Codex Alimentarius and GM Food Guidelines, Pt. 9

Updated excerpt from Codex Alimentarius -- The End of Health Freedom

Brandon Turbeville
Activist Post
February 26, 2013

Available Here

In my last article entitled, “Codex Alimentarius and GM Food Guidelines Pt.8”, I detailed the Codex Alimentarius position regarding Genetically Modified (GM) Micro-Organisms. Similarly, in several of the articles I have written recently, I have also discussed the Codex position on GM plants and other GM organisms.

Yet, no analysis of the Codex Alimentarius positions on GM food and/or organisms would be complete without a discussion of the Codex position on GM animals.

Indeed, the “Guideline For The Conduct Of Food Safety Assessment Of Foods Derived From Recombinant-DNA Animals,” a subsection of the Codex document “Foods Derived From Modern Biotechnology,” is as interesting for the concerns that it does not address as for the ones that it does. Largely a copied and pasted version of the two sections before it, (“Guideline for the conduct of food safety assessment of foods derived from recombinant-dna plants” and “Guideline for the conduct of food safety assessment Of foods produced using recombinant-dna micro-organisms”) the GM animal Guidelines does not address some very key issues such as:

1.) Animal welfare
2.) Ethical, moral and socio-economic aspects
3.) Environmental risks related to the environmental release of recombinant-DNA animals used in food production
4.) The safety of recombinant-DNA animals used as feed, or the safety of animals fed with feed derived from recombinant-DNA animals, plants and micro-organisms.[1]

As can be easily seen, these issues are extremely important in their own right. Just the moral issues, in addition to the hazards of the potential of GM animals being released into the environment, are enough to fill volumes. However, Codex chooses not to deal with these issues in its Guidelines.

The Case For The 1% Wall Street Sales Tax

Brandon Turbeville
Activist Post
February 25, 2013

As the March 1 deadline rapidly approaches for what has been termed the “Sequestration,” the majority of Americans seem unable to do anything other than sit idly by and wonder to themselves what programs and agencies will be cut under the guise of “balancing the budget,” “reducing the deficit,” and “cutting government spending.”

Unfortunately, by applying terminology to the latest “crisis” in Congress such as the “Debt Ceiling,” “Fiscal Cliff,” and now the “Sequester,” the mainstream media, along with the relevant government agents, major banks, and corporations, are able to hype the population into a state of hysteria and fear (for those that actually pay attention to anything other than the latest television show) so that the general public will be thoroughly convinced that the only way to avoid imminent disaster is to reach a compromise in the form of cuts, firings, and a general reduction of standards of living.

In reality, the creatively-named “Sequester” is nothing more than semantic jargon devised for purposes of the implementation of austerity measures against the American people. It is quite clear that, although the Sequester itself exempts many social safety net programs in terms of its automatic spending cuts pending a failure of Congress to reach an agreement, the social safety net is very much on the table in the course of those discussions.

While not openly labeled as Austerity measures, the growing cuts to the American social safety net and U.S. critical infrastructure coupled with alarming increases in taxes for low income to upper middle income workers should leave no doubt as to what is actually taking place within the United States. Although nomenclature and terminology may be different in the public discourse, make no mistake that Americans have much more in common with the Greeks, Spanish, Irish, and other Austerity victims than they may wish to admit.

Largely at the forefront of any budgetary discussion in the United States is the issue of government spending as it relates to programs such as Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid, Unemployment Insurance, Food Stamps, etc. – programs that have been given the politically charged name of “entitlement programs” in order to associate the spoiled child mentality with programs that have actually been funded by the taxes of working people during the course of an entire lifetime.

Codex Alimentarius and GM Food Guidelines, Pt. 8

Updated excerpt from Codex Alimentarius -- The End of Health Freedom

Brandon Turbeville
Activist Post
February 22, 2013

Available Here

In the course of the recent article series I have written regarding Codex Alimentarius and its position on Genetically Modified (GM) food, I have criticized both the “risk assessment” method of GM food evaluation as well as the official position of Codex Alimentarius in regards to the “substantial equivalence” standards. I have also written about the very real possibility of the introduction of new allergens and antibiotic resistant bacteria into the general food supply.

However, up to this point, all of the problems with the Codex Guidelines mentioned have been in relation to the section of the Codex GM position document known as “Foods Derived From Modern Biotechnology,” which focuses on GM plants.

There are, accordingly, two more sections - one dealing with GM Micro-Organisms and the other dealing with GM animals.

However, while it may seem that the majority of criticism expressed thus far focuses more attention on the first section (GM plants), the fact is that all three sections are very similar in their language and directives, with only a few changes in the wording made to apply to the new topic.


In many of these sections the language is word for word, copied and pasted to reiterate the same purpose as the first section. Therefore, I will not repeat my criticisms of the second and third sections that have appeared in my criticism of the GM Plants section. Suffice to say that all of the problems existing in the GM Plant section exist in the GM Micro-Organism and GM Animal sections as well, namely those of questionable scientific practices, the ignoring of relevant data, and so on. This claim is easily verifiable by reading the Guidelines document cited in the footnotes.

Codex Alimentarius and GM Food Guidelines, Pt. 7

Updated excerpt from Codex Alimentarius -- The End of Health Freedom
 
Brandon Turbeville
Activist Post
February 20, 2013

Available Here

In several of my recent articles, I have discussed the problems of using “risk assessment” methodology in the evaluation of both vitamin and mineral supplements and Genetically Modified (GM) food. I have also discussed at length the dangers of the Codex Alimentarius and U.S. Food and Drug Administration position on GM food which is known as “substantial equivalence” and, in its more extreme forms, “substantial similarity.”

However, another concern addressed by the Codex Guidelines has to deal with antibiotic resistance created through the process of genetic engineering. Yet, as is typical of any Codex Alimentarius presentation, the agency makes several misleading and unsettling statements in this regard as well. While Codex does state that methods should be used that do not result in antibiotic resistance, it qualifies that claim in its document “Foods Derived From Modern Biotechnology,” by stating that these methods should be used “where such technologies are available and demonstrated to be safe.”[1] This is certainly no mandate. It is merely a suggestion that will most likely be completely ignored by industry.

The Guidelines then go on to say that “Gene transfer from plants and their food products to gut micro-organisms or human cells is considered a rare possibility because of the many complex and unlikely events that would need to occur consecutively.”[2] This statement stands in direct contradiction to established science.[3] Indeed, the series of events that would have to transpire in order for the transfer of modified genes from a plant to human DNA or cells are neither unlikely nor rare.

In a footnote to this statement, Codex makes the claim “In cases where there are high levels of naturally occurring bacteria that are resistant to the antibiotic, the likelihood of such bacteria transferring the resistance to other bacteria will be orders of magnitude higher than the likelihood of transfer between ingested foods and bacteria.”[4] Yet while this may in fact be true the statement is still misleading. The issue being discussed in the footnoted statement is the likelihood of DNA transfer from GM plants to humans. Furthermore, if such events were so unlikely, why would it be important not to use antibiotic resistant gene technology in the future?

Another concern presented in the section of “Foods Derived From Moderin Biotechnology” dealing with GM plants is the question of potential allergens being created within the food products as well as the introduction of entirely new allergens that have never before existed in nature.

Codex Alimentarius and GM Food Guidelines, Pt. 6

Updated excerpt from Codex Alimentarius -- The End of Health Freedom

Brandon Turbeville
Activist Post
February 18, 2013

Over the last few weeks, I have written a number of articles dealing with the dangers of the methods of analyzing the risks of Genetically Modified (GM) food used by both Codex Alimentarius and the FDA known as “substantial equivalence/substantial similarity” and the “risk assessment methodology used in the evaluation process. In conjunction with the Codex document “Foods Derived From Modern Biotechnology,” the Codex position on the evaluation and labeling of GM food, I described the hypocrisy of Codex’s position towards vitamin and mineral supplements and its position in regards to GM food which is, interestingly enough, one hundred and eighty degrees different.

Available Here

However, there are even more dangers to using the “substantial equivalence/substantial similarity” model in conjunction with the “risk assessment” evaluation methodology in terms of GM food.
Indeed, there exists a very real possibility that the Codex position on GM food as well as vitamin and mineral supplements will be used to develop a food system in which GM food is the only acceptable form of food allowed in the supply, while any other food may be removed from the market. In addition, it is entirely possible that once the standards are set by Codex and agreed upon by nations participating in the WTO, that foods containing high levels (or reasonable levels) of nutrition could be removed from the market simply on the basis of their high nutritional content.

For instance, the damage to the food supply does not end with the introduction of GM foods. In addition, because Codex standards are enforced by the WTO, the Maximum Permitted Levels for vitamin and minerals developed by Codex will remain in place.

So, because the risk assessment for GM food based on “substantial equivalence” will inevitably determine the GM food itself to be safe, the problem then becomes the nutritional value within the food.

The nutrition then becomes the enemy and must be removed.

 

 

Codex Alimentarius and GM Food Guidelines, Pt. 5

Updated excerpt from Codex Alimentarius -- The End of Health Freedom
 
Brandon Turbeville
Activist Post
February 15, 2013

In my last article, “Codex Alimentarius and GM Food Guidelines Pt.4,” I discussed a tangible, real-world example of the results of using “substantial equivalence” or “substantial similarity” when assessing the dangers of Genetically Modified (GM) food and/or approving that food for the market.

Available Here

Returning to the defining Codex document in relation to GM food, “Food Derived From Modern Biotechnology,” it should be noted that the risks associated with GMOs are dealt with in a rather curious manner. Indeed, the monitoring and management of risks from GM food after their approval is mentioned rather blandly in the introductory section of the Guidelines. It says,

Post market-monitoring may be undertaken for the purpose of:

A.) Verifying conclusions about the absence or the possible occurrence, impact and significance of potential consumer health effects; and

B.) Monitoring changes in nutrient intake levels, associated with the introduction of foods likely to alter nutritional status significantly, to determine their human health impact. [1]

It should be noted that these are issues which should be resolved in a scientific setting prior to market. Yet Codex is obviously content to allow the public to act as lab rats in the real world rather than force these side effects to be addressed in an actual lab. Absolute disregard for the global population is evident here.

As will be discussed in future articles, when one understands the ultimate purpose of Codex Alimentarius, it becomes clear as to why policies like this emanate from the organization. Such is also the case when Codex mentions the management of risks finding their way into the market and the need for post-market tracing for the purpose of recall.[2] It is important to note that tracing food materials is a difficult task, especially if those products have already found their way into the environment and have begun to reproduce.

Sheriffs Prepare to Abandon Citizens to Federal Gun Grab

Brandon Turbeville
Activist Post
February 14, 2013

In the wake of the highly questionable surge in school shootings and the long-awaited gun grabbing effort being promoted by the President, lawmakers, and the mainstream media, hundreds of American sheriff’s have now gone on the record to state publicly that they will not enforce any new gun laws such as the ones being proposed in the halls of the U.S. Congress.

image source

While the fact that such grassroots political pressure exists in an amount that would warrant such statement by sheriffs all across the country, the fact also remains that many of these public officials are merely cashing in on an exploitable situation to score political approval from their constituents – political approval for a stance they never intend to honor. This much is apparent to anyone who is even a casual observer of political discourse or the development of the overarching agenda inside the United States and elsewhere in the world.

My case in point is Kershaw County Sheriff Jim Matthews.

Sheriff Matthews has been the subject of my articles several times in the past; once after he declared an activist to be a “domestic extremist” after the individual had merely “liked” an article on Facebook and then again after Matthews developed a program of round-the-clock checkpoints in Kershaw County, South Carolina.

Matthews’ conversion of Kershaw County into a virtual police state, as well as his continued attack on all things free, should thus have raised the suspicions as to the sincerity of many of the sheriffs who had attached their names to the “Will Not Enforce” list regarding the latest attempts at eliminating the Second Amendment.

Yet, considering the positions and statements made by so many other sheriffs, Matthews own position was much more tepid when it came to actually defending Constitutional rights, a task which is clearly not the strong suit of his department and administration.

Connecticut Wants "Behavioral Health Assessment" of Public School Children and Homeschoolers

Brandon Turbeville
Activist Post
February 13, 2013

Fresh on the heels of the introduction of a bill in the South Carolina State House of Representatives that would effectively eliminate homeschooling in South Carolina, the state of Connecticut is introducing its own attack on parental rights in the form of Senate Bill 374, currently being referred to the State Congressional Committee on Public Health for the purposes of further introduction to the General Assembly.

S.B. 374, co-sponsored by State Senator Toni Nathaniel Harp and State Representative Toni E. Walker, would require all homeschooled children at the ages of 12, 14, and 17 to undergo a “behavioral health assessment.”

The assessment is to be completed by a “health care provider,” which will allegedly be confidential, with the results only being provided to the “child’s parent or guardian.” Each “health care provider” would be required to complete a “form supplied by the State Board of Education verifying that the child has received the assessment.”

Yet, S.B. 374 does not only attack the parental rights of homeschooled children. It also mandates that all children, even those “enrolled in public school at grades 6, 8, 10 and 12,” be given the same type of “behavioral health evaluation.”

Of course, while the bill claims that the “behavioral health evaluations” will be confidential, such a statement is hard to believe considering the track record of State and Federal governments when it comes to private information.

Codex Alimentarius and GM Food Guidelines, Pt. 4

Updated excerpt from Codex Alimentarius -- The End of Health Freedom

Brandon Turbeville
Activist Post
February 11, 2013

In my last article regarding Codex Alimentarius Guidelines on Genetically Modified food, I discussed the dangerous concept used by both the international organization and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) known as substantial equivalence/substantial similarity and how this method of comparison and evaluation can and is being used to further the proliferation of GM food in the world’s food supply.

In discussing the method used to evaluate the safety of GM food, I wrote,

Available Here

If Codex is willing to accept the safety assessments of regulatory agencies without independent testing of its own and regulatory agencies are willing to accept the safety assessments of corporations without independent testing of their own, then Codex is willing to accept the safety assessments of corporations without independent safety testing of their own. Indeed, this syllogism adequately reflects the reality of the relationship between Codex, corporations, and the future of GM foods.

Furthermore, in regards to the “substantial equivalence” methodology mentioned above, I concluded the article by stating,

Allowing GM products to be compared to other GM products for substantial equivalence is an enormous blow to the environment, human health, and consumer choice. Such an action would completely undercut the already weak and ridiculous method of substantial equivalence and would turn the entire nature of our food supply upside down. One would be comparing a dangerous product to another dangerous product but labeling it safe because it was substantially equivalent to the first dangerous product.

Like the situation involving vitamins and minerals, this is the Twilight Zone reality produced by Codex once it gains power of the food supply.

Unfortunately, this potential concern is now an imminent one because Monsanto has in fact submitted an application for a GM corn called LY038. In its submission for approval, Monsanto provided the regulators’ assessing the product with information comparing LY038 with another GM corn product called LY038 (-), another GM corn product.[1]

New Bill Seeks to Severely Restrict Homeschooling in South Carolina

Brandon Turbeville
Activist Post
February 8, 2013

According to an email alert sent out by the Home School Legal Defense Association, a new bill is being introduced in the South Carolina State House of Representatives that would threaten the ability of South Carolinians to effectively and legally homeschool their children as well as further reducing choice in terms of which homeschooling option is selected.

image source

HSLDA states that House Bill 3478 (HB 3478) would

impose state testing on all homeschool students in both the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools (SCAIHS) and all homeschool associations. Additionally, results of the annual review of these organizations by the South Carolina Department of Education would have to be reported to the legislature. Further, these organizations would be required to provide the name of each student being homeschooled to their respective school districts, instead of providing just the number of students being homeschooled as is now required.

HLSDA continues by writing,

But this is not the worst part of this terrible bill. It would ELIMINATE membership in a homeschool association under Section 59-65-47 of the South Carolina Code as an option for homeschooling on July 1, 2014. No longer would South Carolina homeschoolers be able to exercise what is known as the "third option" for complying with the compulsory attendance law.

Unfortunately, while the HLSDA’s email alert may seem a bit too much to believe, a simple reading of the bill proves that all the claims made by the home schooling organization are, in fact, very true. 

 

 

 

Codex Alimentarius and GM Food Guidelines, Pt. 3

Updated excerpt from Codex Alimentarius -- The End of Health Freedo

Brandon Turbeville
Activist Post
February 8, 2013

Available Here

In my last article, “Codex Alimentarius and GM Food Guidelines Pt. 2,” I wrote extensively about the position assumed by the FDA in regards to genetically modified food and the methodology used to assess its safety before it is released into the general food supply. Needless to say, the FDA, which is notorious for its corruption and revolving door with Big Agricultural Corporations like Monsanto, takes an unbelievably hands-off approach to the regulation of GM food.

Yet, unfortunately, the approach taken by the FDA toward GM Food is only unbelievable if one expects the agency to apply science, logic, and reason to their decision-making process.

However, when one begins evaluating the FDA position on GM food in the context of the position held by Codex Alimentarius, one can easily see an agenda taking shape whose ultimate goal is the total proliferation of GM food the world over.

For instance, in the early 1990s, around the time the FDA was announcing its own policy toward GM food, the debate within Codex was heating up as well. Most of the arguments were taken up by the Codex Committee on Food Labeling (CCFL) and, for the most part, pitted the United States and Canada against the European Union, India, and Norway.


In 1996, because little could be agreed upon, the CCFL asked for guidance from the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) on how labeling guidelines might be developed. In 1997 the CAC produced a document for that purpose. These recommendations were that foods not “equivalent” to natural foods in nutritional value, intended use, or composition should be labeled.

Mini Dictatorships Form as Creeping Fascism Takes Hold

Brandon Turbeville

Activist Post

February 7, 2013

While many concerned Americans express their worries regarding the direction of the country by repeating the tired warnings of “creeping” Fascism, the reality is that predictions of our dissolve into total tyranny are no longer appropriate. This is because what once was “creeping” has finally reached its destination. Now, it is only beginning to show itself more and more openly. 

Anthony Freda Art

In all honesty, when one wishes to begin a conversation regarding Fascist elements in the United States, it would be hard to know where to start, given the developments that have accelerated since 9/11, each Presidential election, and, indeed, every passing year.

Yet, while many Americans, brainwashed by years of television and intellectual obsolescence, expect Fascism to rush in riding waves of tanks, parading soldiers, and dictators on megaphones, the fact is that Fascism has arrived in a slightly less advertised form.

However, while it may not have arrived in the United States in the way that Americans believed it might, there are at least two developments that have indeed followed the traditional track of the Fascism that emerged in Europe during the 1930s.

One of these forms was recently detailed by Susanne Posel of Occupy Corporatism in her article “DHS Are Militarizing Local Police to Create Federalized Law Enforcement Agencies,” where she discusses the ongoing agenda of consolidating and merging local and state police forces into one all-encompassing national police force structure.

ACTION ALERT: Katerina Jeleva's Battle to See Her Son Will Resume Feb.12th

Brandon Turbeville
Activist Post
February 7, 2013

Katerina Jeleva, the Utah mother whose son has been stolen from her via a corrupt DCFS and family court system, is coming up on February 12.

Katerina is being forced to go to court at her own expense in order to defend herself against the termination of her parental rights even after she has been proven innocent of any wrongdoing on at least three occasions.

If Judge Mary Noonan of the Family Court rules against Katerina, she could terminate Katerina’s parental rights altogether. However, if the judge rules in favor of Katerina and does not terminate her parental rights, then Katerina will finally regain custody of her son after an unnecessarily long battle.

It is imperative that we contact Judge Mary Noonan and her Clerk and remind them both that we are watching this case and that we expect Katerina’s son to be returned to her.

Even after her exoneration, Katerina has still been denied the rights to even visit her son due to legal trickery and outright sabotage by the other parties involved. For those of you who are unaware of Katerina’s situation, I encourage you to access the articles and interviews linked at the end of this article to get an idea of the never-ending battle she has been forced to fight thus far. I also encourage you to read the summary of her case as it now stands, also included in this article.

Again, if you want to help Katerina, please contact the court using the contact information posted below and encourage them to rule in Katerina’s favor. Remind the court that the world is watching this case and that injustice such as this cannot continue to be tolerated. Remember to be polite, but firm.

Contact information:

Judge Mary Noonan (801) 764-5820

Judge Noonan’s Clerk (801) 724-3820

Judge Mary Noonan’s email address: 4thjuvnoonan@email.utcourts.gov

If neither of these individuals can be reached personally, please leave a message. Tell them to “Do the right thing.” Tell them to “Make the right decision.”

Katerina’s case number is 1065414. BEYER VS. JELEVA

Codex Alimentarius and GM Food Guidelines, Pt. 2

Updated excerpt from Codex Alimentarius -- The End of Health Freedo

Brandon Turbeville
Activist Post
February 6, 2013

Available Here

In my last article, I discussed the Codex Alimentarius position on the proliferation of Genetically Modified food in the world’s food supply – particularly the concept of substantial equivalence which uses circular and faulty logic in order to allow greater saturation of the food supply with genetically modified food.

“Substantial equivalence,” is an approach that seeks to approve the use and consumption of GM food based upon the idea that it is “substantially equivalent” to its traditional counterpart, thus, GM proponents claim, it is safe to consume and requires no extra labeling. This approach to GM food is easily dismantled and I encourage the reader to access my article on the subject in order to understand the weaknesses and dangers of using the substantial equivalence model for GM food in any context.

The concept of substantial equivalence is unfortunately the theory of labeling requirements adopted by Codex. It is also very similar to the criteria used in the United States and Canada. As to be expected in such pro-GM countries as the United States, the GM labeling requirements are even less restrictive than those of Codex.

For the most part, labeling of GM foods in the United States and Canada is completely voluntary. This voluntary labeling scheme based on the concept of substantial equivalence is both a prime example of the weakness of both standards, as well as a dark omen as to the direction of Codex guidelines as they continue to be developed.[1]

The FDA does not require GM foods to be labeled unless they meet one of four rather severe criteria. Even then, the labeling refers only to the issue at hand, not the process from which the food was created. The criteria for labeling are as follows:

Brandon Turbeville on the Region 10 Report - Region 10 Report – Episode 14 Susanne Posel with Brandon Turbeville on Codex Alimentarius EPA UDSA FDA Destruction of Health and Food Worldwide

Click here to access Brandon Turbeville's appearance on the Region 10 Report with Susanne Posel.

(From Occupy Corporatism) - In Episode 14, Susanne Posel and Brandon Turbeville speak at length about Codex’s formal origins in the world, and the various faces it has had over the years and what led to its global dominance of the entire developed world since early 1963 when it had been embedded into the United Nations and thereby forced into 180 countries and climbing.

We cover what the effects of this group are in various countries; including the destruction of natural vitamins, nutrients and natural foods while replacing these with GMO foods and useless supplements. In addition, we cover the disgusting condition of the modern food supply the world over, including forced radiation of your food, insects, rodents, manure, internal fluids, dirt and a whole lot more. Population Reduction and centralized dependency on the corrupted governments of the world are leading hundreds of millions to seek help from the very Pharmaceutical companies that spend billions to lobby national leaders and corporations to create these deadly food conditions and make hundreds of billions in profit while the agonizing death toll rises daily.

Access the show (Episode 14) here. 

Imminent Muslim Terror Threat Debunked by New Study

image source

Brandon Turbeville
Activist Post
February 4, 2013

According to a study conducted by the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security which was released Friday, February 1, 2013, the original post-9/11 threat of Muslim terrorism that was used to justify the dismantling of the Constitution and the evisceration of civil liberties is exactly what many researchers and activists have been pointing out for years – virtually nonexistent.

In direct contradiction to the constant propaganda and baseless claims from law enforcement officials that terrorists and terrorist plots are being uncovered and stopped every day, the fact is that the official numbers of “terrorist incidents” are dramatically lower. Indeed, these numbers are so low, and are themselves replete with such questionable circumstances, one could make the argument that aside from the occasional psychotic, the threat of such terrorism inside the U.S. does not legitimately exist at all.

According to the study, out of a population of millions of people, only 14 were indicted for involvement in nine different terrorist plots in 2012, itself a decline from 2011. Indeed, fourteen is a much lower number than what may be initially expected considering the level of fear-based propaganda being served to the American people on a daily basis.

Yet nine terrorist plots are terrorist plots nonetheless. So what of these terrorist plots? And what of the of the terrorist plots which were foiled in previous years?

Interestingly enough, the Triangle Center study tracks indictments not convictions, meaning that, theoretically, although fourteen individuals were indicted and included in the statistics, all fourteen of them could eventually be found innocent during the course of a trial, while still remaining on the data sheet as a disrupted terrorist.

Codex Alimentarius and GM Food Guidelines, Pt. 1

Updated excerpt from Codex Alimentarius -- The End of Health Freed

Brandon Turbeville
Activist Post
February 4, 2013

Available Here

Over the last two years, I have written extensively about the Codex Alimentarius guidelines and how they relate specifically to vitamin and mineral supplements, food irradiation, and the use of Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH).

I have also detailed the history and workings of the international organization as well as many of the current day to day manifestations of Codex guidelines as they appear in domestic policy.

However, there is yet another area in which Codex guidelines will play a major role in the development of food policy – namely, the proliferation of Genetically Modified Food.

The Codex committee that serves as the main battleground for the consideration of GM food is the Codex Committee on Food Labeling. This committee is extremely relevant due to the fact that it can effectively reduce the power of the consumer to virtually nothing if it decides not to force companies or countries to label their GM food, thus removing the ability of the consumer to boycott and/or avoid those products. While it is well-known that public sentiment is unimportant to those at the top, governments and corporations tend to pay more attention when votes and sales reflect that sentiment. However, if Codex continues on its’ way to allowing unlabelled GM food onto the international market, the repercussions of consumer reaction will be entirely neutralized.

A brief discussion of the history of Codex in terms of GM food is necessary here to understand the direction that the organization is moving towards in regards to it.