Posted by Dan Jones on June 22, 2001 at 08:56:12:
Are you aware of what you eat and drink? You might think so, but the truth is that even “health food nuts” may not know when they are ingesting potentially damaging genetically engineered foods.
Talk show guest Daniel H. Jones, author of St. Jude’s Secret, delves into sinister possibilities created by genetically engineered foods. Based on current research, his novel spins a gripping tale of drug smugglers, tampered coffee beans and muggy New Orleans night life.
Jones began to research this topic for the sake of his family’s well being. Because the topic captured his imagination and has received little attention, he decided to dramatize the issue with a fictional thriller. His new book, St. Jude’s Secret, is set in New Orleans and takes the reader on a fast-paced adventure. Rich bayou color and waterfront corruption provide the backdrop. An attorney takes on what appears to be a simple civil suit, but discovers a plot to smuggle genetically engineered and deadly coffee into the USA.
The use of genetic engineering is now so pervasive that almost everyone consumes scientifically altered products every day. Common genetically engineered foods include soy, canola, and corn. Over 50 percent of soy and 25 percent of corn products are genetically engineered to help them resist pests and tolerate herbicides.
BACKGROUNDER:
• Genetic engineering has produced incidents of suffering and death dating back to the tryptophan incident in the Pacific Northwest during the 1980s. In this disaster, 37 people died, 1500 were partially paralyzed and over 5000 were temporarily disabled.
• Coffee is the #1 food used to smuggle cocaine into the USA, because it makes cocaine difficult to scent by trained canine units, and therefore incoming drugs are less likely to be seized by the authorities.
• Coffee engineering is proceeding quickly, with promises on the immediate horizon for genetic “decaf” that will taste more like the real thing.
• Sixty to 70 percent of the foods on your grocery shelves contain genetically engineered components.