Cleaning Up the US Food Supply:
"There is Nothing More Patriotic that We Could Be Doing"
by Alexandra Bruce
June 15, 2011
The cascading effects of unhealthy food in America are head-spinning.
Robyn O'Brien talks about the many awful ways that genetically-modified foods impact the health of US economy and the health of its people, beginning with the many new food allergies that never existed before, which are now common among children.
Because these synthetic proteins have not been tested for their safety for human consumption, other countries will not allow genetically-modified corn (which is regulated by the FDA as an insecticide) into their markets. They will not allow recombinant bovine growth hormone into their markets, which is present in most of the milk produced in the US. So, how does the US export produce to the rest of the world? O'Brien discovered that big food distribution companies like Wal-Mart, Coca-Cola and Kraft sell different formulations of their familiar products in foreign markets.
America has the highest cancer rate of any other country and the chances of somebody from another country developing cancer increases fourfold when they move to the US. 1 out of every 2 men and 1 out of every 3 women in America will develop cancer. 1 out of 8 women will develop breast cancer but 1 one of those 8 has the genetic marker for the predisposition of breast cancer. This means the majority of breast cancers are environmentally-triggered.
US businesses spend more on healthcare than any other country, which impacts the global competitiveness of US businesses.
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by TEDxTalks
Mar 24, 2011
Robyn shares her personal story and how it inspired her current path as a "Real Food" evangelist. Grounded in a successful Wall Street career that was more interested in food as good business than good-for-you, this mother of four was shaken awake by the dangerous allergic reaction of one of her children to a "typical" breakfast. Her mission to unearth the cause revealed more about the food industry than she could stomach, and impelled her to share her findings with others. Informative and inspiring.
About this speaker
Robyn authored "The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food Is Making Us Sick and What We Can Do About It." A former Wall Street food industry analyst, Robyn brings insight, compassion and detailed analysis to her research into the impact that the global food system is having on the health of our children. She founded allergykidsfoundation.org and was named by Forbes as one of "20 Inspiring Women to Follow on Twitter." The New York Times has passionately described her as "Food's Erin Brockovich."