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GMOs: What You Don't Know Could Hurt You
MONSANTO
If you aren’t familiar with Monsanto, you
should be. Monsanto is one of the country’s,
if not the world’s, leading bio-tech seed and
herbicide corporations. They are responsible for engineering a large portion of the
genetically modified crops around the world,
specifically those engineered to be resistant
to herbicide. Coincidentally, Monsanto also
produces the glyphosate-based herbicide,
Roundup, that the crops are designed to
resist. This biotech company thus has every
incentive to continue producing more and
more GMOs because their prevalence boosts
demand for more and more Roundup.
It’s arguably that same profit-based
incentive that has allegedly driven Monsanto
to attempt to s hut down any legislation and
research on GMOs.
RESEARCH
According to Forbes, more than 2,000 animal
feeding studies have been conducted to
asses the safety of GMO crops, and though
the majority suggest that GMOs don’t pose
a threat to human health, skepticism still
remains.
Some argue that most of the research has
been funded by Monsanto, resulting in unfair
assessments. Others contend that animal
testing isn’t sufficient in determining how
GMOs affect us as humans, and no long-term
human effects have been studied yet. The
most damning voices have claimed their research finds that GMOs cause serious health
SO, WHAT NOW?
We live in a state of uncertainty. GMOs are
the most consumed yet least understood
commodity in the United States. No unifying
voice can certainly and concretely deem
GMOs safe or unsafe, but they make up 66%
of our available diets. No unifying voice can
certainly and concretely deem glyphosate
safe or unsafe, but we likely consume it
daily. Many voices have condemned both,
but when our own government still seems to
quietly align with Monsanto, a pit of uncertainty sits in our stomachs, right next to genetic
mutations and herbicide.
risks, like infertility, immune system problems,
poor insulin regulation, gluten intolerance,
and more. Journalist Caitlin Shetterly, in her
book Modified: GMOs and the Threat to Our
Food, Our Land, Our Future, discusses her
health and her child’s health leading up to the
discovery that genetically modified corn was
making them both sick.
A related camp finds concern
not directly with GMOs, but
with what many of them
resist: glyphosate-based
herbicide, or Roundup.
GLYPHOSATE
Herbicide-resistant or
“Roundup Ready” crops
are just that: ready to be
sprayed and covered in
this Monsanto-produced
toxic weed killer. Non-GMO
Project states that more than
80% of GMOs worldwide are engineered for herbicide resisitance, which
allows them to survive as surrounding
weeds die. The leading toxin, glyphosate, remains on many crops and potentially
ends up on your fork with a fast-track to your
digestive tract.
According to Bloomberg, test results
found traces of glyphosate in 14 of the
best-selling German beers as well as organic
panty liners sold in France. Testing in Europe
found glyphosate in 44% of oats and 16%
of wheat. According to the Huffington Post,
Whether or not GMOs are good or bad, the
fact remains that the vast majority of the
crops produced in the United States come
from genetically modified seeds. Seeds without genetic mutation are becoming few and
far between, even if there exist farmers who
don’t use “Roundup Ready” seeds, because
pollination and even wind can cause “clean”
crops to become contaminated by neighboring transgenic fields. We may not know
enough about the effects of these mutated
crops just yet, but they may be all we have
left by the time sound research is able to
prove their worth as the basis of the American diet.
the FDA, under pressure to start performing
tests to check for glyphosate in foods (even
though it’s the most common herbicide in the
U.S. and other herbicides have been tested
regularly), found the weed killer in 41 of 69
samples of U.S. honey, even that labeled
100% all-natural.
Morning tea with a spoonful of
herbicide? Sounds like a killer
start to the day. Roundup,
originally marketed by
Monsanto as “safer than
table salt,” was deemed
“likely carcinogenic” to
humans in early 2015 by
the International Agency
for Research on Cancer,
a branch of the World
Health Organization. The
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is set to release
their risk assessment report of
glyphosate in the spring of 2017, and
until then, the weed killer, according
to Monsanto, will remain unchallenged
by any “regulatory authority.”
Monsanto and the government have
maintained that any glyphosate residue in
food is minimal enough to be safe. But critics
argue that until robust testing is performed,
glyphosate levels in foods remains unknown,
and even small amounts may be unsafe because of how frequently they are consumed
in many foods.
Also consider joining a local Community
Supported Agriculture, or CSA, which focuses on high-quality foods usually produced
using organic methods. Non-GMO Project
also has a free app, with which you can scan
the barcode of a product a receive an on-thespot verdict of its GMO participation.
Whether or not you try to avoid GMOs,
keep an eye out for related legislation and
the EPA’s upcoming report on glyphosate.
These are products that have entered your
home whether you welcomed them or not.
Make sure you’re educated on what the
consequence of that may be, and decide if
you’re willing to accept it.
AVOIDING GMOS
If you’re leaning toward avoiding GMOs, look
for foods labeled “USDA Organic” – USDA
Certified Organic foods are not allowed to
contain any genetically engineered ingredients, and Certified Organic crops cannot
have been sprayed with glyphosate at any
point. Another label to keep an eye out for is
“Non GMO Project Verified,” which guarantees the product is GMO-free.
Look for the Non-GMO
Project Verified butterfly seal
when seeking trusted non-GMO products.