Jeffrey Smith is the author of the best-selling book Seeds of Deception which is about the dangers of genetically modified foods, and he's also the author of the recently released Genetic Roulette. Jeffrey Smith never intended to be a leader in the health and food industries, but when he learned about the dangers of genetically modified foods, his passion became to change the world.
Jeffrey Smith once followed his passion to the position of Vice-President of Marketing at Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) detection laboratory, and he even ran for congress in the hopes that his message would be heard. Today, he travels the world speaking to political leaders with his book Seeds of Deception. The problem with Seeds of Deception is that it isn't a reference book. It's more like a novel, and of course, political leaders don't always have time to read novels.
Jeffrey Smith knew there must be some way to get his message out. He met with over 30 scientists during the course of a two year period to gather materials for Genetic Roulette. Genetic Roulette is a unique book that has facts for political leaders on one side of the page and references for scientists on the other side of the page. The book documents 65 of the health risks associated with GM foods. So what ARE GM foods, exactly?
When someone takes the DNA from one species and inserts it into another species to get an unnatural result, they are genetically modifying it. For example, scientists have tried to put the DNA of spiders into goats with the hope that they can milk the goat for spider proteins and use that milk to create bullet proof vests. In foods, the DNA of certain bacteria and viruses can be put into crops so that they won't die when sprayed with herbicide, and they can even be used to produce pesticides.
Eating foods like wheat bread or corn chips that are produced from GM wheat and corn crops presents a health crisis. The digestive tract of humans can quickly become the breeding ground for new pesticides. The goal of GM food scientists is to create new crops that are resistant to hazards. Better crops means more food for a starving world. The problem is that the research is still in a primitive stage. Eating these foods can be like playing roulette with your health.
Shouldn't food companies be concerned about the health of the people who buy their products? Jeffrey Smith feels that GM food companies are more concerned about profits. He spends his days spreading the word to world leaders, because it's dangerous to put a product on the market as quickly as possible. Sure, it generates revenues, but it also produces sick people.
Isn't the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) supposed to protect us from unsafe foods? The FDA's policy written in 1992 claims that the agency is "Not aware of any information showing that the foods created from these methods differ in any meaningful or uniform way." In short, the FDA is taking a hands-off approach to the whole subject, and they're not requiring any special testing.
Many of the FDA's own scientists have come forward to say that GM foods cause allergies, toxins, new diseases, and nutritional problems. Some even reported their findings to superiors, but they were ignored. Jeffrey Smith has made it his passion to spread the word about the hidden dangers of eating GM foods.