1. Consumer Reports
The Consumer Reports magazine is published by Consumers Union, a US-based nonprofit organization that campaigns for consumer protection laws. This small but influential division has emerged as one of the leading anti-GMO proponents, issuing warnings about biotech food and calling for strict GM labeling. Their tactics include aggressive online advertising, spending almost $10 million a year on Google ads alone.
[su_panel color=”#3A3A3A” border=”1px solid #3A3A3A” radius=”2″ text_align=”left”]Read the full GLP Profile — Consumer Reports: Exploiting consumer trust in misleading effort to fan GMO safety fears?[/su_panel]
2. Environmental Working Group (EWG)
Founded in 1993, the Environmental Working Group focuses on promoting organic agriculture and produce. With the “Just Label It” campaign, the EWG has been at the forefront of efforts to require mandatory labeling of food created with genetic modification. Fittingly, the Center for Organization Research & Education has called the EWG the “Environmental Worrying Group,” referencing the organization’s penchant for fearmongering.
[su_panel color=”#3A3A3A” border=”1px solid #3A3A3A” radius=”2″ text_align=”left”]Read the full GLP Profile — Environmental Working Group: EWG challenges safety of GMOs, food pesticide residues[/su_panel]
3. Friends of the Earth (FOE)
While Friends of the Earth originally started in the 1960s with anti-nuclear campaigns, they have recently set their sights on all applications of biotechnology, from GM crops to modern pesticides. Although they claim to protect the environment, they are actively campaigning against the use of palm oil replacements derived from genetically engineered yeast and bacteria — despite the fact that traditional oil palm plantations are responsible for massive rainforest deforestation.
[su_panel color=”#3A3A3A” border=”1px solid #3A3A3A” radius=”2″ text_align=”left”]Read the full GLP Profile — Friends of the Earth: Anti-nuclear group turned anti-technology activists[/su_panel]
4. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is a semi-autonomous part of the World Health Organization. The IARC has classified hundreds of everyday agents as carcinogenic — despite regulatory agencies around the world determining otherwise. The IARC’s list of carcinogens include: sunshine, cellphones, alcoholic beverages, sawdust, night shifts, and the herbicide glyphosate — giving undue legitimacy to glyphosate protests worldwide.
[su_panel color=”#3A3A3A” border=”1px solid #3A3A3A” radius=”2″ text_align=”left”]Read the full GLP Profile — IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer): Glyphosate cancer determination challenged by world consensus[/su_panel]
5. Non-GMO Project
Although the Non-GMO Project claims they want to increase transparency and enable customers to make informed choices at the grocery store, their underlying goal has been to remove GMOs from the marketplace entirely — and they see the Non-GMO label as a tool to make that happen. Organic industry marketer Peter M. Ligotti pitched GMO labeling to Whole Foods by saying: “When we do achieve a ban, we will need to know which products to leave on the shelves and which to throw away. Labeling the GE and NON-GE food will give us clarity when that day finally arrives.”
[su_panel color=”#3A3A3A” border=”1px solid #3A3A3A” radius=”2″ text_align=”left”]Read the full GLP Profile — Non-GMO Project: Pro-organic group wants to ‘shrink’ market for conventional foods, kill biotechnology[/su_panel]
6. Pesticide Action Network (PAN)
The Pesticide Action Network (PAN) is part of a coalition of around 600 international NGOs, citizen groups and individuals. PAN opposes a number of modern technological innovations, such as herbicides, insecticides and GM crops. PAN is behind the “What’s on my food” campaign, alleging pesticide residues are causing human health problems. They also claim that GMOs increase pesticide use — a claim not supported by 20 years of independent studies.
Related on the SLP
[su_panel color=”#3A3A3A” border=”1px solid #3A3A3A” radius=”2″ text_align=”left”]Read the full GLP Profile — Pesticide Action Network: Anti-chemical group rejects most modern farm technology[/su_panel]
7. Rodale Institute
The Rodale Institute is s a non-profit advoacy organization that supports research into and promotes the adotpin of organic farming. It has sponsored numerous anti-GMO commentaries and “research” on GMO safety. Rodale also holds the patent for the Institue for Blended Medicine, an alternative health approach pushing “holistic” therapies considered quack medicine by Quackwatch. Its latest non-peer reviewed publication, “Farming Systems Trial: 40-Year Report“, while praised by organic farming activists, was mostly paned by scientists as a propaganda exercise that relied on selective data analysis. FST reports are not published in mainstream, peer-reviewed journals but rather as in-house publications , and focus exelcusively on data favorable to organic systems while ignoring independent research. Reviews of this particular report:
• Misrepresents the yield of organic farming: Robust, multi-location meta-analyses in Nature and Proceedings of the Royal Society B typically find lower organic yields overall, even if certain crops or practices can narrow that gap.
• Underestimating tillage-related emissions: Frequent tillage and other mechanical operations in many organic systems raise questions about net greenhouse-gas savings, which is minimized by the Rodale reports.
• Limited transferability: A single trial site cannot capture the complexity of different soil types, pest challenges, or climates.
Read the full GLP Profile — Rodale Institute: Hub of organic movement also supports ‘quack’ health, anti-GMO activism[/su_panel]
8. US Right to Know (USRTK)
Funded by the Organic Consumers Association, US Right to Know (USRTK) claims to “expose what the food industry doesn’t want you to know.” The organization uses Freedom of Information Act demands to harass dozens of scientists and public universities, insisting they’re being bought off by “Big Ag.”
[su_panel color=”#3A3A3A” border=”1px solid #3A3A3A” radius=”2″ text_align=”left”]Read the full GLP Profile — US Right to Know (USRTK): Organic indistry funded anti-biotech group attacks researchers[/su_panel]
9. Greenpeace
Greenpeace was originally founded in Canada as a nuclear war protest movement, but moved to the Netherlands in 1998 after their charitable status was revoked by the Canadian Government. Today, the organization is made up of regional NGOs operating in 45 countries. Greenpeace campaigns against “toxic” chemicals and GMOs, working to block biotech adoption in developing countries with fearmongering campaigns. Ex-Executive Director Patrick Moore states that “Greenpeace has evolved into an organization of extremism and politically motivated agendas” who are commiting crimes against humanity by denying the world biotech crops.
[su_panel color=”#3A3A3A” border=”1px solid #3A3A3A” radius=”2″ text_align=”left”]Read the full GLP Profile — Greenpeace: World’s largest, richest advocacy NGO known for confrontational tactics[/su_panel]
10. Organic Consumers Association (OCA)
The Organic Consumers Association’s main goal is to acheive 100% organic agriculture within the next 50 years, and they continually disparage conventional pesticides and biotech crops to acheive this goal. They promote a number of alternative health advocates such as Mike Adams and Joe Mercola, as well as collaborate with other pro-organic organizations such as Friends of the Earth. In addition, OCA leadership engages in anti-vaccine campaigns, opposing mandatory vaccinations in children.
[su_panel color=”#3A3A3A” border=”1px solid #3A3A3A” radius=”2″ text_align=”left”]Read the full GLP Profile — Organic Consumers Association: Activist trade group funding Biogate FOIA scandal promotes ‘fear and deception’?[/su_panel]
