If you haven’t heard about genetically modified organisms, especially in relationship to food, the adage ‘ignorance is bliss’ would be applicable. I just wish I could return to the day ‘Frankenfoods’ weren’t part of my daily awareness, and I felt the liberty buying products without the hassle of double-checking on whether all the ingredients were free from genetic modification.
Sadly, I became all too aware in the ’90’s that bioengineering was becoming a new way of controlling food, controlling farming, and patenting seeds. Not only was it a way of patenting seeds, but creating seeds to specifically be unaffected by horrendous chemicals that are designed for the plants that grow from this engineered seed.
Promises of higher yields, drought-resistance, and enhanced nutritional value were empty. None of these claims has panned out, and the damage done to land where these crops are grown is virtually irreversible.
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If GMO crops drift to organically grown crops, and the contamination is detected by the manufacturer, the farmer can be sued for patent-infringement - even though the last thing in the world any organic farmer wants is GMO contamination. There is no way to stop the wind from blowing! Consequently, without any long-term evidence of safety, the European Union took a stance of ‘exercising the precautionary principle’ until potential hazards were assessed. Since then, over 60 nations have banned GMO crops.
In the U.S. however, lobbyist pressures abounded. Of course, bio-engineers assured the safety of all GMO crops, even though long-term research had not be done, and what testing had been done was by the same companies that created the technology. These corporations touted being able to ‘feed the world’ by growing bigger, hardier crops that could be taken to market sooner. Everything was open to experimentation, including genetically modified animals. Most of the public has had a strong reaction against GMO salmon though, and the more the public knows, the less GMO they want.
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However legislation to demand labeling of GMO products has failed in several states that have had this important measure on their ballots. Millions of dollars have been poured into campaigning against labeling. Meantime, hard evidence is demonstrating how GMO crops are putting everything and everyone at risk, including our pollinators, who in sucking up pollens, are ingesting the systemic insecticides, and either die or become intoxicated enough to lose their orientation. Such is the case with bees.
Most recently, through Nature’s Food Patch, I learned that even supplemental vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is sourced from corn which can be genetically modified, even if the label says there is no corn in the vitamin C itself. (Corn and soy are the two most genetically modified crops there are.) Now there is a big push vitamin C to be sourced from organic crops.
What’s a conscientious consumer to do? The more we demand labeling from stores, the more grocers are forced to deal with the issue. There are places who already support labeling, such as Nature’s Food Patch, and the Non-GMO Project is awarding those retailers for work they are doing. The Non-GMO Project, a non-profit organization, is the only entity offering third party verification for Non-GMO foods.
We can take an active role in reading the list of GMO crops (and companies who use them) and divest of any and all purchasing of those products. Boycotting with our hard-earned dollars is an effective, collective action. Educating others helps broaden the scope of this action. Eating foods from trustworthy sources, where you know verification of non-GMO is done and the food is labeled, is a positive action.
Genetic modification is not sustainable. It should have never been allowed in the first place. Supporting local organic farmers is a great way to avoid GMO, supporting your local economy, and becoming most sustainable for the long run. For our own health, the health of the planet and future generations, for the bees - go Non-GMO!
Read more about the project here: http://www.nongmoproject.org
