Seed Patents

Famous writer Donald Barthelme once said, "Write about what you're afraid of." Today I'm writing about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and GE (genetically engineered) crops.

When I flew solo on vacation to Mount Tamalpais (across from San Fransisco) last year at this time, I was tempted to stop into Lily Films. Lily Films is the home of Jerry Garcia's entrepreneur widow Deborah Koons Garcia. She and her all woman professional team of editors work on full-length documentaries - the most famous being her 1994 cult hit "The Future of Food". The documentary was released in July 2004 and explores the disturbing results of unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that fill our grocery store shelves.

"From the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada to the fields of Oaxaca, Mexico, this film gives a voice to farmers whose lives and livelihoods have been negatively impacted by this new technology. The health implications, government policies and push towards globalization are all part of the reason why many people are alarmed about the introduction of genetically altered crops into our food supply." (IMDB.com)

It's scary because as a result of watching this film it's unbeleivable to think that someday you'll be asking for permission and paying a fee to grow your own red-ripe tomatoes in your backyard! Seed patents - it's perfectly plausible.

What to do? First off, I wish the Capital Region had the major grocery chain Whole Foods. The retailer carries high quality and naturally organic foods from small, uniquely dedicated food artisans. It's unaffected by artificial additives, sweeteners, colorings or preservatives. There core values far exceed those of union-busting blockbusters like PriceChopper, but that's cause for another blog....

See "The Future of Food" for yourself and you'll see why it's won so many film festival awards and helped anti-GMO movements push for legislation banning GE crops.