gmo's, how much do you know?
Working at an organic foods company I am constantly reading reports, and finding the latest and greatest research on organic foods. Being immersed in facts and figures all day It is easy to forget that not everyone lives and breaths this stuff! So I decided to get back down to basics and hone in on some of the most important reasons I am in this business to begin with. I want to focus on GMO’s and why they are such a scary addition to our grocery stores. With so much attention being given to pesticides and synthetic chemicals, I think we could all use a little more education on this virtually undetectable predator.
Genetically modified organisms or GMO’s are a result of a technology developed in the 1970’s. A simple explanation of a GMO is the allowance of one gene species to be forced in the DNA of an unrelated species. It was thought that with this technology mass production of foods would cut costs and end hunger worldwide. Unfortunately, this was not the result. With no regulation, any company who develops and produces a new GMO must simply state that it is safe to the FDA and it is then categorized in the not so convincing area of GRAS which stands for (Generally Recognized As Safe). Once this GRAS label is obtained they require no further regulation and are free to be market and sell to the public. This means your food could contain unsafe amounts of pesticides, chemicals and/or GMO’s and no one is left to even question, let alone stop the process.
The risks of GMO’s alone are substantial, they are also unpredictable, with hard to detect side effects due to the lack of approved research. Allergies, toxins and nutritional deficiencies have already been determined as well as, believe it or not, demasculization. All this and we have no way of knowing which foods are contaminated and which are not.
Take for example the Brazil nut and the soy bean. In a GMO experiment Brazil nut genetics were transferred in to a soybean to improve nutritional value. Instead it provided a deadly allergenic combination. Fortunately the product was removed from the shelves, but if it were not for the irresponsibility’s of the government, scientists, and those greedy enough to market and sell a product they know nothing about we would have never been in that situation to begin with. This was not the first time an experiment has gone wrong, nor do I think it will be the last.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of an epidemic we must get a handle on. GMO'S need not be declared on packaging and therefore are hard to detect, even as an avid package and label reader you may still be purchasing a GMO product and not know it. Organic is truly the only way to protect yourself. I encourage you to do your research, help spread the word and join the Organic Evolution™.
amber - biz development
Genetically modified organisms or GMO’s are a result of a technology developed in the 1970’s. A simple explanation of a GMO is the allowance of one gene species to be forced in the DNA of an unrelated species. It was thought that with this technology mass production of foods would cut costs and end hunger worldwide. Unfortunately, this was not the result. With no regulation, any company who develops and produces a new GMO must simply state that it is safe to the FDA and it is then categorized in the not so convincing area of GRAS which stands for (Generally Recognized As Safe). Once this GRAS label is obtained they require no further regulation and are free to be market and sell to the public. This means your food could contain unsafe amounts of pesticides, chemicals and/or GMO’s and no one is left to even question, let alone stop the process.
The risks of GMO’s alone are substantial, they are also unpredictable, with hard to detect side effects due to the lack of approved research. Allergies, toxins and nutritional deficiencies have already been determined as well as, believe it or not, demasculization. All this and we have no way of knowing which foods are contaminated and which are not.
Take for example the Brazil nut and the soy bean. In a GMO experiment Brazil nut genetics were transferred in to a soybean to improve nutritional value. Instead it provided a deadly allergenic combination. Fortunately the product was removed from the shelves, but if it were not for the irresponsibility’s of the government, scientists, and those greedy enough to market and sell a product they know nothing about we would have never been in that situation to begin with. This was not the first time an experiment has gone wrong, nor do I think it will be the last.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of an epidemic we must get a handle on. GMO'S need not be declared on packaging and therefore are hard to detect, even as an avid package and label reader you may still be purchasing a GMO product and not know it. Organic is truly the only way to protect yourself. I encourage you to do your research, help spread the word and join the Organic Evolution™.
amber - biz development
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