Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton appeared at the BIO International Convention on Wednesday, June 25 and made comments that confirmed what most in the growing natural and organic food movement already know: she’s pro-GMO through and through (at least when it comes to other people), much like the other big money politicians from the two major political parties.
Clinton spoke for 65 minutes at the San Diego convention, a major event for the Biotech and GMO agricultural industries.
During the speech, she voiced her support for genetically modified organisms as noted in this article from the website The Times of San Diego.
“Maybe there’s a way of getting a representative group of actors at the table” to discuss how the federal government could help the Biotech industry with “insurance against risk,” she said.
Of course the federal government already produces huge subsidies for the commodity crops corn and soy, which are mostly GMO in the United States (over 90% each); many non-GMO farmers have say they’ve been forced to abandon growing these crops due to the cross contamination risk they pose and thus are not able to take advantage of such subsidies.
Clinton said that the “benefits” of GMOs should be better explained in order to counteract the massive grassroots tide against the lab-created crops, saying that “Frankensteinish” depictions should be met with a stronger, more positive spin from GMO companies. Already many companies including Monsanto have been stepping up the PR efforts, launching sites like GMO Answers in an attempt to change the narrative.
“There’s a big gap between the facts and what the perceptions are,” on Biotech, she added, mentioning her efforts to support drought-resistant seeds as Secretary of State. She also discussed progress being made in California by the Biotech industry, despite the state’s many strong pro-organic and non-GMO foods communities.
But What About Hillary’s Own Dinner Table?
As noted in this article from 2009, Hillary Clinton has deep ties with the Biotech, GMO and agrochemical industries.
But at home, Hillary seems adamant about what she wants in her own garden and on her own dinner table as noted in this article.
“Not certified organic,” Walter Scheib, the White House’s executive chef from 1994 to 2005, said when asked about her own personal garden, perhaps poking fun at the fact that such a small garden can’t be certified by the USDA. “But everything was absolutely grown without pesticides and fertilizers. I guess it’s what these days we call ‘natural.'”
Political lines have nothing to do with it, either, as Scheib said in the article that both the Bush and Clinton families served virtually all local foods and “dined regularly on organic foods including wagyu and grass-fed beef.”
Of course this is just one isolated example but it’s well worth noting the many politicians who seem willing to vouch for Biotech while eating mostly organic at home, which is far more convenient for them than the average American.
While Hillary’s a big fan of Biotech and GMOs now, the question of whether or not she’ll make a place for them on her own dinner table remains unanswered.
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About Nick Meyer
