So What About Glyphosate?
If you scroll through the news feeds, Facebook and Twitter posts, there are plenty of entries from the anti-everything crowd to do with ‘residues’ in our food. One of the favourite targets of the ignorant rabble is the company Monsanto and the chemical glyphosate, the main active ingredient in the popular weed killer Roundup.
There’s a dirty little secret the environmentalists are holding tight. If it got out or if people learned the concept of critical thinking, they know their influence would vanish like a summer evening’s chemtrail.
The fact of the matter with regards to herbicide use is the amounts present before and after application are so miniscule, the entire argument and discussion is mute. The anti-everything crowd gets into a lather every time there is an increase of measurement of anything whether it’s Roundup, CO2, hormones, antibiotics, etc. What is never focused on is proportion. Just because we can measure something in the parts per billion doesn’t mean that 80 ppb is any worse for us than 40 ppb even though it really sounds scary when a headline screams that such and such has been found to contain TWICE as much SCARY SOUNDING chemical than such and such. We get so lathered up over amounts of this and that which essentially amount to zero impact on humans or the environment. It’s just an effective propaganda ploy used by the anti-crowd.
Hopefully you’ve heard of the phrase, it’s the dose that makes the poison. What if you heard that your favourite apple was being sprayed with cyanide for some reason, maybe to control some particular bug? Then even though it was scientifically demonstrated that any cyanide residue that made it to the supermarket via the outside of those apples was only in the Parts/Billion range, could you imagine the outcry, particularly from the organic types? Cyanide is pretty scary sounding. It is the suicide pill issued to spies like 007 to avoid spilling secrets when captured. What sane person would want that in their food, let alone heaven forbid, feed to their children? There would be a plummet of apple sales, protests in the streets, letters to government, boycotts of supermarkets, and entire celebrity blog sites dedicated to the eradication of a proven, beneficial agricultural practice. Concurrently, organic apple producers and marketing companies would be slapping “CYANIDE FREE” stickers on their apples and food products. They would even be throwing their stickers on their oranges and bananas because you know, you can’t be too careful when it comes to the food that you feed little Johnny and Janie. There would be whole marketing campaigns built around how much better tasting a CERTIFIED by the Anti-Cyanide Random made up Society (trademarked) cyanide free apple tastes.
What is sad, is the above was a scenario pulled straight out of my butt. Then it was pointed out to me that this exact same script played out over apples and the use of a chemical called Alar back in 1989. The science was back and forth as to the long term harm of the product but in an over abundance of caution, the chemical was banned for products intended for human consumption. But there was a massive over reaction to the news that the chemical might be carcinogenic. Apples and their products disappeared overnight. Organic outlets reaped a windfall touting ‘Alar-free’ apples and juice. The apple industries in Washington and Quebec took significant hits. The chemical is still allowed to be used for spraying on ornamentals.
Well, ironically, if you are truly worried about cyanide poisoning outside of my hypothetical example, take a trip to your local health food (snake oil and quackery) store and buy yourself a packet of apricot seeds. A Quebec man recently poisoned himself due to inattention to the small warning on the package. One kernel could be enough to kill a toddler. Here’s what the easily overlooked warning on the backside of the package looks like:
The front side of the package reads like a cornucopia of goodness. They are even touted as a cancer cure! (Debunked here)
Now, if the package above was labelled properly with a sticker like the one below, how likely would your choice be to buy it for your kids? The only real warning for those who can’t consume it are women who are pregnant or nursing. It doesn’t say children can’t eat them only ‘not intended’.
This is the argument against labelling products with GMO stickers. Sales of so-called healthy, sweet apricot kernels would plummet if they were labelled properly. GMO sounds scary versus natural, organic, or any of the other advertising buzzwords employed to entice you to buy a particular foodstuff. I count SEVENTEEN instances of ‘wholesomeness’ advertising on that 8 ounce package. What caring mother would buy food for her kids that has a prominent warning label on the front of the package? It’s so much easier to choose and trust a food labelled ‘ambrosial’. Besides, a multi-billion dollar ‘health’ food industry can be trusted, right?
It’s just an artificial ploy that keeps the rubes distracted and siphons more money out of their wallets. The organic industry, the climate industry, the renewable energy industry are all operating with similar scams in order to funnel our buying habits and wealth into money and power redistribution schemes. Gradually, the hypocrisy and anti-everything lies are being revealed through films like Food Evolution.
Hopefully people will eventually stop putting so much stock in these snake oil salesmen.
Blair is a personification of a ‘Jack of All Trades and Master of None’. He has held several careers and has all the T-shirts. Time to add the title Blogger to the list.