Bees. Butterflies,the GMO Effect?

The story of our lives continues. TheMomsey trusts that the food she eats is healthy. Food is food or it's not! I have read countless news stories on the catastrophic demise of bee colonies, important miniature airborne critters which are central to the health and well being of our food: agriculture, plant species and us. GMO seeds, Roundup, organics, mother nature's pollinators, plants, blossoms and the meat industry are not separate entities but parts of the same basic conundrum referred to as health and human life!

Late last year, when the weird tomato event happened, in my kitchen, I began to think, “What is this?” I took note. Never in my life had an event of this magnitude ever happened to Momsey. It was troubling. Then it happened, again, several days later. Nothing since. Then came the strange looking strawberries whose profiles reminded me of salmon. I only buy organic strawberries when I can, now. (Trusting 'invisible' third parties can be dangerous). Hm. Strange Momsey or strange observations? Are these events all connected in some sinister way? Then I began thinking of the bees. Where have they been hiding? I have not seen them for years. Are they doomed? Are we? Bee deaths are a cyclical thing, some say. I understand yet do not. Is more happening, here, than we realize? I began to worry about the bees, those tiny buzzing flying critters last year. Bees give plants their mission statements by mixing traits from one family with those of another. Bees are responsible for giving us 25-30% of the food we eat. Bees work hard to do their jobs. They do not bite us when we visit their 'living room' provided we do not interfere. But having read so much on flying animal species, on the decline, that pollinate our food, TheMomsey had to take another look. And it was troubling.

It was the early 80's when RoundUp came to my attention, from an ad in Reader's Digest. This new product could kill weeds in between the patio stones, bricks or ground cover. Wow, I thought. Great idea. It was a quick look into a future I knew nothing about. (Momsey was so gullible and naive, back then.) I trust that companies tell the truth, at all times. They are supposed to be selling safe/healthy products to the buying public. I trust that our various levels of governments have laws in place for this to happen. ... We voted these people, now called politicians, into power. We are their employers, are we not? ... There are agencies to monitor the world of free enterprise. I now wonder how free we are when information is kept from us like little children. That is unacceptable! RoundUp was not purchased, that day, decades ago, after reading, “Kills all vegetation”. We stood firm. That is not good. RoundUp is still with us today. It seems to be part of a package deal with other 'cides', on the menu, that are harming bees, butterflies, birds and our food supply. There is something called neonicotinoids, implicated in bee deaths. In the quest to grow more food, resistant to disease, insects and drought for an ever expanding world population, have we gone too far in producing hardier crops? Whatever harms the plants we grow also harms us. They are not mutually exclusive. Are frogs being affected, too, in a similar way? Are we, the trusting public, being duped profoundly while 'walking in the dark?' We have glyphosate, a chemical ingredient, whose trade name is RoundUP, the herbicide designed to kill 'all weeds'. Can this chemical differentiate between weeds and vegetables/fruits?

Strengthening crops through the genetic modification of their seeds is having a profound effect on the innocent bystanders in the game called agriculture and food production. The death of bees, butterflies and other pollinators is troubling. Living in the country puts us in their midst, time and time again. But I never see them. Where are they? Reading about the dire consequences of newer and stronger seed 'coatings' designed to kill bugs, plant diseases and make crops hardier has me wondering, “What is the collateral damage here, to the environment and to us?” Where are those butterflies and bees? Even the birds: cardinals, blue-jays are rarely seen. The frogs. Where are they, too? Are we next? Are the health challenges of celiac disease, autoimmune disorders, allergies, diabetes, obesity, the results of a toxic world of food, water and air? 

Genetic modification has become a Pandora's box, none of us envisioned. Science and research supports the mistrust we feel of the food we think we know and eat. Are we too accepting of the blame in the food choices we make? Does home cooking automatically conjure up a more wholesome cornucopia of nutrition? It would seem so, unless we look at some or many of the GMO ingredients we are unknowingly using to make that delicious stew or soup. Should we now look in another direction to the cause of these maladies we have inherited? If some of the food supply is contaminated then it stands to reason that the water table and the air we breathe can't be doing too well, either. ... Are the 'unintended consequences' as mentioned in “The Science of GMOs, Part 2” beginning to unfold? Do we simply ignore all these coincidences and trust 'invisible' third parties, whose jobs are primarily to provide us with safe food? The problems are real and troubling. Campbell's Soup, a 147 year old company, is now beginning to transform itself, going NON-GMO wherever possible and labeling the remainder of its product lineup, GMO. This conglomerate is following Vermont's lead as the state enacts legislation requiring the labelling of GMOs in food, by July 1^st. ... 

Campbell Soup is now doing the right thing for its customers. Yay Team! Ace Bakery began its cleansing process of NON-GMO Verified, this month. To both companies, I salute you! (Get rid of the high fructose corn syrup and other non-ingredients, Campbell's Soup, wherever it is used and we have a deal!) ... We can play with the truth when our children are young, tell them what to do, what to think, what and who to believe. But eventually, one day, our children grow up! Momsey is now all grown up!

Ace, The Canadian Bakery That Did!

I dropped by hoping to buy a loaf of sour dough bread. Its elixir of health was now known and fast becoming a noteworthy addition to our diet. I spoke to 'Mary', the bakery head, whose welcoming smile was always worth a visit. Sourdough would be available tomorrow, she replied. Then I spotted the sign: 'NON-GMO Project Verified' above the full-size baguettes of the famous Ace Bakery chain. I was shocked! What was happening here?

The famous Canadian bakery was now in the midst of a major company overhaul, a time-consuming and costly one, to make its products NON-GMO. The company is widely known for its delicious artisan breads. Its journey towards NON-GMO Project VERIFIED began February 1^st. Are other food companies going to following suit? Too soon to tell. By the summer of 2016, all of Ace's artisan breads would be audited by an independent third party for the NON-GMO seal of approval, I learned later that day, after visiting their website. I was thrilled.

The labelling of all GMO foods is not required nor is it law in North America as mentioned in Genetically Modified Us, (Jan. 16/2016) and The Science Of GMOs, Part II., (Jan. 24/2016.) ... ACE Bakery seems to disagree. The company is removing all uncertainty for its customers and is now in the process of monumental change. ACE is now setting a new precedent for all bakeries, if not all food companies. Its basic tenet, to bring the absolute best, in artisan bread, to the marketplace, was setting a new level of excellence for all. The company was changing the status quo. It cared deeply that its customers listed GMO-free foods as a major concern when grocery shopping. How could it not be, I wondered? This 'scientific' introduction into the food supply, known as GMO, genetically modified organism or GE, genetically engineered, was showcasing itself to the world, in troubling ways. It was fast becoming an unwelcome guest.

GMO entered our lives, long ago, without our knowledge of its surreal mission. GMO is not the saviour of the food supply as it was touted long ago. Many have expressed concerns over its deleterious affects on mother nature's pollinators, plants and human health. Scientists have been sounding the alarm bells for a while now. (Sadly, the cows have it worse.) Years ago, while viewing a documentary on food, I listened as the spokesman of a grocery organization remarked that each year 10,000 new products were created. I was aghast at the statement! How could that be? There are only 5 food groups: meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables and breads/grains. Even with a tiny tweak here and there to create a new product/ product line, how could that translate into 10,000 new items each year? If there are newly created artificial flavours, textures, colours being 'engineered' in the lab, then I suppose new dishes could result, created from these artificial ingredients, considered food. Oh, My.

In 1983, two food connoisseurs, began to change the face of the retail bakery landscape. They left Canada in search of masters in the craft of artisan bread-making. This dynamic couple, wanting to make the best baguette in the world, left their Canadian home-kitchen, a place of research and experimentation, to travel, extensively, throughout the United States and Europe to source the best of artisan breads and bring that knowledge and skill set home to Canada. ... Eleven years later, Ace bakery was born. From its small beginnings, the bakery has grown to its present size, impressively dominating the retail bakery landscape across Canada, the United States and the Caribbean since 2013. It is a preeminent force to reckon with, in becoming NON-GMO certified. Its mission statement: to provide the simplest, healthiest, premium ingredients, using the much maligned 'unbleached wheat flour', sourced from certified NON-GMO farms has helped restore bread's luster in the hearts and minds of bread lovers, everywhere. The standard of bread excellence has now been raised to an unprecedented level. (It was bought in 2010 by a large Canadian grocery store chain to improve their product line.)
 

Bread has fed the earth, for centuries. We've all been held captive by its appeal, taste, texture and freshly baked aroma. We can now eat bread without that uncertain feeling. We have unlimited choice. The team at ACE bakery uses simple ingredients, time-honoured techniques and complex methods, honed over years of research and experimentation, to create the absolute best in artisan breads and rolls. Now these delectable creations are becoming certified GMO-free. ... In A Simple Loaf of Bread, (2015) Momsey writes about the changes made to speed up commercial bread's production, when, decades ago, the second shift of bakers began to disappear. ... The Ace bakery multi-talented team of mixers and bakers have taken time to new heights. At 3:00 am, they arrive to measure and mix the ingredients required for the day's and the next day's baked creations. Fermenting starters are 'fed' daily, a slow precise process that keeps these 'sticky' batters alive and healthy. It is a job unto itself. Master bakers ensure ACE's high standards are met rigidly, day in, day out. Fermentation alone requires much time, sometimes 6 hours or more. (In excess of 12 hours are required to produce some of the company's artisan breads.) The complex steps of fermentation, mixing, proofing, rising and baking, in special ovens, all combine to produce some of the most incredible artisan bread formulations in the industry. With Ace, bread is not just a simple side dish in the diet. It is real food for human health.

Great bread cannot be made in one hour. Momsey knows. She has made doughnuts, dinner rolls, beaver tails, pizza, challah, many times, in her kitchen and in her classrooms. Hours roll by but the results are well worth the wait! Human health depends on it. Ill health, food intolerances/allergies and obesity were rarely concerns or issues when I was a little girl. Now these chronic conditions dot the health landscape, a rampant menace in our lives. It does not surprise Momsey. How our food is grown is as important as how it is handled and ultimately prepared. Bread a part of life. It graces the tables of fine dining establishments, everywhere. Where Ace bakery is concerned, bread made properly, respectfully and with grace is a part of a healthy diet. It is the hallmark of their philosophy. Momsey would tend to agree.