Genetically Modified Foods

Last night on some news show I heard a blurb about genetically modified foods or GMO's which had me googling this morning to find out more. I knew there were GMO's to be had at the grocery store and although I did not have much specific information about the topic I instinctively knew these were things that I wanted to avoid putting on my family's table. What alarmed me, and many of you probably already knew this, is that in the U.S.the powers that be lobbied so that GMO's do not have to be labled at all in our grocery stores! (Many other countries have strict labeling laws or have banned GMO's altogether). It has been estimated that at least 60% of the U.S. food supply contain GM ingredients. What?! These things that I would avoid are all in my pantry and fridge?

GMO's are food produced from genetically modified organisms which alter the make-up of living organisms. The most common of these being soya, corn, canola, and cotton seed oil. The program last night indicated that most foods (I believe they said up to 90%) on store shelves that have any kind of soy or corn (including high fructose corn syrup) contain GMO's. The less common are peas, potatoes, tomatoes, sweet peppers, lettuce, onions, peanuts, squashes, sugar beets, wheat, and walnuts.There are numerous health reasons to avoid such foods; the transfer of antibiotic-resistance to bacteria in our systems, an increase in occurance of cancer among those who injest such foods, birth defects, allergies, and the Journal of Medicinal Foods did a study which found that GMO's contained lower levels of vital nutrients than their counterparts.

There are also several unforeseen consequences; declines in wild life, insects, and weeds that the previous feed on, this affects both the farmed and wild ecosystems, it also shifts agriculture towards biotechnology companies who then gain more control over food and its production and over the farmers who use their products. These companies say that GMO's help the enviroment by reducing the need for pestisides and herbicides, however it would appear that they are created with just the opposite in mind, they are developed with a "toxin resistance" which means that they can withstand higher doses of pesticides and herbicides. Considering that just like pollen from regular plants, pollen from GMO's can (and will) be carried on the wind and by birds and insects to cross polinate with normal plants it is estimated that the end of organic foods will come as early as 50 years from now.