GMOs (or “genetically modified organisms”) are living organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering.
Where did GMO’s come from and why?
In 1935 DNA was isolated for the first time. In the 1970’s the idea for man made DNA started to take shape. The first GMO patent on a living organism was approved in 1980. This enabled oils spills to be gobbled up by a bacterium. In 1994 the first genetically modified produce came to market. It was called The Flavr Savr Tomato. It had a much longer shelf life than standard tomatoes. Within 5 years a 100 million acres of crops were planted with GMO seeds. In the early 2000’s pests were developing resistance to GMO crops. In 2012 a farmer wins lawsuit against Monsanto. In 2016 Monsanto patent runs out so they have developed a new seed in 2009 to replace it. . See timeline: http://gmoinside.org/gmo-timeline-a-history-genetically-modified-foods/
Why were GMO’s created in the first place?
The main reasons were for genetic manipulation of species used in aquaculture are all directly connected to improved output/input ratios. http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/y4955e/y4955e04.htm
They are:
a) to enhance growth and/or efficiency of food conversion,
b) to enhance commercially significant flesh characteristics,
c) to control reproductive activity and/or sexual phenotype,
d) to increase resistance of species to pathogens/parasites,
e) to increase tolerance to/of environmental variables such as temperature,
f) to modify behaviour, e.g. aggression, and
g) to control fertility and/or viability.
Here is a website that is pro GMO. https://factsaboutgmos.org/ You can learn about the benefits of GMO and why it is not considered a health risk.
Here is a web site that discusses the myths and truths of GMO’s. http://www.nongmoproject.org/ You can learn about the dangers of GMO’s and why they consider it a health risk.
So here we are…in a world that is bombarded with genetically modified organisms in so much of the food grown today. As consumers we are mostly unaware of what is or isn’t a GMO food.
I have done my research and believe that we need to avoid GMO’s whenever possible.
There will be two sides to this discussion. First there may be people who believe that GMO’s are necessary and good for us. The other is that there may be people who believe that GMO’s are bad for us. It is a controversial subject to say the least. It has been only 20 years since many of the crops have been grown with GMO seeds. In that time there has been a rise in many diseases. http://naturalsociety.com/study-links-gmos-22-different-diseases/ These studies were comparing particular diseases from the 1970’s to 2014. In almost all cases there was a significant rise in the incident of disease. If you are a pro GMO person there may be concern of bias, however anytime there is a report one way or the other there is always a case for this.
The real question for us as consumers is why can’t the food industry label their products that have GMO’s?
That is all that I would ask for. It is simple. It will allow consumers to make their buying decisions based on the information on the label. Anyone who wants Non GMO food would be able to make their purchases armed with knowledge.
The food industry does not want to label their products because they know the consumer will make better choices if they are better informed. Therefore the Non GMO associations have pooled together to create their own labeling process.
You can go to the APP store on your smart phone and upload the app below.
Non-GMO Project Shopping Guide
This APP will enable you to shop for products that are Non GMO. It will also give you a bar code scanner to help verify if what you are buying is on the list. This database is getting larger everyday. The food industry is starting to take note that informed consumers will stop buying products that are not good for them. The power of the consumer will force these producers to make tough decisions or they may be out of business.
So the choice is yours…do your homework. Decide what is right for you. Regardless of your decision the need for better labeling on our food products is paramount! Its only fair!
Yours in Health
John – One Hip Guy