A Nightmare in the Produce Section
“GMO is a term that should’ve never left the lab,” is a phrase I overheard about a year ago. A truer statement could not be said.
Why is it that society curls up into the fetal position anytime they see or hear the letters G, M and O? With an easy google search and roughly five minutes of free time, one wouldn’t be so apprehensive about genetically modified organisms. In fact, I would go out on a limb and say that if simple research was conducted further, many people would actually support the use of GMOs.
So, what is a GMO? GMO stands for genetically modified organism and the definition, as defined by USDA, is just that: an organism produced through genetic modification.
Another similar term is “genetically engineered,” which is an organism produced through genetic engineering. According to USDA, genetic engineering is manipulation of an organism's genes by introducing, eliminating or rearranging specific genes using the methods of modern molecular biology, particularly those techniques referred to as recombinant DNA techniques.
Many people and specifically one organization (The Non-GMO Project) will have you believe that your local grocery store is filled with GMOs and that anything genetically modified is bad for you. I’m here to bring you the good news today, folks — GMOs are not everywhere, and they will not kill you.
GMOs were created for a reason and, in short, that reason is to create a more efficient and safe food system.
I’m going to be honest here y’all, I would rather eat a genetically modified apple rather than an organic apple. GMO crops are pest free, their made to stay fresh longer and are made to look more uniform — why wouldn’t I choose to eat a GMO apple?
Don’t get me wrong, I admire organic farms, but do organic crops really produce a better outcome?
I would also like to say that I understand the public’s concern with genetically modified organisms. Modern day GMO crops have only been around for a few decades and many GMO crops are still in the process of development and testing. However, I would like to point out the number of GMO crops which can actually be produced and sold in grocery stores across the U.S. today.
A list of USDA approved GMO crops as of January 1, 2019:
Alfalfa
Apple (Arctic™ varieties)
Canola
Corn
Cotton
Eggplant (BARI Bt Begun varieties)
Papaya (ringspot virus-resistant varieties)
Pineapple (pink flesh varieties)
Potato
Salmon (AquAdvantage®)
Soybean
Squash (summer)
Sugarbeet
What’s funny to me about this list is the limited number of listed items. Last night, I hit up my local Albertson’s for a grocery run and saw countless “non-GMO project verified,” stickers on many items NOT listed above.
Essentially, one of those stickers could be considered false advertisement. That is, if you consider slapping a “non-GMO,” label on a product which legally cannot contain GMOs in the first place and charging more for an item based on said sticker’s false advertisement — which I do, 100 percent.
The following screenshot is taken from the non-GMO project’s website under the verified products page. The following screenshot is of one specific brand which holds non-GMO verification on 819 items. Of the 819 items, just 59 are non-GMO versions of items listed on the USDA approved GMO crop list shown above.
*The list itself is too long to include, so I’m just going to show one screenshot and a chart to represent the previous statement. If you would like to see a full list and have your mind blown, click here. I would also like to point out that after I wrote this blog post, more items were added to this list.
Funny, isn’t it? The Non-GMO Project has fooled our society into paying more money for items which couldn’t be grown as a GMO anyway. One could say that “Non-GMO Project verified,” sticker is a marketing ploy, couldn’t one?
