicating- “STOP- pay attention.”

• Stickers were chosen so they could be used and shown in action. This was an activist social issue.

WHY DID I CHOOSE THIS ISSUE?

Because its FOOD! We eat it all day long, everyday, it’s one of our basic human needs.

We should have the right to know what is in our food, if it will harm us or cause problems in the future. W each should have the knowledge of what we eat and the choices as to what we eat.

All foods should be labeled as to:• Country of Origin• Nutritional Facts• Where it was manufactured• How it was manufactured• If anything unnatural was used on it• Does it contain GMOs• If imported, how long did it sit before I consume it

Kathy Adams

Graphic Design StudioFall 2010Jiwon Lee