October is Non-GMO Month!October 27, 2011

Filed under: Natural Living, Organic - greenacres @ 2:51 PM

What is GMO? 

The acronym GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism.  It can sometimes be referred to also as GEO, or Genetically Engineered Organism.  This is a label used to delineate any type of organism that has been genetically engineered, combining molecules from different sources to create a new set of genes.  This new DNA pattern is then transferred into an organism, giving it new or modified genes.  As you can tell from the definition, this is a broad way to indicate any kind of genetic manipulation.  And foods that are GMO are simply any food that is a new genetic composite.

GMO food products can be a composite of two plants.  In the past the most common method of genetic manipulation of plants was simply breeding.  Certain plants were chosen for their disease resistence, cold-hardiness, etc., and used to pollinate a new crop of the same plant.  In more recent years, clever plant breeders have come up with ways to combine different plants, like the pluot:  a combination of plums and apricots.  But with today’s technology, we’re able to genetically manipulate our foods to include genes from organisms other than plants. 

The best known example of this is the use of B.t. genes in corn and other crops. B.t., or Bacillus thuringiensis, is a naturally occurring bacterium that produces crystal proteins that are lethal to insect larvae. B.t. crystal protein genes have been transferred into corn, enabling the corn to produce its own pesticides against insects such as the European corn borer. 

Many people refuse to eat foods that contain GMO crops for 3 primary reasons:

1. Negative Effects on the Environment:  Some manipulations are being found to do harm to other organisms within the GMO plant’s ecosystem.  For instance, a study published in the scientific journal Nature suggested that the B.t. gene in GMO corn crops was causing the corn pollen to poison surrounding tree and flower blossoms, killing butterflies and caterpillars.  This study has not been unanimously endorsed, but it has led some to question the long-term effects of GMO crops.
2. Effects on Human Health:  The FDA has yet to do extensive testing on GMO crop foods and their effects on the human body.  One disputed study in rats suggested “appreciable differences” between the digestive tracts of rats fed traditional potatoes and those fed GMO potatoes.  Again, this paper has not gained unanimous endorsement, but it suggest that not enough is known about how GMO plants effect the human body.
3. Effects on the Economy:  Economic concerns have come into play in the production of GMO crops because the cost of production is so high.  Large bio-tech companies like Monsanto spend millions, and sometimes billions, of dollars developing bore-resistant corn or RoundUp resistant soy beans.  So the cost of the seeds that they sell is proportionally high.  Such high seed cost, and proprietary practices in this industry, lead to a widening gap between big, wealthy agri-business and small-time farmers.  It also becomes a concern when attempting to sell GM seeds that have been manipulated for higher nutritional profile to Third World Countries.

These are just 3 of the primary concerns in the GMO debate, but each one implies a whole host of questions revealing just how little we know about GMO crops and their long-term effects.  As is alluded to in the final point, genetic manipulation of food crops can be positive.  It can lead to foods that are higher in their nutritive value than their traditional counterparts, or drought and disease resistance that can be so important in unstable and impoverished countries.

But because of the fundamental concerns behind the use of GMO’s, that’s why many people have simply proclaimed “the jury is still out!”  And that’s why they avoid these foods.  Organizations like the Non-GMO Project wish to educate the public on just how little know about GMO’s.  They also offer non-GMO certification to companies who wish to proclaim GMO independence in their products.  GreenAcres is proud to carry almost 150 different brands who have either been non-GMO certified, or who are in the process of gaining certification (see the certification label above on food packaging to find these brands in our store!).  These brand include BARE Fruit, Lifeway, Q.Bel, Tree of Life, and more!  Stop by, check out the labels, and support the efforts of non-GMO month by supporting the companies who are pledging to eliminate GMO’s from our shelves and our tables.