GMO, The Good and The Bad

There has been much said about GMO food, that is food that has been genetically modified in some way to give it new characteristics, such as disease resistance. While many people think that this approach has only downsides, others highlight just the benefits, as with everything, perhaps the truth lies somewhere in the middle. With that in mind, we are going to take a look at the environmental issues surrounding GMO food, and what it does to the world around us.

One of the ways that GMO food actually benefits us is in the environment. One of the biggest changes that has happened to our world in the last 50 years is the massive increase in pesticides and other chemicals in large scale farming. This has had a detrimental effect on our environment in several ways, long term damage as the chemicals settle into the ecosystem, along with increased greenhouse gas emission in the activities required to deliver these chemicals onto the planted fields.

GMO foods that have been designed for disease and insect resistance reduce the need for such pesticides, not only reducing chemical contamination of the environment itself, but also reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that are associated with concentrated farming.

However, despite these positives from GMO food, there are problems, GMO foods represent a risk to the environment from contamination. Crops that have been engineered to be pesticide or herbicide resistant bring the danger of cross pollination outside the engineered crop. This could create a chemical resistant weed that would be almost impossible to eradicate, a sort of ‘superweed’ that would destroy the natural habitat due it its genetically engineered superiority.

That is not the only issue with GMO foods, the long-term health effects of consuming GMO foods can be problematic. Because the genetically modified foods often add additional proteins that are not usually found in the original plant or animal, GMO food can present significant allergy risks for many people. Proteins from a plant or animal that someone is allergic too can be unknowingly consumed resulting in an allergic reaction that will be unexpected and harmful.

In addition, the disease resistance of this GMO food can leave antibiotic markers in the body if consumed regularly, and result in decreased effectiveness of antibiotic drugs of they are needed for any reason. In fact, the decreased efficiency of antibiotic treatment is being seen around the world, with many experts suggesting that increased consumption of disease resistant GMO foods being one of the main causes.

For many, the biggest problem with GMO food is that consumers do not necessarily know they are eating it. Currently, food manufacturers have no legal need to label GMO food in any way. With the health problems that can occur from consumption, this can be a significant issue, and why the non-GMO project is so important.

The idea is to create a standard label that clearly marks non-GMO food, and allows consumers with the information they need to choose what they consume. While we believe that avoiding GMO food where possible is a healthier way to eat, the most important thing is being able to make an informed choice, and right now, consumers simply do not have the information to do that. The non-GMO project will help all consumers to control food purchases and make their own choices in the store.

PEACE AND LOVE FAMILY !! WELLNESS