The Peril on Your Plate: Film Explores the Human Health Effects of Genetic Engineering and Chemical Agriculture
Story at-a-glance
Ekaterina Yakovleva embarks on a journey to investigate the human health effects of GMOs and pesticides after learning they may be the cause of her son’s food allergies.
Yakovleva learns there is a huge movement against genetically modified (GM) crops despite there being 190 million hectares (469.5 acres) planted in 28 countries worldwide.
The investigation takes her to India where she learns about the mass farmer suicides spurred by the failure of Monsanto’s Bt cotton.
Yakovleva talks to environmental activist Vandana Shiva, who explains how seed and chemical corporations use imagery of rich American farmers to persuade Indian farmers into buying faulty GM seed
Yakovleva meets with Zen Honeycutt of Moms Across America about the link between GMOs, pesticides and chronic disease in humans.
By Dr. Mercola
After being told by her doctor that genetically engineered (GE) food and pesticides could be responsible for her son’s food allergies, Ekaterina Yakovleva set out to investigate. Her quest for answers was captured by the Russian Times in the featured film, “The Peril on Your Plate: Genetic Engineering and Chemical Agriculture.”
The film shows Yakovleva and her team traveling the world to meet “the people who lift the lid on the perils of GMOs and the chemicals used in the industry,” as well as proponents of GMOs who argue that genetic engineering is a “high-tech” solution to feeding the world’s growing population. Advocates for genetic engineering tell Yakovleva that the technology is beneficial to farmers in that it increases resistance to pests and disease, as well as produces higher yields. But Yakovleva isn’t convinced.
She learns nothing could be further from the truth after witnessing the devastation caused by mass farmer suicides in India as a result of the failure of Monsanto’s Bt cotton. Yakovleva visits the U.K. where she meets Lady Margaret, Countess of Mar, a member of the House of Lords and a former farmer who suffered from chemical use, and then to the U.S. where she meets with Zen Honeycutt of Moms Across America about the link between GMOs, pesticides and chronic disease in humans.