Dangers of Seedless and GMO Foods

Seedless and GMO Foods: The Quiet Threat to Our Health and Future

In an age of rapid technological advancement, the food we eat has changed drastically from what our ancestors once cultivated. The rise of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the increasing prevalence of seedless fruits and vegetables have not only altered what ends up on our plates but are quietly reshaping the fabric of agriculture, health, and humanity itself. This is a call to awareness before it’s too late.

The DNA Connection: How GMO Foods Affect Our Health

GMO foods are often engineered for resistance to pests, herbicides, or to enhance their shelf life. However, these modifications can have unforeseen consequences for human health. Studies suggest that consuming genetically modified organisms may impact our own DNA. Here’s how:

1. Epigenetic Changes: GMO foods can introduce novel proteins and chemicals into our diets, which interact with our cells. These substances may alter gene expression, influencing how our DNA repairs itself. Over time, this could accelerate ageing, cause inflammation, and increase susceptibility to diseases.
2. Gut Microbiome Disruption: The gut, often called the "second brain," is home to trillions of microbes that influence everything from digestion to immunity. GMO foods, particularly those designed to produce their own pesticides, can disrupt this delicate ecosystem, leading to chronic illnesses.
3. Links to Ultra-Processed Foods: Many GMO ingredients are found in ultra-processed foods, which are linked to obesity, heart disease, and cancer. The combination of genetic manipulation and excessive processing creates a perfect storm for health crises worldwide.

The Disappearing Seeds: A Future Controlled by Corporations

The push for seedless and GMO crops is not just about convenience; it’s about control. Seeds, once a shared heritage of humanity, are now being patented by mega agricultural corporations. These companies are gaining the power to decide what we plant, eat, and even save for the next season.

• The Mexican Corn Story: Mexico, the birthplace of maize, has been battling the influx of GMO corn. Traditional varieties, adapted over millennia, are at risk of contamination. Indigenous farmers warn that losing these seeds means losing cultural identity, biodiversity, and food security.
• French Wheat vs. GMO Wheat: French wheat, often celebrated for its digestibility, contrasts sharply with the GMO wheat common in other countries. While French varieties don’t contribute to widespread weight gain, GMO wheat’s altered structure has been linked to spikes in blood sugar and digestive issues. It’s a stark reminder that genetic tampering comes at a cost.
• Seedless: Convenience or Catastrophe? Seedless fruits, like watermelons and grapes, are often marketed as consumer-friendly. However, they are typically the result of hybridization or genetic modification. Without seeds, these plants cannot reproduce naturally, increasing dependency on corporations for new plantings. This dependency consolidates power in the hands of a few, threatening food sovereignty.

Heirloom Seeds: The Future Commodity

As seed patenting becomes more prevalent, heritage and heirloom seeds are poised to become a precious commodity. These are the real deal—seeds untainted by genetic modification or harmful treatments like neonicotinoids.

• What Are Neonicotinoids? These systemic pesticides are often used to treat seeds, ensuring crops are pest-resistant. However, they come with a devastating price. Neonicotinoids are linked to declines in pollinator populations and are considered potential human carcinogens. Worse, these treatments render seeds incapable of producing viable offspring, forcing farmers to buy new seeds every season. This shift erodes the traditional practice of saving and replanting seeds, a cornerstone of sustainable agriculture.
• The Importance of Heritage Seeds: Unlike GMO or treated seeds, heirloom varieties can be saved, replanted, and passed down through generations. They offer diversity, resilience, and flavour that modern crops often lack. Protecting these seeds is essential for food security and independence.

The Power of Regenerative Farming: A Success Story

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, one individual’s ingenuity proved how traditional practices can be both sustainable and profitable. Bronwyn Holm, Founder of Earthfood, taught him to fear not as he was facing the threat of losing their home due to restrictions, this person began cultivating organic edible seedlings on a range of shelving in their suburban garden. Here’s how they turned adversity into success:

1. Hand-Harvested Seeds: By using heritage seeds, they ensured a steady, reliable supply of high-quality seedlings.
2. Earthfood Microbes: They created their own soil from organic debris, broken down with Earthfood’s living microbes. This nutrient-rich soil produced healthy, vigorous plants with minimal effort all in a suburb backyard block of land.
3. Minimal Overheads: With no shopfront or advertising, they relied on a few signs on their fence, a personal Meta page, and word of mouth. Selling directly from their gate, they earn an average of $350,000 annually—all from organic edible seedlings of seasonal fresh foods.

This story underscores the potential of regenerative agriculture to empower individuals, preserve traditional practices, and resist the growing corporate control over our food systems. We all can do this, and we can even in small groups of people / communities as many hands make lighter work. living microbes do all the work but someone needs to set up every 4 weeks, and water once a week - Earthfood the seedlings every second week before sale at week 4-6.

What Can We Do?

1. Support Local Farmers: Buy from those who grow heirloom and open-pollinated varieties. These seeds can be saved and replanted, ensuring food security and diversity.
2. Demand Transparency: Push for clear labelling of GMO and seedless foods. Consumers have a right to know what they’re eating.
3. Educate Yourself and Others: Share the stories of disappearing seeds, like Mexican corn and French wheat, to raise awareness about the stakes.
4. Plant Your Own Seeds: Grow your food from non-GMO, open-pollinated seeds to reclaim control over what you eat.
5. Boycott Seedless and GMO Products: Send a message to corporations that control over seeds and food is unacceptable.

A Future Worth Fighting For

Seedless and GMO foods may seem like a modern marvel, but their hidden costs far outweigh their convenience. As more seeds fall under corporate control, and as our health suffers from ultra-processed, genetically manipulated diets, we are reaching a critical moment in history.

The choices we make today will determine whether we retain the freedom to grow, eat, and thrive on our terms—or whether we become subjects to agricultural cartels that has priorities of profit over people and planet.

Let’s take a stand. For our health, our farmers, and the future of food.

For more information on sustainable agriculture and the power of living microbes, visit Earthfood. Together, we can cultivate a better future.

(Also available is Bronwyn Holm speaking tour in Events This is topic is on her heart and with a deeper knowledge she shares so people and unlearn the toxic mainstream narrative and learn biological botanical growing as Mother Nature intended and naturally better for us.)

ADDED NOTE: Here is more on the Monsanto Bullying of Farmers:

The Battle for Maize: Monsanto’s War on Mexican Farmers

Mexico, the birthplace of maize, stands at the frontline of a fierce battle to protect its agricultural heritage. The humble corn, a staple crop and cultural cornerstone, has become the epicentre of a conflict between multinational corporations like Monsanto and the farmers who have cultivated it for millennia. This story is a stark reminder of how the corporate push for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and patented seeds threatens not only food sovereignty but also biodiversity, health, and livelihoods.

A Legacy Under Siege

Maize has been grown in Mexico for over 7,000 years, with indigenous farmers meticulously cultivating thousands of varieties adapted to diverse climates and soils. This biodiversity not only supports ecosystems but also ensures resilience against pests, diseases, and climate change. However, this heritage is now under threat from Monsanto and other agribusiness giants that seek to replace native varieties with GMO corn.

The GMO Invasion

In recent years, Monsanto—now a subsidiary of Bayer—has aggressively promoted its genetically modified corn in Mexico. These GMO seeds are engineered to resist herbicides like glyphosate, a chemical linked to health risks including cancer. While marketed as a solution for higher yields and pest resistance, these seeds come with strings attached:

1. Patented Seeds: Farmers who adopt GMO corn are required to purchase new seeds every planting season, as saving and replanting patented seeds is illegal. This undermines traditional practices and traps farmers in a cycle of dependency.
2. Contamination of Native Varieties: GMO pollen can cross-pollinate with native maize, leading to genetic contamination. Once contaminated, farmers risk legal action from Monsanto for “unauthorised use” of patented genes, even if the contamination was unintentional.
3. Loss of Biodiversity: The introduction of GMO corn prioritises monoculture, which erodes the genetic diversity that has sustained Mexican agriculture for centuries.

Health and Environmental Impacts

The introduction of GMO corn and glyphosate-based herbicides has sparked widespread concern about their impact on health and the environment:

• Health Risks: Studies have linked glyphosate exposure to cancer, endocrine disruption, and other chronic illnesses. Mexican farmers and their families, who work closely with these chemicals, are particularly vulnerable.
• Soil Degradation: The intensive use of herbicides and reliance on GMO monocultures depletes soil health, reducing its fertility over time.
• Pollinator Declines: Glyphosate and other agrochemicals harm bees and other pollinators essential for crop production, threatening food systems on a global scale.

Resistance from Farmers and Activists

Mexican farmers, activists, and indigenous groups have mounted a passionate resistance against the corporate encroachment on their agricultural heritage. In 2013, a coalition of farmers and civil organisations successfully secured a judicial suspension of GMO corn planting in Mexico. The ruling cited risks to biodiversity, cultural heritage, and public health.

However, the battle is far from over. Multinational corporations continue to lobby for the legalisation of GMO corn, framing it as a necessary step for modernising agriculture. At the same time, grassroots movements are working to preserve traditional farming practices and promote agroecology as an alternative to industrial agriculture.

Lessons from Mexico

The struggle in Mexico offers critical lessons for the global fight against agricultural monopolies:

1. Protecting Biodiversity: Native seeds are a treasure trove of genetic diversity, essential for adapting to climate change and ensuring food security.
2. Resisting Corporate Control: The patenting of life forms, such as seeds, undermines the rights of farmers and concentrates power in the hands of a few corporations.
3. Prioritising Health and Sustainability: Agroecological practices, which work in harmony with nature, offer a healthier and more sustainable path forward than chemical-intensive GMOs.

A Call to Action

The battle for maize is not just about Mexico; it is about the future of food systems worldwide. As consumers, we have the power to support farmers and resist corporate control by:

• Choosing Non-GMO and Organic Foods: Support sustainable farming practices by purchasing products free from GMOs and harmful chemicals.
• Advocating for Seed Sovereignty: Demand policies that protect farmers’ rights to save, exchange, and plant their own seeds.
• Supporting Local Agriculture: Buy from local farmers who grow heirloom and native varieties, preserving biodiversity and food security.

MY POINT IS.....

The fight to protect Mexican maize is a fight for the future of agriculture, health, and humanity. Monsanto’s aggressive tactics serve as a cautionary tale of the dangers posed by the corporatisation of food systems. By standing with farmers and choosing sustainable, ethical food practices, we can ensure that the legacy of maize—and the heritage of countless other crops—remains intact for generations to come.

For more information on sustainable agriculture and the power of living microbes, visit Earthfood. Together, we can cultivate a better future. Naturally Better.