GMO- Genetically modified organism
One of my bits of frustration when shopping for non-GMO foods is trying to translate the ingredients lists or finding information on the company to determine how GMO free the product is.
Now, let me take a step back and explain the deference between GMO and cross pollinated plants.
Yes, many of the plants we eat like tomatoes and corn have been cross pollinated over the years to be more palatable for human consumption. Carrots were not originally long and orange. Man had a hand in changing these using cross pollination. The difference with GMO is companies like Monsanto actually changed the plants, like corn, at the genetic level. In Monsanto's case they have actually inserted toxins into corn varieties to kill insects that pray on corn. Ummm ewwww! On another soap box day I will explain why these plants won't grow past one season.
Now, recently Monsanto has been reporting that their genetically modified Bt corn, that is present in virtually all non organic corn, is safe for humans because the toxin used to kill the insects can not survive in the human digestive system. However, in a Canadian study published in Reproductive Toxicology, in blood samples of 39 pregnant women who ate conventional diets, 93% of the women and 80% of their fetuses (aka babies) had the toxin in their systems. Pretty sobering statistics for a "safe" food source.
www.nongmoproject.org
Non GMO Project is a non profit third party that uses a strict verification process to determine what is GMO safe to help consumers empower themselves and make informed choices. For more information, including a complete listing of 1,000 of participating products check out their site.
Bless Bless
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