An Epidemic of GMO

Nowadays, we are consciously or unconsciously surrounded by Genetically Modified foods (GM foods), and it became almost inevitable. Like many others, I have been indifferent to "what I eat" everyday although I very much cared about the menu. Anti-GM food campaign looked like a matter of personal preference to me. However, this book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, gave me a whole new perspective on it.

The first devastating fact I learned is "Three-quarters of all human food now comes from just eight species, with the field quickly narrowing down to genetically modified corn, soy, and canola ... We are losing them as fast as we are losing rain forest (p 49)." This means basically everything I consume contains GM ingredients or is GM foods! And there will be lesser and lesser options to avoid them. I suddenly wondered that where those organic food markets such as whole food get their GM free foods?

Here is the second devastating fact: Did you know there are different classes of "Organic" foods? I, who was quite ignorant about this matter, had perceived being organic as being free from anything related to genetic modification. Apparently, 100% organic means the "organic" food I thought--they are completely GMO free. There is USDA organic/Certified organic, which means less than 5% of ingredients are free from GM. Also, there is Made from organic, which means up to 70% of ingredients are free from GM. I should probably go check if those organic food markets only treat 100% organic foods. Maybe it is too late to get away from it since abandoning urban life like Barbara did is not an option for many people--mainly because of jobs and educations. Nevertheless, beware of what you eat because YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT.



http://gmo-awareness.com/2011/05/05/is-organic-always-gmo-free/