WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Letters from elementary school students: Young on food safety

 Students at Cedar Wood Elementary give their opinion on issues to Rep. Hans Dunshee. Photo by teacher Barbara Tibbits.
Students at Cedar Wood Elementary give their opinion on issues to Rep. Hans Dunshee. Photo by teacher Barbara Tibbits.

Dear Representative Dunshee,

In my opinion, I think that the manufacturers should only sell good quality foods.  I read an article about someone that felt facial tightness because that person ate too much processed foods.  This made me think that the hardships people have to go through because of bad food quality is unfair.  The author of “Consequences of Poor Quality in Food” quoted, “…a consistent pattern of eating low-quality foods-foods that are nutritionally imbalanced can negatively affect your health.”

One reason is that bad food quality could cause many diseases.  GMO foods could cause kidney and liver malfunction, metabolism, inflammation, and reduced fertility.  In addition, processed foods can cause diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.  Processed food can also cause people to feel numbness, a burning sensation, tingling, facial pressure or tightness, chest pain, headaches, nausea, rapid heartbeat, drowsiness, weakness, and difficulty breathing.  People get diseases and feel these things because over 3,000 chemicals are added to processed foods.

Another reason is that bad food quality can cause growth problems.  The author of “Genetically Modified Soy Linked to Sterility, Infant Mortality” quoted, “By the third generation, most GM soy-fed hamsters lost the ability to have babies. They also suffered slower growth, and a high mortality rate among the pups.”  Also, soda can cause bone density.  If you have bone density and loss, it will affect your growth.  According to Medical Daily, after microwavable food is heated, the nutrients that were once in your food is dead.

In addition, there are many chemicals in processed and GMO foods.  One chemical is herbicide.  This connects to birth problems and cancer.  The author of “Take a Look at the Chemicals in Processed Foods” states two chemicals in processed foods. One example is aspartame. Aspartame can cause brain damage and nerve system disturbances.  Another example is BPA. BPA can cause reproductive abnormalities, diabetes, neurological problems, heart disease, and cancer.

Some interesting facts are that Americans spend 90% of their total food budget on processed foods.  Also, some hamsters in the third generation even had hair growing inside their mouths—a phenomenon rarely seen, but apparently more prevalent among hamsters eating GM soy.  In addition, in the GM soy group, only 40 pups were born and of these, 25% died.

Your constituents deserve better.   Huffington Post quotes about GMO foods,”They provide no extra nutritions, flavor, safety, or any other trait that people actually want.  Instead, these food products only offer risks, which include potential toxicity, allergenicity, and lower nutritional value.”  In conclusion, I think manufacturers should only sell good quality foods.

Sincerely,

Young