FDA Approves GMO Cattle

Original Publish Date: 3/26/22

 

I shared about this a couple of years ago (with salmon) but it’s unfortunately become true with cattle (and pork). 

 

Here are the highlights: 

 

• The FDA has determined that meat from cattle bioengineered to have shorter hair — known as a slick coat — poses a low risk to consumers who eat it. This is the first time the FDA has made a low-risk determination in a bioengineered animal for food use, the department said.
• The bioengineered cattle have a genetic trait that is naturally occurring and is sometimes passed on to offspring. Cattle with a slick coat tend to do better in warmer climates. In the case of the bioengineered cattle, the genes were altered using CRISPR technology by the precision breeding firm Acceligen.
• While there are several ingredients and food items from bioengineered plants on the market today, there have been more regulatory hurdles for animals to be approved. Since 2017, animals genetically modified for food have been under the FDA’s purview and regulated with the same scrutiny as new drugs. (Source)

 

​From the corrupt history of Monsanto and GMOs, nothing good has really come out of it. Even the belief of feeding the poor and hungry is more marketing than truth. What about all the jobs lost in other countries like Mexico, when making GMO corn unbelievably cheap in the U.S.? Or destroying the Mexican culture around maize?

 

What about the ramifications of these foods on our health? Non-Hodgkins lymphoma can be caused by glyphosate exposure. More countries are banning the use of glyphosate sprays aka Roundup, except the U.S. (surprise, surprise). 

 

I did an in-depth interview with Dr. Stephanie Seneff on GMO glyphosate. While they aren’t exactly the same thing as GMO cattle, we just don’t know enough about these genetically modified cattle. But let’s take a look at GMO salmon. 

 

Luckily, when salmon was approved to sell GMO versions, there was a lot of pushback. 

 

GMO salmon is on the market and here are some of the concerns: 

 

• They may out-compete wild salmon. They can change the ecosystem in the ocean and these AquAdvantage GMO salmon reproduce faster and grow to full size in just 18 months (compared to the standard 3 years). 
• They may cause more allergies. The GMO variety may have more allergens due to genetic modification. 
• They may cause health issues. Genetically modified salmon contains higher levels of growth hormone, IGF-1 which has been found to promote cancer. 
• They can create a monopoly in the market. Aquabounty is the only company that sells this genetically modified salmon and can dictate prices. How will wild salmon producers compete, when GMO salmon have incredibly fast yield rates (half the time)? 
• You may be eating genetically modified salmon. Aquabounty can avoid the GMO labeling law.

 

It may take up to two years for GMO cattle to hit the market but there is a risk of increased allergies and health issues with GMO cattle. In 2009, one study showed that recombinant GH and genetically modified foods can damage organs and have also been shown to increase IGF-1 which can promote cancer.  

 

This is why I do not recommend eating organs of conventional CAFO-raised animals. The toxic effects of the liver, pancreas, renal, and reproductive systems are not ideal (including the impact on the humans eating these GMO foods).

 

The muscle meats are likely just fine but the organs are a riskier bet. 

 

Beef is one of the few foods that people with heightened immune responses can tolerate. Once we tamper with this food, what will these highly sensitive people eat for healing? 

 

You can read more about genetically modified animals, here. 

 

I hope they will label the GMO cattle but I won’t hold my breath (GMO labeling was a battle even with plant-based GMO products).

 

Rising Costs and Inflation

With the pandemic and the Russian-Ukraine tension, the world’s energy prices and supply crunch are getting worse. Gasoline for our cars is not the only energy source that has skyrocketed. Natural gas prices and coal prices have also increased.

 

Most of our natural gas has increased by 60% this year compared to last year. In Europe, in 2021, natural gas prices went up by nearly 600%.

 

Whether this is intentional or not, this is how our family prepares: 

 

• We support our local ranchers and build relationships so we can cut out the middleman.
• We have chest freezers. They are very economical and some can hold more than half a steer.
• We buy in bulk and on sale. Most grocery store sales start on Wednesday. You can still buy 5 lbs of ground beef for less than $3 per pound. You can freeze the ground beef until you’re ready to consume.
• We cut the snacks and unnecessary drinks. Salt and meat go a long way. 
• We buy canned meats in case we need them (wild salmon, chicken, oysters, sardines, etc.)

 

We are also eyeing land on the outskirts of Austin, in case we want to live off the land. I’m not sure if this is even realistic for a city girl like myself, but the mama bear in me will always do what I can to give my boys a decent life. 

 

Be smart with your money. Don’t buy things out of emotion or panic. Buy, stock up, and save. Support your neighbor. People have strength in numbers, and we need to realize that truth. More than ever, we need one another.

 

“We are going to win because we dream dreams, and we are going to stand up for those dreams. We are going to win as we stand up as one because the power of the people is stronger than the people in power.” – Bono

 

In health,

Judy