Sunday, February 17, 2013

What about Canola Oil?

We are on the brink of a possible human extinction trends driven by the food industry. At its root is genetically modifying food, which is driven by corporate greed not for the benefit of humankind. Examples include Monsanto1 engineered corn to be resistant to crops grown with the use of Monsanto’s Roundup, a non-specific potent herbicide. Thus, Monsanto's GM corn grown has a toxic chemical right inside every corn kernel. In a recent scientific study, a shocking 70 percent of female rats died prematurely when fed GMOs. Fifty percent of males died early. Almost all of them died from cancer tumors.

The word "Canola" was derived from "Canadian oil, low acid" in 1978. The name was coined partially to avoid the negative connotations of genetically modified rapeseed 00 - A product known as LEAR (for low erucic acid rapeseed).
Since then, the low euricic acid rapeseed plant has been genetically modified to incorporate genes that confer resistance to glysophate (the herbicide Roundup from Monsanto). Unless it is labeled organic, almost all canola oil in the USA is GMO and grown using Roundup to control weeds. Glysophate degrades only very slowly and eventually has to end up as a contaminant in canola oil. Canola oil is typically extracted and refined using high heat (470oC), pressure, and the petroleum neurotoxin and carcinogenic solvent hexane. Most canola oil undergoes a process of caustic refining, degumming, bleaching, and deodorization, all using high heat and questionable chemicals. Currently the FDA sets no limit to the amount of hexane that can be in a food.

There have been no long-term studies on canola oil but it is still suspect but it may be ok as a bio-fuel or lubricant.  Seriously, would you buy olive oil that was processed with gasoline?

GMO labeling was introduced to give consumers the freedom to choose between GMOs and conventional products. Support the right to know by supporting GMO labeling.


Notes:
  1. Biotech giant Monsanto has been declared the Worst Company of 2011 by Natural Society for threatening both human health and the environment. The leader in genetically modified seeds and crops, Monsanto is currently responsible for 90 percent of the genetically engineered seed on the United States market. Outside of GM seeds, Monsanto is also the creator of the best-selling herbicide Roundup, which has spawned over 120 million hectacres of herbicide-resistant superweeds while damaging much of the soil. Despite hard evidence warning against the amplified usage of genetically modified crops, biopesticides, and herbicides, Monsanto continues to disregard all warning signs.

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