GMOs - Genetically Modified Organisms

GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, are one of the scariest things to come out of the 20th century, in my opinion. The worst thing is that we can’t know what is genetically engineered (GE, another way of saying it) and what isn’t. The only way to be sure is to buy organic, which, by law, cannot have any GE parts to it.

One of the most genetically engineered crops out there is corn. This grain then goes to feed livestock which we then consume, taking the unknown effects of it all the way down the food chain.

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Unless you are eating only organic foods that you have personally purchased or grown yourself, then you ARE eating GMOs. The worst thing is that the FDA, in its infinite wisdom, decreed that companies did not have to label these ingredients as such. So unless you made it yourself, it most likely has genetically modified foods in it.

The following excerpt is also from Dr. Mercola’s website:

“Genetically modified crops are the result of a technology developed in the 1970s that allows genes from one species to be forced into the DNA of unrelated species. The inserted genes produce proteins that confer traits in the new plant, such as herbicide tolerance or pesticide production.

The process of creating the GM crop can produce all sorts of side effects. The plants contain proteins that have never existed before in the food supply.

In the US, new types of food substances are normally classified as food additives, which must undergo extensive testing, including long-term animal feeding studies.4 If approved, the label of food products containing the additive must list it as an ingredient.

Exceptions made for GRAS substances

An exception is made for substances that are deemed "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS). GRAS status allows a product to be commercialized without any additional testing.

Per US law, the substance must be the subject of a substantial amount of peer-reviewed published studies (or equivalent) to be considered GRAS. There must also be overwhelming consensus among the scientific community that the product is safe.

GM foods met neither requirement. Nonetheless, in a precedent-setting move that some experts contend was illegal, the FDA declared in 1992 that GM crops are GRAS as long as their producers say they are. So the FDA does not require any safety evaluations or labels. A company can even introduce a GM food to the market without telling the agency.

Such a lenient approach to GM crops was largely the result of Monsanto‘s legendary influence over the US government.

According to the New York Times, "What Monsanto wished for from Washington, Monsanto and, by extension, the biotechnology industry got... When the company abruptly decided that it needed to throw off the regulations and speed its foods to market, the White House quickly ushered through an unusually generous policy of self-policing."

For a complete and thorough understanding of all of the implications of GMOs, I strongly recommend that you read the rest of the article in its entirety or watch the video from the first article. People need to know what these Frankenfoods are.Your health and the health of your loved ones are at stake.

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