I’m sure many people can relate to this scenario. You drive to your local market, pick up ingredients to make dinner or even a nice salad, come home and prepare the foods then serve it to your family. That sounds innocent enough. It’s also a scenario that is played out day after day in homes across America and around the world. However, do you ever stop and think for one moment where you food came from? I’m not talking about what country. I’m referring to whether or not that head of lettuce you picked up came from a farm in Iowa or a laboratory. If you think you can tell the difference – your wrong!
Genetically Manufactured Organisms, or GMO, are food sources that have been tampered with in a laboratory in hopes of making the food better, healthier, more sustainable or resistant to toxic pesticides. Picture a “mad scientist” with a bunsen burner, vials and needles messing around with something so pure as a seed. Why? Is it necessary? The crops that people grow to produce fruits and vegetables have been fine for millions of years. Why would you want to mess with that?
A documentary from Cinema Libre, which was made available on DVD this week, explores the ramifications of GMO foods, specifically Chillies. The film is called Genetic Chile: The History of Genetically Modified Food. This film is an in-depth dissection of the corporate takeover of the world’s food supply and the resulting INCREASES in hunger, poverty and even death!
This film explores how scientists (not farmers) are producing genetically altered Chilies in New Mexico, a place where chilies are popular and are regularly used in meals, desserts and even beverages.
My thought is “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it“. Clearly the chili pepper is doing just fine in New Mexico and other places across the globe. Farmers grow the chili peppers, harvest them and sell them in markets. It keeps the farmer in business and it provides consumers with this popular ingredient. There isn’t a shortage of chili peppers either. So why would people want to mess around with nature and create a chili pepper in a lab? A chili that has been genetically modified. I just don’t understand why people want to “play God” and mess around with nature – the same nature that has been around for thousands of years and will most likely surpass human existence, that is if humans don’t kill off that naturally grown fruits and vegetables and replace them with a lab-grown variety.
Genetic Chili goes in depth to discuss why people create GMO products, who is benefiting from them (I’ll give you a hint – it’s NOT the farmer or consumer and it has to do with $$$), the long term health hazards associated with GMO food products, and how GMOs are HURTING, not helping people.
I have to warn you, watching this film will make you think about the food you are putting in your body. It will make you want to find an island far away from civilization and cultivate and grow your own fruits and vegetables.
The documentary is very eye opening. It shows how big corporations like Monsanto are capitalizing on things like GMO seeds and running small, and not so small, farms out of business. I won’t get started on Monsanto. I have seen other documentaries that talk about them and read articles about them and let’s just say I have nothing kind to say about that company. Rent Food, Inc. That will give you a good background on that company. Genetic Chili also brings up Monsanto on numerous occasions.
I won’t give you all the specifics of the film because I think it’s an important film that you should see for yourself. It actually made me both sick to my stomach and infuriated watching the film. Sick because of what GMO’s can do to your body and our environment, and ticked off because it all boils down to $$$ with total disregard to people’s health and livelihoods.
Another scary thing I learned is that the pollen from the GMO plants carry on to other plants and crops. Even if the crop is considered organic it can contain GMO’s. Not only is this misleading to consumers, it can also run an organic farmer out of business once his organic crops are tainted.
The whole documentary upsets me. The film makers did a wonderful job. It’s not the film that upset me, it’s the facts they uncovered that did.
Look for Genetic Chili where ever movies are sold. You can also find it at the Cinema Libre store.
You can learn more about the film, GMO’s and other very important information by visiting www.GeneticChile.com.
Kimberly
*I received a free screener copy in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.
csanmsw says
I just have to make a comment about finding a safe place on an island to grow food. One day I was talking about buying my food at a health food store to assure I was not eating GMO foods and the staff person said, all of our food except papayas are GMO free. As papayas have a big place in my diet, I said, “What? Papayas?” He told me they couldn’t assure that any papaya in Hawaii was GMO free since they have cultivated GMO papayas in Hawaii since the 60’s and even wild grown papayas are likely from GMO stock. SO SAD!!