I Had To Fight With My Sons Doctor To Get Him Tested For Lead Poisoning!

A clip from the GMO Free News 1+hour interview session with mother LeeAnne Walters regarding the Flint Water Crisis and her children's health.

“It is too late for my (4-year old) son, but I will not stand by and let this happen to another innocent child in Flint.” LeeAnne Walters, MDEQ Mistakes and Deception Created the Flint Water Crisis

Transcript (edited for clarity)

LeeAnne Walters: I had to fight with my son's pediatrician to get the testing to begin with.

Jack Olmsted, Videoblogging 206/GMO Free News: What was the fight over?

LeeAnne: The letter they (City of Flint) gave us for the TTHMs (trihalomethanes). It said that if you have a compromised immune system you should talk to your doctor.

So, I went in and spoke with his pediatrician and the pediatrician wrote me a note saying that because of his compromised immune system that he couldn't consume the water.

Every time he would have contact with the water he would break out and these horrible, just horrific rashes. To the point where he had to have Benadryl before every bath because of how severely he was breaking out .

I took a video to show the doctor what his skin looked like before bath and after bath. You could actually see a water line across his stomach from the waist down from being submerged in the water. So. then the doctor wrote me a note saying that Gavin broke out....his skin breaks out every time he comes in contact with the water.

I went back in for our next visit, after the city decided, they wanted to start doing lead and copper tests because of the discoloration.

I walked in and the doctor just started going off on me about having an agenda. He had been in contact with the City. What he was being told by the City was completely different from what I was telling him. And he was NOT going to do anything in regards to my children....when it came to the water.

I said, "Whoa, Whoa, Whoa! Wait a second. Why are you talking to the City? I didn't give you permission for that". He had a bunch of documents in his hand. Everything that I tried to hand him he refused to take from me.

He refused to have my kids tested for lead and copper at this point.

About two weeks later, I got my lead/copper test back from the city. I got a frantic phone call from Mike Glasgow, with the water department, telling me to make sure that my kids were NOT drinking this water. If I was making juice, to make sure that I was not mixing their juice with this water. To make sure they were not consuming the water.

Because my lead level was at 104 ppb and they've never seen a lead level that high in the City and that is concerning for them because 15 ppb is the max according to the EPA.

At that point, I called the doctor's office, and said, “Hey, I just found out that I just had this test...it is at 104 ppb. I need lab slips for my kids today”.

I was told, "I'm sorry you need to bring that report down to us and we need to wait to hear from the City before we move forward."

So, I went down to the water department and got a copy... and went to the doctor’s office and said, "OK here it is. Give me my lab slips.....Now! Either you are going to order the lab slips today or you are going to give me a letter telling me why you're waiting to hear from the City before you treat my children”.

I was there for an hour and a half and then the city actually emailed my doctor and CC'd me into it...and when that happened... minutes later, I had the lab slips for my kids.

I couldn't figure out where they (City) played into this. Like why this was such a big deal?

I figured out that the emergency manager's assistant was actually (Jerry) Ambrose's assistant and that is the wife of my pediatrician. So, there's the link between the pediatrician and the City of Flint. When I made that information public, she got moved over....

Jack: Who got moved over?

The emergency manager's assistant.

Jack:. But, the doctor, there were no repercussions on the doctor? Is this normal procedure that the doctor confers with the City and waits for the City to have a seal of approval before they give parents laps slips?

LeeAnne: Absolutely not. Absolutely not.

We actually ended up going to a dermatologist outside of the City and that was the one that finally ran the tests for us. The test showed that my son had lead poisoning and anemia from the lead poisoning.

Jack: Is there anybody that is bringing this doctor to task for what he did at this point in time or do they pretend like it never happened?

LeeAnne: It's a work in progress. It is something that we are working on. It wasn't just my family...for the longest time the doctors in the City would tell you, "Yes, I believe that it's the water, but we are not allowed to put anything in writing." I can’t tell you how many people told us that.

Jack: Who told the doctors they were not allowed to put something in writing? Who is the grand authority over the doctors? I thought that their first responsibility was the care to their patients?

LeeAnne: That is the million dollar question. Nobody knows that...

Jack: They basically had a gag order specifically on doing lead tests?

LeeAnne: Actually, it was on people that were having any issues from the water.

Jack: It sounds almost like a conspiracy, How can you get doctors to agree to that?

LeeAnne: I don't no? I'm not one of those people. I'm one of those people that would not shut up. So, I can’t answer that for you.

Jack: It sounds like something out of a "B" movie that would never happen in real life. I mean we're talking about doctors. They are educated. They went to medical school. They have a practice. They are seeing patients and then they are given a directive, "you can't do this," and everybody complies. What are they going to do? Take away their medical license? There were zero doctors to stand up to this advisory?

LeeAnne: Well, part of the problem were the lies from the MDEQ and from the City of Flint on the water. And the fact that all the testing that was coming back from the EPA was saying that we were in compliance.

So, at this point we were considered crazy whack-jobs, we didn't know what we were talking about. We were trouble makers.

And you know everything was coming back normal.

At that point, it was...we have to prove that there is a problem. They are not listening to us and that is when I started talking with Miguel Del Toral at the EPA.



Flint Water Crisis YouTube Playlist

Erin Brockovich Sent Us A Water Expert To Test The Flint River Water

The transcript is from above video clip.

Melissa Mays, "Water You Fighting For?": We started doing more research and we found out in February that there were really high levels of lead.

The EPA maximum is 15 parts per billion. There is one citizen that she had 397 parts-per-billion. We started pushing the testing and telling citizens - get your water tested. Please get your water tested.

More people were popping out with forty parts-per-billion thirty parts-per-million which is not safe.

As we were trying to contact the EPA, we found out that there's actually no safe level for lead exposure. http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/lcr/fs_consumer.cfm

So, they're trying to tell us it's fine. It's only small areas. You guys be fine.

Don't worry about the total trihalomethanes. Don't worry about the e.coli. Don't worry about the lead. It's safe.

On top of all this, soon after the actual switch, our water was brown yellow. Mine was blue and green because of the copper. Just disgusting. The smell either smelled like bleach or it smelled like an old stagnant pond or it smelled like dirt. Just horrible. And they're like it'll be fine. Just run your tap for a few minutes. It will be fine.

WNEM TV 5

The mayor kept saying, "I drink it everyday. It's perfectly fine."

And so people were getting upset.

Because we're told that you have to pay these ridiculously high rates for water that has such low quality.

We got a hold of Erin Brockovich and she sent a water expert out to help us, Bob Bowcock. He's been in water treatment for thirty years. He said it was a mess. He told them on Valentine's Day, we had a large March, and he told the city that we were out of compliance for the copper rule because they weren't doing the proper testing and we had no corrosion control. Which is unheard of.

So, we were yelling and screaming about this. They told us, "oh, you're just a crazy bunch of moms," no big deal.

We had our water tested and it came back with copper and lead. High copper and lead. I went ahead and had our blood tested and we found out my husband, myself and our three sons all had copper poisoning. So, we started working on the side effects and encouraging everyone to get tested.

Test your water. Test your blood. See a doctor.

Because the damage from lead poisoning is irreversible.

On top of it, its not just lead. We've got copper. We've got tin. We've got aluminum.

All neurotoxins. All extremely dangerous, when you introduce them to hot water.

Consuming them is bad.

But, also showering. Doing your dishes.

I have an environmental physician now and she said even the clothes you wear heavy metals are stored in the fabric and it rubs on your skin or if you sweat in them or your sheets at night you're going to absorb that.

So, it's a constant, it's a constant toxic danger to even be in your own home or in on your own clothes.

So, on top of the extremely high bills, we were buying bottled water.

Just to be able to cook. I we had a documentation come out to the house and it took us 12 bottles of water to make a pot of jambalaya.

So, the cost was ridiculous, especially since we have two puppies, a cat and three very active 11 12 and 17 year old sons that consume a lot of water.

So, there's a lot of people that actually lost their homes. They couldn't afford the water bill so they would put a lien on the property and home be foreclosed upon. So, right now there's a lawsuit for 21,000 people who lost their homes due to their water bills and the lien being placed on them.

Now, that part isn't illegal.

What is illegal is that, in 2011, our mayor raised our rates illegally 35%.

A judge just told them you have to roll back the rates.

You have to do this, this, this and they still haven't done it.

Our bill hasn't gone down and it's actually gone up. We received a bill for one week for one unit and it was a $193.88. For water that we weren't even using except basically to flush the toilet and to bath.

HR 1599/DARK Act Letter To Senator

Dear Senator ..................,

When I became a mother, I did not know that I should have studied medicine in college, but that is what it takes for me, and thousands of other mothers. My children, like so many others, suffer from autoimmune issues that the vast majority of medical professionals are not trained to treat. Today, 54% of American children have a chronic health condition. Children who suffer from allergies, autism, asthma, ADHD and autoimmune issues are now very common in every classroom, and the numbers are climbing. Massive collections of Epi pens fill the cabinets in every school nurse’s office. As parents, we need to be very careful about our children’s diet, and we need to know what ingredients are in everything. Parenting is not the same as it was when I was a child. When I was in school I did not know one child with a food allergy that could kill them. Now there are at least two children with such allergies in every class.


In fact, GMOs have been linked to allergies in the case of the Starlink corn.

The science is in no way settled on the matter of the safety of these foods. Many high-level scientists with impeccable credentials are NOT convinced that GE foods are safe.

A major concern that I have with GM foods is the level of pesticides used in their farming. Approximately 80% of all GM crops are what are referred to as “Roundup Ready” or glyphosate tolerant. So the foods are sprayed with glyphosate, which would normally kill the plants, but the GE plants are resistant, so they keep growing and they are sprayed sometimes 2-3 times before harvest. The problem with this technology is a growing weed resistance to glyphosate. So farmers are applying it in increasing amounts in a futile attempt to combat the “super weeds”.

Since the glyphosate is continuing to fail, beginning this year, they are ADDING Dicamba or 2,4-D to that mix. We have also found that contrary to industry claims, glyphosate actually bioaccumulates in our systems. In fact, in three different random samplings, two groups of nursing mothers in the U.S. and one group of mothers in Germany, glyphosate was found in their breast milk. In fact, the mother with the highest detectable level in Pennsylvania is living with the heartbreak of an infant with cancer.

These chemicals do not wash off, but rather, they are absorbed into the plant and its food, and it goes into our bodies.

Toxins in our bodies are a great concern on many levels. The addition of glyphosate to our food supply is frightening because the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization, has stated unequivocally that it causes cancer in mammals and therefore is likely to also cause cancer in humans. Many countries are in fact moving to ban glyphosate, which is a key chemical for GM farming.

Toxins in children’s bodies today are higher than ever.

What's behind cluster of birth defects? (CNN-Video)

What's behind cluster of birth defects?:

CNN's Elizabeth Cohen investigates an alarming cluster of babies born with birth defects in rural Washington state.

 Contact Mandy Stahre at the Environmental Public Health Call and Mail Mandy Stahre at the Washington State Department of Health
P.O. Box 47820 Olympia,
Washington 98504-7820
360-236-3000

• Elizabeth Cohen, CNN senior medical correspondent: Yakima Valley, Washington, a horrible medical mystery has unfolded — An alarming rate of birth defects. Sara Barron, a nurse in the region and was the first to report cases of anencephaly, babies born with much of their brain and skull missing.
• Barron: “I was just stunned. 3 in a couple month period of time, that’s unheard of, and they’re such tragic, terrible outcomes.”
• Cohen: Barron’s shocking discovery prompted an investigation by the state health department, which showed that in 3 counties, in a 3 year period, there were 23 cases of anencephaly, a rate 4 times the national average. [...]
• Mandy Stahre, Washington State Health Department epidemiologist: “We have not found an answer, and that’s the very frustrating part because this is such a devastating diagnosis for a woman to have.” [...]
• Cohen: The state hasn’t spoken to any of the families who had the babies with birth defects. Not a single one. [...] that outrages Andrea Jackman [...]
• Andrea Jackman, baby born with spina bifida: “Nobody’s asked me anything. [...] What are you researching if you haven’t physically called the families to find out? What are you researching? [...] If it just happened to one person it could be random, but the fact that there’s so many different people that it’s happened to, there’s gotta be something that you can pinpoint that caused this.” [...]
• Stahre: “We’re still trying to find what may be causing these. Were still investigating this. We’re not ruling anything out at this point [...] We’re considering just about everything at this point. [...] I don’t think [pregnant women should be worried].”
• Cohen: But nurse Sara Barron isn’t so sure.
• Barron: “I think it’s very scary. I think there’s absolutely something going on that needs to be investigated more thoroughly.”

CNN, Mar. 1, 2014: In her 30-year career as a nurse, Sara Barron had seen only two babies with anencephaly [...] in 2012, while working at a hospital in rural Washington state, she saw two cases in two months. [...] a birth defect that’s always fatal. [...] Was [the dad] exposed to any toxic chemicals? [...] Department of Health plans to report how many babies were born with neural tube defects in 2013. [...] “We’re still investigating this,” [Stahre] says. “This is nowhere near finished.”

Tri-City Herald, Feb. 27, 2014: A genetic counselor in Yakima said she’s reported ["8 or 9"] additional cases of anencephaly and spina bifida since January 2013.

See also: "Worrisome" spike in deadly birth defects around leaking U.S. nuclear site -- Officials claim "it could be a complete coincidence" -- No news reports mention it's by the most contaminated area in Western Hemisphere #Hanford

Moms Across America Director Zen Honeycutt's Speech on GE Labeling

Capitol Steps Jan 6th CA State Grange Rally 

Thank you! Good Morning!

How many of you have been volunteering since Prop 37? How many of you marched in the Moms Across America Marches on the 4th of July? How many of you care about what you eat?

First of all I want to say I am truly honored to be here today with all of YOU. Whether you have just started or have been doing this for years, you are what makes America great. You are America’s heros. Also, without you who came before me, the health of my family Todd, Ben, Bodee and Bronson, would not be what it is today. So we thank you very, very much.

I am here today because of love.  

We are all here because we love our families, our communities, our freedoms, our environment, our dogs and cats, our bees and butterflies. 

We love our farmers and we have FAITH in our farmers. 

We have faith that they can and will farm as has been done for thousands of years, 

without GMOs containing foreign proteins and the use of toxic chemicals. 

We have faith in Californians. 

Californians do not back down! 

We will not give up. 

Our love for our families will never end. 

We insist on GMO labeling now!

Some may say that it is not likely, but that doesn’t concern us. After Prop 37, which was a win in so many ways…my son Ben said “Mom, even Star Wars took six episodes.” And they had Yoda!  Our children are our inspiration and that will never end!

My son went GMO free and organic for 4 months and his life threatening allergic reactions were drastically reduced. This past year, his nut allergy decreased from a 19 down to a .2. This is not just about an allergy; this is about LIFE and the people we love.

It is not enough that our family eats organic, however. My son’s future spouses are out there somewhere and if they want to, I want them to be able to experience the profound love that it is to have their own child someday. Today, young couples have a 30% “failure to conceive” rate. That is the lowest in recorded US history.  Everyone needs to know about GMOs!

I asked myself what could I do? Inspired by Jeffrey Smith’s “Tipping Point Network” and Robyn O’Brien’s Patriotism on a Plate” I thought of 4th of July Parades. We could reachthousands locally and millions nationally in a single day. And it would be fun! With the partnership of the CA State Grange and support of Pamm Larry, Kathleen Hallal and many more, I founded Moms Across America and the March to Label GMOs in 4th of July parades. What happened was amazing.

Leaders from all across America emerged. Moms and supporters said, “I am the one who will have a group march in my 4th of July parade and educate my whole town know about GMOs.” And they did. In 172 parades in 44 states, generous, committed people made banners, signs, and floats and sang as they marched down Main streets all across America. We directly reached an estimated 1.5 million people and tens of millions more through the 120 media venues: radio, websites and newspapers, which picked up the story including CNN and Fox News. It was an empowering gathering of community which has helped to grow our cause and raise awareness about GMOs. Our food system may be broken but the people are not. We are creative, courageous and committed and we make a huge contribution to others by sharing with love.

Since the 4th of July parades we have received hundreds of stories, such as: Karen’s son went from daily use of an inhaler to never having to use an inhaler again after switching to an organic diet.

Cindy’s son switched to organic for two years ( and she is a single Mom who makes 40K so this was not easy, but it was important)  and this year when he entered high school,  NOT ONE of his new high school teachers could tell he was ever severely autistic.

His life is dramatically improved. Who knows how our country will benefit by the contribution this one person will make? He has, WE have a NEW future because his Mom found out about GMOs.

The projected level of autism is predicted to be 1 out of 2 of our children in the US within the next 20 years or sooner. That is half our children. What kind of society will we have? What kind of future and economy will we have if our children’s futures are compromised? We Moms say, not on our watch! We will not stop! The love for our children will never end. We want a new future NOW!­­­­

 We demand GMO labeling now so that the millions of people who still don’t know about GMOs can have the ability to take care of the families they love. Moms see that GMOs ARE substantially different and our kids get better when we get them off GMO foods. We demand that people of ALL economic backgrounds have access to GMO free and pesticide free solutions and we have faith in our farmers that they can provide them.

How many of you think that most people really don’t want to know about GMOs and pesticides because it’s too inconvenient? Let’s check in. How many of you know someone with diabetes, obesity, asthma, auto immune disorders, allergies or autism? 

Look around. I assert everyone really wants to know about GMOs because everyone knows someone in America who is sick. 1 out of 2 of our children have some form of chronic. 1 out of 2 of our American men and 1 out of 3 American women are expected to get cancer…so everyone WANTS to know about GMOs and pesticides because we have enough problems & we want solutions! We want a new future now!

So what can we do? Be a leader and inspire leaders! Join us in the celebration and sign up to host a 4th of July parade by Feb 14th “Share the Love, Sign Up your Parade Day” so we can have sponsors support the printing of the GMO flyers to pass out at the parades. 

Be the one to say, MY TOWN WILL KNOW about GMOs. 

Give them a new future. 

Go to momsacrossamerica.com and host one of the 75 parades in California and 589 parades on our list across the USA. Adopt a “Sister City”, another town with a parade, and call and connect with other , moms in the Moms Club, La Leche League or Holistic Moms Network, share about GMOs and support and foster new leaders! When we get outside of our comfort zone, we will win.  

We can reach 600,000 in California and 5 million people in the USA in a single day. We are called “consumers” AND we are also the creators of our future. The future belongs to YOU. The future belongs to me. The future belongs to US. This is OUR time for health and freedom in California and America! Thank you!

Go to www.momsacrosamerica.com for more information. Thank you.

PBS Boycott: Zen Honeycutt Moms Across America

Photo: Zen Honeycutt, Kathleen Hallal , MAAM co-founders, our families and the MAAM Team

Moms Across America is extremely disappointed in the Seattle PBS station's choice to air a pro GMO piece twice before the WA ballot election for 522.

It is irresponsible to attempt to sway public vote or give the pro GMO side a venue to explain how "great" their products are. (Article: Did Seattle PBS Station Sway Voters To Reject GMO Labeling Initiative?)

The fact is that Moms all across America have seen their children's health issues skyrocket since GMOs were sucked into our food and we see our kids get better when we take GMOs out of their diet and eat organic.

We have testimonials from hundreds of Moms that autism, allergy, asthma, IBS, excema, stomach aches and auto immune disorders have gotten better or symptoms have disapeared completely after going GMO free.

Until further testing is done PBS has no right to suggest GMOs are safe.

There has never been any long term human study testing on the safety of GMOs.

We ask PBS to right this wrong to the public by producing a piece in which you capture the stories of the Moms whose children have gotten better off GMOs. Tell the real story about GMOS and America's children.

- Zen Honeycutt, Founder Moms Across America

PR push by ag and biotech industries has a secret weapon: Moms : Business

Betsie Estes is a mother of two young kids who lives in suburban Chicago.

She’s also public relations gold.

Last week, Estes was in the audience at an annual biotechnology industry conference in Chicago, attended by the industry’s power players, Creve Coeur-based Monsanto Co., and its competitors, Bayer, Dow, DuPont, among them.

After the gathering, Estes jotted a few thoughts on her blog. (Twitter: @FieldMomBetsie, Super Suburbs)

“There’s a pervasive thought that the people who are anti-GMO are operating from a purely altruistic place,” she wrote. “But make no mistake, just as there is big money in biotech, there is big money in opposing the technology. Entire brands, both corporate and personal, have been developed around the concept that GM foods are bad.”

That’s the kind of message the industry wants to hear — that they’re not the bad guys — and it’s the Betsie Esteses of the “momosphere” who are, increasingly, being invited to convey it.

“Moms are really important because they’re the most influential consumers in the country,” said David Wescott, director of digital strategy with the public relations firm, APCO Worldwide. “They’re increasingly finding their own peers to be the most credible sources of information.”

So, what does an industry do when it wants to nudge public opinion in its favor? Find moms — preferably with blogs. (Facebook: Super Suburbs - Updated March 20, 2013)

Read More
PR push by ag and biotech industries has a secret weapon: Moms : Business

Day 9 - 30 Day with Non-GMO Activist Leslie Stoddard

Just got back from Sun Valley, Idaho where I met with Jeffery Smith and watched Genetic Roulette...again :)

Got me a little fired up! And I calling out all you mothers who have not taken the time to educate yourselves about what you are feeding your children. Do something before it's too late!

Moms Across America Founder: Label GMOs Because We Love Our Kids

Sustainable Pulse exclusive interview with Zen Honeycutt, Founder of Moms Across America, on their 4th July march against GMOs in towns across the US, children with allergies, Michelle Obama and much much more…

Why has Moms Across America decided to march to support GMO labeling on July 4^th in towns across the US?

Because we love our kids. And we are using our “Mom Common Sense”. Over 19 animal studies have shown grave health concerns such as tumors akin to breast cancer, infertility, sterility, birth defects, miscarriages, obesity and organ damage, inflamed stomachs and autism-like symptoms. A recent corn study shows alarming differences and toxicity. Thanks to Jeffrey Smith’s “Genetic Roulette” and Robyn O’Brien’s Ted Talk “Patriotism on a Plate” we now know that GMOs not only have a host of health concerns but also cause unpredictable, unforeseeable and uncontrollable mutations in living things. This is unacceptable to us Moms, we have enough to worry about with diapers and tantrums…mutations? Really?

Seriously though, July 4^th is our national day of celebrating our right to freedom. We are one of the only countries in the world that does not have the right to know what is in our food right now and we Moms have something to say about that. Home town parades make sense because everyone in town are there, it’s local, we can share in a fun way and the media cannot ignore us. In Carmichael, CA supporters marched in a 4^th of July parade in big vegetable costumes last year and had a great time. It’s all about connecting with our communities.

After the failure of Prop 37 in California what gives you hope that GMO labeling bills in other states will work?

Prop 37 was a win in many ways. Pamm Larry led the way for over 6 million people to vote yes in just a few months. That’s huge. We know that labelling in other states will work the supporters are committed and because we Moms are not backing down. We buy 85% of the food. And if we don’t buy it, they can’t sell it. So we say “No Label? Not on our Table!” Senators, manufacturers and retailers are beginning to get that we want labels. We have the right to know what we feed our children. Opposition may have a lot of money, but we have the gift of gab. Their wallets are not bigger than the love for our children.

Read More:
Moms Across America Founder: Label GMOs Because We Love Our Kids

Ep115: Tara Cook-Littman from GMO Free CT

John Hartwell welcomes Tara Cook-Littman back to Stream of Conscience. Tara is the Director for GMO Free CT, a grassroots organization dedicated to pushing legislation through the Connecticut legislature to mandate labeling of food products that contain Genetically Modified Organism or GMOs. Today Tara focuses on the legislative effort to make Connecticut the first state in the nation to require labeling of GMOs - an effort that failed in last year's session amid fears of a lawsuit by biotech firms on free speech grounds. (30 mins)

Weekly Womens GMO Free News

Weekly Womens GMO Free News
A weekly Google Hangout for women who want to know what is in their food

Co-Hosts 

Leslie Stoddard (Idaho) 

YouTube Channel

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"I'm very excited to be part of Weekly Women GMO Free News and Information Hangout in conjunction with other passionate female activists across the nation!

In the fall of 2009 I heard the term GMO for the first time and my life has never been the same. Out of anger, frustration, and because I felt betrayed, I co-founded GMO Free Idaho and started to educate those who are not aware that our food supply has been genetically altered with foreign DNA by corporations who are notorious for having a totally lack of respect for humanity and our planet.

As I travel down this road, I have come to meet many other activists and passionate consumers who have the same goals in sight....to see GM foods pushed off our grocery store shelves, and the corporations responsible for poising our planet and potentially the human population, put to justice.

GMO Free News and Information is going to be an excellent resource and a great place for all of us to learn and grow! It's exciting to watch the women I will be working with create positive changes in their own communities. This is an opportunity for us to come together and share our experiences, ideas, interviews, and calls to action to further assist in the changes we are all seeking."

"Genetically modified foods have never been human safety tested. As a person who has suffered from food allergies and digestive disease, I cannot help but wonder if GM foods are responsible. That's why I believe consumers have the right to know when they are eating GM foods. The corporations that create GM seed need to honor consumers by providing transparency about their practices and when our food contains their modified ingredients."

"The issues surrounding GMOs are vast. Cross contamination is by far one of the most disturbing aspects of genetic modification. 50% of heritage corn varieties in Mexico have become contaminated with Monsanto's GMO traits and this corporation is not being held responsible for what I call bioterrorism. Nor are enough consumers standing up and saying we will NOT tolerate the reduction of the biodiversity of our food supply. This is partly because most consumers are not aware of GMOs and partly because the consumers who are aware do not understand the consequences of such contamination.

In short, if we do not stop GMO production.....cross contamination, we will be dependent on only a few varieties of seed, provided by only a handful of multi-national corporations. In my opinion, GMOs are the biggest threat to the survival of humanity and our planet.

The only way to create change is by using our purchasing dollars as a vote. It it critical that we make this current paradigm obsolete by purchasing organic, local, grass-fed, and non-GMO foods."
 

Zen Honeycutt (CA) 

Video Interview

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The Dalai Lama said :Western Women will change the world". That time is now. Women all across America are coming together, speaking out and causing change through grassroots movements, legislation, ballot initiatives and reaching out to their neighbors and friends to share with them about Genetically Modified foods and their health risks. 

Every human needs food and the way it is raised and grown effects every one of us. In the United States, what we allow or don't allow impacts the rest of the world. 

I am honored every, day to meet other women who care enough share about GMOs and change the world." -Zen Honeycutt Mom of 3 and Moms Across America founder

Laurie Olson (WA)

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Learning about Genetically Modified Food is very isolating, especially if you are the only one you know who has ever heard of it.  In March of 2010, I was fortunate enough to have two friends who helped me along in those first weeks.   

I got on the web, found answers, more people and groups who connected me to information and solutions.  What I found out is that our government is pushing Genetically Engineered Seeds on other countries in our name.  They say that we have been eating them for years and while that is true, we need to take a good hard look at what it has done to the people in our country.   

No matter what happens in the political arena we need to remember that we vote three times a day and we need to think about that every time we go to the grocery store. 

Laurie Olson: Wife, Mom to 3, Volunteer with WA State Tipping Point Network, GMO Free USA and Label It WA.

Andrea Frostad (WA) 

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Hippocrates stated, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

I know firsthand how food is our medicine and can heal.  Food is our way to vibrant health, and it is my duty to protect my health, the health of my family, and the food that will provide that.
   
I believe that the world’s living systems have evolved over millennia into highly organized systems. It is a simplistic and arrogant view to think that we can tinker with the system at this stage of our knowledge and not face serious consequences.

I have never felt as connected to a cause as I have since I began campaigning on the issue of genetically engineered food. Millions of people around the globe are joining together in shedding light on the agenda of the bio-industry. How has labeling, our right to know, come to be perceived as a threat to our economic and political sanctity?  I think Godwin Ojo from Africa states it best: "Hunger has become a political tool for manipulating people and nations, a situation which has devastating impacts on the poor..."  Why are Mexican peasant farmers on hunger strike protesting the threat of 6 million acres of GM corn being grown on their soil, and what does this have to do with labeling?  Apparently everything!  Join us as we discuss the many layers of this issue.

Women have an instinct and a power to follow it.  We are a force to be reckoned with.

I am a mother of three growing boys and a lover of food.

Rachel Linden (AZ)
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Press Release: (February 19)

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GMO Free News and Information Weekly Women Google Hangouts Show To Focus On Washington Food Label Initiative I-522

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GMO Free Idaho- Are you a lab rat for the FDA? | Chew On This (Radio Interview)

GMO Free Idaho- Are you a lab rat for the FDA? | Chew On This



Jenny Easley and Leslie Ann Stoddard (Photo) of GMO Free Idaho speak to us about the Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMOs which are prevalent in our food system today. GMO Free Idaho is dedicated to educating consumers about the health and environmental impacts of GMO’s. They promote local, organic, and non-GMO food producers and diligently work on eliminating GMOs from our food supply.

Listen:  GMO Free Idaho Interview
Read:   GMO Free Idaho Website

Ledyard panel to look at labeling genetically modified foods | News from southeastern Connecticut

The Day - Ledyard panel to look at labeling genetically modified foods | News from southeastern Connecticut

State Rep. Philip Miller, D-Essex, said Tuesday that he is initiating a bill that will be considered in the legislature this session that would require that foods containing GMOs be labeled as such. The first public hearings on the bill would take place in the Public Health Committee, where it is being introduced.

"They're not natural. It's not the same as plant genetics," said Miller, who is vice chairman of the Public Health Committee.

While organic farming organizations are supportive of the bill, Miller said, some other agriculture groups are not. Ice cream makers who use corn syrup sweeteners, for example, are opposed, because many corn-based products are derived from genetically modified corn.
The other bill is being introduced by Rep. Diana Urban, D-North Stonington, and will have its first hearing in the Children Committee. It would require labeling for infant formula and other baby foods that contain GMOs, including genetically modified corn-based ingredients.

Using GMOs in baby foods, she believes, is particularly troubling because their long-term effects are unknown. Because infants are growing and developing rapidly, they would be more susceptible to any harmful effects, she said.

"The consumer should be able to know whether there is a GMO or not," said Urban, who is co-chairwoman of the Children Committee

GMOs | PT Food Co-Op Blog Posts

GMOs | PT Food Co-Op

Sample Blog Posts:

September 16th, 2012 by foodcoop

In our upcoming newsletter, Food Co-op Commons, we have invited you to take a quick quiz to check your knowledge about genetically modified foods. Here is the pdf of the quiz and if you want to know the answers, here is a pdf copy of the quiz with the answers attached. Good luck, and for more info on GMOs, check out our kiosk in the store!
 

Non-GMO Project Shelf Labels Are Here!

August 5th, 2012 by foodcoop

You asked for it, and we’ve done it. Using the Non-GMO Project’s verification certification list of products, we’ve labeled our shelves with signage that shows you which products are certified by the Non-GMO Project. Learn how to avoid genetically modified foods by looking for this certification seal on our shelves, and on various product labels. We also have shopping guides available in the store to help you avoid GMO products. You can also read GMO Myth’s and Truths on the Non-GMO Project website.

Concerned about GMO’s? Download our pdf.

 

Mom Apologizes to Kids about GMOs | Moms Across America

Mom Apologizes to Kids about GMOs | Moms Across America

Dear Boys,

You may not understand all of this now, at  10, 7 and 4, but someday you will.

Someday, you will know that I fed you genetically modified food for 9 and a half years,
and you will wonder why.

You will wonder how someone could do that to their children.
You may wonder why I didn’t know. 
You may wonder why I wasn’t more vigilant to find out.
You may wonder why I didn’t take
you to the doctors more often or sooner and find out why
you had so many allergies.
You may wonder why
you felt so tired, distracted and felt out of control cranky,  why
you  had to go to school with a rash around your mouth and feel embarrassed for weeks.
You may wonder why
you thought something  was wrong with you.
You may wonder why I just gave up and basically said
”You have allergies and that’s the way it is. Deal with it.”

You may think that my lack of action around your allergies and interest in what  we were eating was some sort of sign that I didn’t love you.

I am sorry.
I am so so so sorry that I did not wonder more myself.

GMO Foods: Are They Dangerous to Your Health? | The Dr. Oz Show

GMO Foods: Are They Dangerous to Your Health? | The Dr. Oz Show

Dr. Oz hosts a debate about these controversial foods.

Do they cause cancer? Are there benefits to going GMO-free? Hear from both sides of this controversial issue. Plus, Dr. Oz explains how genetically modified food is made.

Guests:
Dr. Robin Bernhoft, Jeff Smith, Martina Newell-McGloughlin, Gary Hirshberg, Alison Van Eeneennaam

Dr. Oz: Your a mom?
Martina Newell-McGloughlin: Yes.
Dr. Oz: And you feed your kids  genetically modified foods with no reservation?
Martina Newell-McGloughlin: Yes. My number one concern is the safety of my family. No way am I going to feed them anything that is not safe and nutritious. In fact, I would probably choose genetically modified foods over other foods to feed to my children because, in fact, I know that not alone are they safer - this is perhaps the most sustainable production system you can find out there.

Unmasking the No on Prop 37 Lies and Dirty Tricks

#6 Scientists with Hidden Strings - TRICK: Martina Newell-McGloughlin, D.Sc., is the director of the International Biotechnology Program and an Adjunct Professor of Plant Pathology at the University of California, Davis. When she acts as a proponent for genetic engineering, as she did recently on the Dr. Oz Show, she presents herself as an independent academic scientist. TRUTH: Martina Newell-McGloughlin's work is funded by the same pesticide company that backs the No on 37 campaign, but the strings that attach her to Monsanto are rarely reported along with her pro-GMO views.
Source: Seeds of Doubt

My Story | GMO Free Girl

My Story | GMO Free Girl

I Love Food!

And I love knowing that I am serving my family the best possible food I can. And that means knowing what I’m buying – knowing what’s really inside the box of crackers my kids want.  I’ve become an expert at reading labels, which is not always easy with 3 kids in tow, but I’ve been doing it now for 3 years and it wasn’t always by choice.

When my son was 11 months old, he was diagnosed with a severe dairy allergy.  Not the lactose, but the proteins in the dairy – casein and whey.  I had never known that those two ingredients were actually from cows milk until our allergist told us we had to not only avoid them, but to stay away from any foods that stated “produced in a plant that processes milk ingredients.”  I thought food as I knew it was over.

Everything seemed to have dairy in it all of the sudden.  Goldfish crackers (even the pretzel ones!), packaged lunch meats, cereal bars, pretzels, frozen waffles, tortillas.  Even the bread we were eating had dairy in it!  We literally had to change the way we ate, and quickly, because my sons life depended on it.  The first thing I did was go out and get some new cookbooks.

I don’t know about you, but I need to see pictures of what I’m cooking before I cook it.  If it doesn’t look good, why bother.  So I picked up The Kind Diet.  I had no idea it was a vegan cookbook, I just really liked the pictures and everything in it looked fresh, healthy, and the recipes that had dairy used nut milks.  And since I was only eating fish anyway, and now I had to give up dairy, why not just be vegan.  I’ve always had a soft heart for cute baby animals and after reading about some of the horrible ways the animals were treated and then slaughtered, I was in. Vegan it was…and vegan it still is.

The Priceless Story Behind the Cost Of GMOS | Moms Across America

The Priceless Story Behind the Cost Of GMOS | Moms Across America

A Conversation with Tara Cook Littman Part One
Tara-Cook Littman, Mom of three and one of the leaders of a coalition of 37 states for ballot initiatives and legislature to label GMOs, is on the phone with me from Connecticut, my home state, and we have an immediate connection. The first thing she says is that her “favorite part about all this, is connecting with people from all over the United States” and I know I have found a kindred soul. She goes on to tell me about how she was just in Washington D.C. marching with hundreds of other farmers and supporters from Food Democracy Now and other groups, from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, D.C etc…and the relationships and the connections she made with these committed people just meant the world to her. She described with loving warmth, how she, at 37, “Demonstrated, ate, slept and talked, for three days, with a 20 and 50 year old women from different states and backgrounds. They talked about things they never talk about and laughed til they cried and became the best of friends. She said,”We asked each other, “How is it that we have not known each other for the past twenty years???? Connecting with people about this restores my faith in humanity.”

This is the priceless story behind the cost of GMOs. This is something that Monsanto and major food organizations cannot pay for with more advertising to buy away from us. No amount of money in the world can alter a human connection and bond of like minded people. Even from cross country, the trust and connections we create in moments is worth more than billions. Money literally cannot buy love.

My Seven Year Itch | Inspired Bites

My Seven Year Itch | Inspired Bites

by Robyn O'Brien  

It is seven years ago today that my life changed over a plate of scrambled eggs.

As my daughter’s face swelled shut, I didn’t want to witness what I saw that morning, to do the work that had to be done, to find the courage that would be needed.

In all candor, seven years ago, as all of this was hitting, there was a deep yearning to somehow go back to the simplicity that we had known before that breakfast.
But that would never happen.

I couldn’t unlearn what I went on to learn or forget what I had seen.

And as I watched her struggle to breathe that morning, my life forever changed.

What I unearthed that day – that the number of children with the peanut allergy had doubled from 1997-2002, that food allergies had become so pervasive in preschool children – was the beginning of a much greater story.

As I learned about food allergies, I learned more than I could have imagined.

Today, too many Americans have allergies or asthma.   Autism now affects 1 in 54 boys in our country, while in other countries, its lack of prevalence means that the numbers aren’t even tabulated.  And while the United States only represents 5% of the world’s population, 90% of the world’s ADHD prescriptions are written for our children. But it’s not just the children who are struggling under these conditions,  41% of us are expected to get cancer in our lifetimes, while 1 in 2 minority children are expected to be insulin dependent by the time they reach adulthood.   The Centers for Disease Control now reports that cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children under the age of 15.

Our children have earned the title “Generation Rx” and “Generation XL” due to their escalating rates of obesity and these other conditions...