What Are GMOs?
A genetically modified organism or GMO is a plant or animal that has had its genes altered through bio-engineering technology. Using recombinant DNA techniques, DNA molecules from different sources (plant, animal or even human) are combined into one molecule to create a new set of genes.
Both plants and animals are bio-engineered for a variety of reasons. In agriculture, food crops are bio-engineered to be resistant to pesticides or herbicides (such as Monsanto’s “Roundup Ready” corn and soy), or food animals like farm-raised fish to yield greater harvest of meat.
Hybrid and novelty foods like the modern banana, the seedless watermelon and the navel orange are not GMO products because they were bred using older agricultural techniques like selective breeding, grafting and hybridization, and they do not contain DNA from other organisms.
Are GMOs Bad For You?
There is much more to the controversy of GMO foods than I can adequately cover in this article. On one hand, opponents of GMOs express concern about the health and environmental implications of bio-technology. For example, cross pollination could alter or harm ecosystems as genetically modified crops spread
and contaminate adjacent non-GMO crop fields, or negatively impact native plants and wildlife.
Bio-engineering plants or animals that are used for food have the potential to produce toxic byproducts. For example, a food crop might be bio-engineered to be resistant to herbicides, thus allowing the farmer to spray liberal amounts of herbicides to control weeds without impacting the food crop. This could increase the amount of herbicide or pesticide that finds its way into the food.
Additionally, tinkering with the genetic material in an organism could potentially activate certain genes that produce toxins, or allergens. A food crop that is bio-engineered to resist pests might do so by producing a compound that may be harmful to humans.
Companies that produce GMO food crops assert that they are safe for human consumption and rigorous testing is done before a GMO food crop is approved for human consumption. There is nothing inherently harmful about genetic modification. Genes change through the process of evolution, breeding, and mutation, whether directed by humans or not. In fact, traditional methods of hybridization, selective breeding and natural selection alters genes and has a similar potential to produce results that could be toxic or allergenic to humans.
Creating GMO foods does not make the food “less natural”, considering that absolutely every fruit and vegetable in the produce section of your grocery store bears little resemblance to its wild counterpart. Just look at the difference between a wild banana and a modern yellow Cavandish banana to see what I’m talking about.
And there is the fact that GMO crops have the potential to boost nutritional value and could be of benefit to undernourished populations in developing countries, or potentially reduce the need for toxic herbicides or pesticides while growing.
Why I Avoid GMOs
Personally, I avoid GMO products. I am not so concerned about the potential they have to cause harm since the evidence is limited and controversial, but I am more concerned about large companies “owning” and patenting living organisms.
I don’t trust large corporate interests to make decisions about whether or not a food is safe when profits are at stake. On a basic level, I prefer to let a traditional farmer grow my food rather than a bio-medical or chemical company engineer it.
My beef with GMOs isn’t as much a concern about “Frankenfood”, but of a profit-driven direction of food production that may not have the best interests of consumers (or the environment) in mind.
How To Avoid GMOs
GMOs are pretty much everywhere. The vast majority of soy and corn in the United States is GM. Processed, packaged foods are very likely to contain GMO products.
Choose Organic! As of right now, organic standards do not allow for GM products. This may change in the future (I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised), but for right now, organic foods do not contain GMOs.
When it comes to produce, it’s much easier to avoid GMOs. With a couple exceptions, most fruits and vegetables are not genetically modified using modern bio-technology.
Read Labels: You know those PLU codes you see on fresh produce? They are the 4-digit numbers that helps the cashier at a grocery store figure out the difference between a Fuji apple and a Gala apple, or what the heck you are asking them to ring up from the exotic fruits aisle.
Five-digit numbers that start with a “9” signify that the product is organic, while a five-digit number starting with “8” implies that it is a GMO.
However, there are no labeling requirements for GM products, so you’re not likely to ever find a 5-digit PLU code that starts with an 8 in a grocery store. Right now, it’s only organic and natural food brands that voluntarily label their products as GMO-free, but you’re not likely to see any GMO labels on big national brands. If the label doesn’t say GMO-free, don’t assume that it is.
GM Fruits: The only commercially-produced GM fruit currently is the Hawaiian papaya, which has been engineered to be resistant to the papaya ringspot virus. Anywhere from 50-80% of Hawaiian papayas are genetically modified. The large Caribbean or Mexican red papayas are not genetically modified.
GM Vegetables: As for vegetables, only a tiny fraction of zucchini and yellow squash might be genetically modified in the United States. A variety of GM sweet pepper is grown in China.
Soy Milk & Soy Protein: About 93% of soy grown in the United States is GM. If you use soy milk in your green smoothies, look for products that are organic or labeled GMO-free. Unless they are clearly labeled, it is very likely that soy milk and soy yogurt are GM. This goes for soy protein powders as well.
Dairy: I always recommend that you NEVER add dairy to green smoothies, but if you do, look for brands that do not contain bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST). Keep in mind that dairy cows (and any food animal) that eats soy, corn or alfalfa are most certainly eating GM foods, and therefore you are being exposed to GM foods when you consume the milk or meat from these animals.
GMO-Free Shopping Guide
The Center For Food Safety has produced a handy “True Food Shopper’s Guide” to avoiding GMO foods.
PLU
Code
Commodity Variety
3027 ORANGES Shamouti
3028 ORANGES Delta Seedless
3036 ORANGES Midknight
3107 ORANGES Navel
3108 ORANGES Valencia
3109 ORANGES Seville (Marmalade type)
3110 ORANGES Navel
3153 ORANGES Delta Seedless
3154 ORANGES Delta Seedless
3155 ORANGES Midknight
3156 ORANGES Midknight
3309 ORANGES Lima
3310 ORANGES Pera
3370 ORANGES Maltaise
3371 ORANGES Salustiana
3372 ORANGES Navelate (and other late Navel varieties)
3373 ORANGES Navelina (incl. Newhall)
3374 ORANGES Without postharvest treatment
4012 ORANGES Navel
4013 ORANGES Navel
4014 ORANGES Valencia
4014 ORANGES Valencia
4381 ORANGES Blood
4382 ORANGES Juice
4384 ORANGES Navel
4385 ORANGES Navel
4386 ORANGES Temple
4387 ORANGES Temple
4388 ORANGES Valencia
4388 ORANGES Valencia
4389 ORANGES Retailer Assigned
4390 ORANGES Retailer Assigned
4391 ORANGES Retailer Assigned
4392 ORANGES Retailer Assigned
4393 ORANGE Retailer Assigned
