Consumed By GMO: Daryl Wein & Zoe Lister-Jones On The Future of Food

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“It’s so much bigger than whether or not you want to eat a bag of potato chips; it’s really about our world and the future of our environment.”

Zoe Lister-Jones

You’ve probably heard of GMOs. You might even have an opinion on the subject of genetically modified food. But I think it’s fair to say most of us are woefully under-informed when it comes to truly understanding and fully appreciating the vast extent to which this rapidly evolving science impacts all of us on a daily basis.

54% of all Americans polled know little to nothing about GMOs despite the fact that 80% of all processed foods currently contain GMO.

Those statistics shock me. Even worse? To date there exists no long-term studies on the impact of GMO on human and environmental health.

I’m no expert on the issue. But I do know we need to talk more about GMO. Because they were so great on their first appearance on the podcast ( RRP 191 ), I invited Daryl Wein & Zoe Lister-Jones to return to the show to bring us up to speed on the latest scientific and political developments in this incredibly important and rapidly evolving world.

In case you missed our first conversation, Daryl and Zoe are the filmmaking dynamic duo behind Consumed, a dramatic thriller in the vein of Erin Brockovich and Traffic set in the incendiary world of genetically engineered food. You may also know Zoe from her prime time CBS comedy sit com Life In Pieces or her appearance in Confirmation, the new HBO drama about the Anita Hill scandal.

Daryl and Zoe are not scientists and they don’t play ones on film or television. They are artists. That said, they are passionate and incredibly informed when it comes to the broader, long-term implications of toying with the genetic material that forms our biosphere.

Few issues are as delicate, controversial or emotionally charged as GMO. It takes courage to tackle the subject on film. I applaud that.

Today we pick up where RRP 191 left off and get granular, diving much deeper into what in my opinion qualifies as one of the most important subjects of our time. Specific topics explored include:

• what are GMOs?
• the conundrum of labeling
• the need for long-term scientific study
• factory farming awareness
• the power of the people & affected change
• widespread use of glyphosate in our food supply
• industrialized agriculture & controlling the food source
• consolidated capitalism
• genetically engineered animals

Also, Consumed was just released on demand. It’s available in certain territories on iTunes, Amazon and Google Play, but the best place to find it, stream it, download it, watch it and learn more is consumedthemovie.com.

The film is really well done — impactful, earnest, thoughtful and entertaining. But it’s not a documentary. It doesn’t presuppose to answer questions, only ask them.

As for questions, I’ve got a few of my own. So let’s get to the asking.

I sincerely hope you enjoy the exchange.

Peace + Plants,

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