Jeffrey M. Smith | |
---|---|
Born | 1956 |
Nationality | American |
Education | Maharishi University of Management (formerly Maharishi International University) |
Occupation(s) | Consumer advocate, Author, politician |
Website | http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeffrey-smith/ |
Jeffrey M. Smith (born 1956) is an American consumer advocate, [2] author and politician. He is the author of three books on genetically engineered foods [3] and has appeared twice on The Dr. Oz Show television show.[4] In 1998 Smith ran for the U.S. Congress as a candidate for the Natural Law Party.[5]
Early life and education
Smith is a native of New York. [1] He graduated with an MBA from Maharishi International University in 1986 where he attended a "Purusha course" in 1983.[6][7]
Career
Politician
Smith was a Natural Law Party member in 1996 and participated in a TM-Sidhi program yogic flying demonstration in Des Moines, Iowa.[8] In 1998 he became the party's candidate for U.S. Congress in Iowa’s First District.[5] Smith received 8 percent of the vote, losing to Republican Jim Leach.[9] [need quotation to verify] At campaign events Smith presented charts which purported to demonstrate the effect of mass meditation and yogic flying on the crime rate in Washington, D.C..[10][need quotation to verify]
Consumer advocate and author
Smith worked as a marketing consultant before he became a consumer advocate.[1] From 1999 –2001 he was the vice president for marketing, communications and business development for a GMO testing laboratory called Genetic-ID. [citation needed] In 1999, Smith spoke to students at the University of Iowa on the topic.[11][need quotation to verify] In 2000, Smith authored a press release for the company Genetic-ID promoting its GMO testing services.[12] [need quotation to verify] He has spoken about the potential effects of genetically modified foods and in 2000 opposed the appointment of Michael R. Taylor as senior advisor to the FDA.[13][14][need quotation to verify] As vice president of Genetics ID Smith was a member of a coalition of biotech critics who alleged that 1% ofTaco Bell's corn shells contained a from of GMO corn only approved for animal feed. [15]
Smith created a publishing house called Yes! Books[16] and self-published his book, Seeds of Deception, in 2003 receiving a favorable review in the September issue of The Milkweed.[17] The Organic Trade Association sponsored Smith's appearance in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts as part of a speaking tour to promote his book.[18]
In 2003 Smith published his book Seeds of Deception through his publishing house Yes! Books with Chelsea Green Publishing as its distributor. [19]
One reviewer described it as "a muckraker, in the laudatory tradition of landmark books such as The Jungle, One Hundred Million Guinea Pigs, Silent Spring, and Our Stolen Future".[20] In 2004 Smith spoke to the New Straits Times at the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety that was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. [21]
The Iowa Secretary of State web site, lists Smith as the 2005 registered agent for the Institute for Responsible Technology; DBA for a now defunct legal entity called: The Coordinating Council.[22]
In 2007 he published his book Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods. According to a book review in Alternatives Journal: "Smith, a science writer and author"... "presents his meticulous research on the documented health risks of genetically modified (GM) foods". [23] The book also received favorable reviews in Alternative Medicine Review [24] the Townsend Letter [25] and the CCPA Monitor [26]
In 2008 he received a $24,000 annual salary.[citation needed] Smith's activist activities are supported through his speakers fees, book and DVD sales and sponsor donations.[1]
In 2010, Smith became the registered agent for the non-profit, Institute for Responsible Technology[22] which played a role in promoting Proposition 37 the 2012 California ballot initiative seeking to label products containing GMO foods.[27][28] He became the registered agent for the non-profit Institute for Responsible Technology Food Policy Fund in 2011.[22]
In 2012 Smith appeared on the Dr. Oz TV show (October 12), [29] on Thom Hartman's Conversations With Great Minds show [30] and Natural News TV. [31] In April he was interviewed by CBS News while attending the Green Festival in New York City, USA.[32]
Smith founded the Institute for Social Responsibility (ISR), a non-profit, in 2012[33] and is a member and employee of The Campaign to Label Genetically Modified Foods political ballot initiative for the state of Washington, USA.[34][35]
Reception
A 2011USA Today article reported that Smith has been a consumer activist since the inception of genetically modified foods 15 years ago.[36] He has spoken to groups around the world including Brazil, Poland and the USA on the potential dangers of Genetically Modified Organisms in food.[1] A 2008 article in Reuters, reported that Smith has been" discounted as misinformed and misleading by supporters of biotechnology"[1] while a 2011 article in the Chico News & Review characterized Smith as "one of the world's foremost expert"s on the topic of genetically modified foods.Cite error: The opening <ref>
tag is malformed or has a bad name (see the help page).[37] According to a 2007 article in Reuters, a group of organic food companies in the U.S. see him as a someone who can champion their interests.[1] He serves on the Genetic Engineering Committee of the Sierra Club. [citation needed] Smith is founder of the Campaign for Healthier Eating in America. [38] An October 2012 article in Forbes called Smith "an activist with no scientific or medical background" who is known for his "near-hysterical criticism of biotech foods". [29]
Several academics have launched campaigns[39] to dissect and review Jeffrey Smith’s claims and criticize organizations and media outlets who characterize or present Smith as an "expert" source[40] on issues of biotechnology.
Personal life
Smith is "professional dance instructor and choreographer" and taught a dance workshop at University of Iowa as "Swingsmith". He and his wife are the founding directors of a dance troupe called Swingphoria.[41][42][need quotation to verify]
In 2002 Smith filed Chapter 7 personal bankruptcy in Iowa Federal Court.[43][need quotation to verify] He resides in Fairfield, IA with his wife.[citation needed]
Bibliography
Books
- Smith, Jeffrey M. (1981) Preventing legal malpractice, West Pub. Co, St. Paul, Minn. [3]
- Smith, Jeffrey M (2003). Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies About the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You're Eating. Fairfield, IA: YES! Books. ISBN 9780972966504.
- Smith, Jeffrey M (2003). Hard to Swallow: The Dangers of GE Food – An International Expose. Nelson, New Zealand: Craig Potton. ISBN 978-1877333118.
- Smith, Jeffrey M (2007). Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods. Fairfield, IA: YES! Books. ISBN 978-0972966528.
Filmography
- Smith, Jeffrey M. (2008) Dangers in Kids' Meals and Your Milk on Drugs —Just Say No! a DVD, Institute for Responsible Technology, Fairfield, ASIN= 0972966560
- Smith, Jeffrey M. (2012) Genetic Roulette the Movie, Institute for Responsible Technology, Fairfield, IA, ASIN= B0096DP4CG
References
- ^ a b c d e f g U.S. activist circles globe to fight biotech crops, Gillam, Carey, Reuters UK, March 7, 2008.
- ^ Monsanto petition tells Obama: ‘Cease FDA ties to Monsanto’, Washington Post, January 30, 2012.
- ^ a b Unknown author and date Jeffrey M. Smith World Cat, accessed Dec 13, 2012
- ^ Genetically Modified Pt.1, Dr. Oz Show, December 2010.
- ^ a b Slockett, Tom (Nov 3, 1998) November 3, 1998 General Election Johnson County Auditor Commissioner of Elections and Voter Registration, accessed Dec 16, 2012
- ^ Maharish's Worldwide Transcendental Meditation Movement Golden Jubilee Yearbook, Maharishi University of Management, 1983.""Day-to-day activities on the Purusha course are like a celebration. Being with 200 happy, one-pointed, and enthusiastic individuals, life is lifted to new levels of fulfillment. There is an incredible feeling of togetherness within the group......—Jeffrey Smith "
- ^ Unknown author (1986) 1985-1986 Purusha Business, on pg. 40 in the MBA section, there is a photo of a man with the caption: Jeffrey Smith, MUM yearbook, 1986.
- ^ 'Yogic flying,' third-party candidates promoted, Bush, Bill, The Illinois State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL), October 23, 1996.
- ^ IA House Contested, Associated Press, November 2, 1998.
- ^ Fringe Candidate's Gimmick: `Flying' Yogis, Associated Press, October 24, 1996.
- ^ Speaker warns U. Iowa students against genetic food, Standaert, Mike, The Daily Iowan (U.Iowa), April 21, 1999.
- ^ Press Release: Genetic ID's New GMO Tests Can Save U.S. Corn Exports to Japan; Restore Exports to Europe, Smith, Jeffrey Business Wire, March 23, 2000.
- ^ Sowing dissent.(Brief Article), Coghlan, Andy, New Scientist, May 27, 2000, "critical consumer advocate, Jeffrey Smith, who campaigns against genetically modified foods".
- ^ INTERVIEW-GM seed case highlights need for testing, Reuters News, Diderich, Joel, May 31, 2000.
- ^ Kaufman, Marc, (Sept. 18, 2000) Modified Corn Found in Taco Shells in Tests, Biotech: Genetically engineered grain, detected in Taco Bell grocery product, is not allowed in food. FDA is investigating charges, Washington Post"Genetic Id Vice President Jeffrey Smith. He said company policy is to duplicate each test, so the taco shell sample was actually tested four times using a process called polymerase chain reaction. Each time, he said, researchers found 1% of the corn DNA to be from the unapproved corn,"
- ^ Institute for Responsible Technology & YES! Books, Academics Review, November 2012.
- ^ Review From The Milkweed Reprint of book review on Smith's book web site
- ^ OTA Press Release (September 24, 2003 )OTA will sponsor appearance by Jeffrey Smith Organic Trade Association
- ^ Unknown Author Jefrey Smith Chelsea Green Publishing web site, accessed Dec 16, 2012
- ^ Hunter, Beatrice Trum (May 1, 2004) Genetically engineered foods: a major safety issue.(BookCorners)(Book Review), Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients
- ^ John, Elizabith (February 25, 2004) `Potential threats from GM foods, Potential threats from GM foods', New Straits Times"Results of these and other studies were reported by Jeffrey Smith, author of the book Seeds of Deception, on the sidelines of the First Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (MOP1) at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur"
- ^ a b c Coordinating Council Iowa business registration # 315479, Iowa Secretary of State Business Registrations, accessed October 2012.
- ^ Smith, Mike (August 1, 2009) Modified, Misled and Misguided.(Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods; Genetically Modified Diplomacy: The Global Politics of Agricultural Biotechnology and the Environment)(Book review), Alternatives Journal
- ^ Malterre, Thomas (March 1, 2008) Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, Alternative Medicine Review
- ^ Ferrie, Helk (June 1, 2008) Understanding the Impact of Genetically Modified Foods.(Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods)(Book review), Townsend Letter
- ^ Ferrie, Helke (May 1, 2008) GENETIC ROULETTE: Book reveals health risks of genetically modified foods, CCPA Monitor "somebody eminently suited to discuss the entire field has done the job for me with breathtaking thoroughness and wonderful clarity!"
- ^ Safety of genetically modified foods is debated in California, Kansas City Star, October 31, 2012.
- ^ Ryan Jaslow (2012-02-27). "Genetically modified crops resistant to 2,4-D spur debate, calls for labeling". CBS News.
The proliferation of GMOs in the country's food supply and environment is of primary importance to many, including Jeffrey Smith of The Institute for Responsible Technology.
- ^ a b Entine, John (Oct 19, 2012) Malpractice on Dr. Oz: Pop Health Expert Hosts Anti-GM Food Rant; Scientists Push Back Forbes, accessed Dec 16, 2012
- ^ Unknown author Jeffrey Smith GMOs - Seeds of Deception Conversations With Great Minds, accessed 12/14/12
- ^ HealthRanger (Jan 2012) Jeffrey Smith GMO update, Monsanto, Roundup, Bayer, DuPont and more Natural News TV, accessed 12/15/12
- ^ (April 27, 2012) New GMO crops proposed, consumers want labeling, CBS News, accessed Dec 16, 2012
- ^ Institute for Responsible Technology profile, GuideStar, accessed September 2012.
- ^ Natural Products Association Northwest Donates to Washington State GMO Labeling Initiative, Natural Products Association of the Northwest press release, October 12, 2012.
- ^ Full Spectrum Health business tax ID #601597337, Washington State Department of Revenue, January 10, 1995.
- ^ Unknown Author (Feb 25, 2011)Shoppers wary of GM foods find they're everywhere, USA Today, "Smith, an activist who has fought the expansion of genetically engineered foods since they were first introduced 15 years ago"
- ^ Burlison, Dani (JUly 20, 2012) Hell No, GMO, Pacific Sun"the annual GMO SYMPOSIUM brings experts like Jeffery Smith,"
- ^ (Sept 20, 2007) Third annual Renewable Energy Fest returns to Kempton, Reading Eagle (Reading, PA)
- ^ Jeffrey Smith Profile, Academics Review website, accessed September 2012.
- ^ An interview with GMO expert Jeffrey M. Smith, Chico (CA) News Enterprise, September 15, 2011.
- ^ Unknown author (Feb 2002) Ballroom Dance Announcement Iowa State Education archives, accessed 12/14/12
- ^ U. Iowa: Is swing dancing coming or going? Depends who you ask, Reinstein, Leah, The daily Iowan (U. Iowa), January 26, 1999.
- ^ Public Notice filed Jeffrey M. Smith of Fairfield, IA, Case number 02-03003-rjh7,United States Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Iowa, June 3, 2002.
External links
- Jeffrey Smith bio at the Institute for Responsible Technology
- Jeffrey Smith bio at the Seeds of Deception