Hi, I'm Carl Azuz. I'm 62, I have dark hair and brown eyes. No why, genes1, this a little piece of code that determining the characteristicsof living things and all living things have them. But genes can be changed, they can be modified, that's how you end up with GMO which is Genetic2 Modified Organism. Some companies modify the genes of animals and plants that are part of our food chain. Over the weekend, protests like this one happened in dozens of countries all over the world. 2 million people protesting against GMOs, and against one specific company that makes them, Jake Tapper digs into the details.
--Some of opponents of these GMOs want them banned, others say food whoes
DNA3 has been changed needed at least to be labelled. Monsanto is a leading producer of
genetically4 modifier seeds and herbicides. In last quarter along, Monsanto sold seeds, much of it modified, woth more than 4 billion dollars. It is a business, the company says, that's
helping5 to feed the planet.
--It's the vision strives to me the needs of rapidaly growing poplulation.
But the protesters wanna know just how their foodis is being re-engineered. Some of the
outrage6 was sparkled by these shocking photos showing massive tumors that developped on these rats after they ate genetically modified corn over their life times. But that study by researchers at the University of Cannes in France has been criticised by many in the scientific community and by the European food safety authority, who say it's simply not up to scientific standars. Even so the disturbing
tumor7 photos did lead many to queations their own standars about what exactly we are all eatting. One queation, how can you know if you're eatting genetically modified foods and feeding them to your family. Well, you can't, and that's the issue.
--I received over 2,000 letters on this topics.
Last week, senators debated whether states could reqire food labelling for food products with genetically modified ingredients.
--The concepts we're talking about today is a fairly common sense and non-radical idea.
The legislation introduced by independent Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, failed.
--When you take on very powerful biotech companes like Monsanto, and large food corporations where many ways would prefer that people not know what is in their food that they produce are very powerful.
This comes on the hills of what the critics called Monsanto Protection Act. That legislation passed by Congress and signed by President earlier this year. A bill that allows genetically modified crops approved by the Agriculture Department to be grown, even if there is action in the corns declaring them to be dangerous.
On its website, Monsanto states, quote Plans biotechnology has been in use for over 15 years without documents or evidents of
adverse8 effects on human or animal health or in the enviroment.
Legislator who sided with Monsanto say the company is improving on nature.
--I think it would be more accurated called they mordened science to feed a very troubled and hungry world.