How do you choose:
GMO vs. non-GMO?
Most Americans, according to a CBS/New York Times poll, would choose foods made without
genetically modified organisms (GMOs) if they knew which was which—if they were
labeled. However, unlike most other industrialized nations, GMOs don’t have to
be labeled in the US or Canada. Therefore, avoiding GM foods in our
supermarkets takes some work. Here are some tips on how to choose:
Tip #1: Buy Organic
The best way to guarantee no GMOs is to buy organic foods,
which don’t allow the use of genetically modified seeds. Organic food also has
lower pesticide residues than conventional food.
Tip #2: Look for “non-GMO” labels
Some companies voluntarily label products as “non-GMO.” The
best label is now the Non-GMO Project Verified seal: a verified standard for
non-GM products that have cleaned their products and registered with the
organization.
Tip #3: Consult the Non-GMO Shopping Guide
For a handy list of non-GMO brands by category, go to www.NonGMOShoppingGuide.com.
New products are added regularly. View it online, download or order copies, or
download the Mobile Phone application.
Tip #4: Avoid AT-RISK ingredients
If it is not labeled organic or non-GMO, and the brand is
not listed in the guide, look at the ingredients panel to see if it contains
any possible GM products (including derivatives of corn and soy). Here are some
common ones: (a more comprehensive list is available in the Non-GMO Shopping
Guide)
·
Corn
o Flour,
meal, oil, starch, gluten, and syrups
o Sweeteners
such as fructose, dextrose, and glucose
·
Soy
o Flour,
oil, lecithin, protein, isolate, and isoflavones
·
Canola
Oil
·
Cottonseed
Oil
·
Beet sugar (unless specified as “pure
cane,” most sugar is blended with beet sugar)
·
Papaya (only from Hawaii)
·
Zucchini and yellow squash
·
Aspartame
(also known as Nutrasweet and Equal)
·
Meat,
fish, eggs
o Most
US livestock and farmed fish are fed GM soy or corn, causing our supply of meat, and eggs to be tainted with
bio-accumulate toxins. To avoid GM-fed animal
products, buy organic, wild caught, or 100% grass-fed.
o GM
Salmon, the first live animal to be genetically modified, is due to be approved
by the FDA on Feb 25th. If approved, the only way to avoid it will
be to purchase wild salmon.
·
Dairy
o The
same is true of cows fed GM corn- health risks are transferred to the consumer.
o Additionally,
cows injected with genetically engineered bovine
growth hormone, (rbST or rbGH) are considered at-risk. The milk from drugged cows has more pus, antibiotics, bovine
growth hormone, and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). IGF-1 is a powerful
hormone and a high risk factor for cancer. That’s primarily why the American
Public Health Association, American Nurses Association, and many other groups
condemn the use of rbGH. Consumer concerns about rbGH has forced Wal-Mart,
Starbucks, Dannon, Yoplait, and most of the major dairies in the US to stop
using the hormone.
o To
avoid this, look for labels (such as “contains no rbST or rbGH”), consult the
Non-GMO Shopping Guide, or buy organic dairy products.
Much
of Europe has already banned genetically modified seeds. As soon as news spread
of the extensive damage a GMO diet can cause, consumers responded by rejecting
items with at-risk ingredients. Within a month, 750 articles on GMOs were
circulating; within just ten weeks, the tipping point of consumer rejection was
achieved. GM ingredients had become a marketing liability. At the end of April,
Unilever publicly committed to remove GMOs from its European brands. Within the
week, so did nearly every other major food company.
These
same companies (Monsanto, BASF, etc) continue to use GM ingredients in the US.
Four years ago, only one in four people were even aware that they had ever
eaten a genetically engineered food. However, in the aftermath of Prop 37,
awareness has soared: in 2012, 92% of Americans want GMOs labeled, and 6,000+
products are already approved and labeled as non-GMO.
This
number is due to increase in 2013, in both the US and Canada. As knowledge
spreads and more states develop anti-GMO campaigns, food companies will soon
hit a tipping point as they did in Europe. When this happens, they will be
forced eliminate all GMOs from their
brands and proudly proclaim GMO-free.
Help increase awareness by sharing this information: the facts, the Non-GMO
Shopping Guide, the Non-GMO Project, and more.
To learn more about the health
dangers of GMOs, and what you can do to help end the genetic engineering of our
food supply, visit www.ResponsibleTechnology.org.
To learn how to choose healthier
non-GMO brands, visit www.NonGMOShoppingGuide.com.
International bestselling author
and filmmaker Jeffrey Smith is the leading spokesperson on the health dangers
of genetically modified (GM) foods. His first book, Seeds
of Deception, is the world’s bestselling and #1 rated book on the
topic. His second, Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods,
provides overwhelming evidence that GMOs are unsafe and should never have
been introduced. Mr. Smith is the executive director of the Institute for
Responsible Technology, whose Campaign
for Healthier Eating in America is designed to create the tipping point of
consumer rejection of GMOs, forcing them out of our food supply.
