Smith offers new evidence that incriminates genetic engineering as the cause of a deadly epidemic in 1989 that killed about 100 Americans and caused 5-10,000 to fall sick. All the victims had consumed the food supplement L-tryptophan, produced by a Japanese manufacturer that had used genetically engineered bacteria in its production process. It now appears that the FDA had tried to divert the blame and suppress information to protect the biotech industry.
Smith's research makes it clear that GM foods are inherently unsafe. The process itself damages the DNA's structure and function and the technology relies on numerous assumptions that have already proven incorrect (see enclosed chart).
Smith says, "The U.S. WTO challenge of Europe's GM Food policy is based on the assumption that GM foods are safe. Overwhelming evidence shows this to be untrue." In addition, the United Nations Biosafety Protocol, which went into force on September 11, allows nations to ban GM crops based on a risk assessment. According to Dr. Tewolde B.G. Egziabher, spokesperson of the African Group on Biosafety, the revelations in Seeds of Deception provide relevant information that nations may use when considering such a ban.
Author Jeffrey Smith has worked in the field of genetically modified foods for nearly a decade-with non-profit and political groups, and at a GMO detection laboratory. He proposed legislation to protect children-who are most at risk from the potential health effects of GM foods-and to protect farmers from genetic drift.