Saturday, October 4, 2014

You Might Be Eating Genetically Modified Food Unless...


If you see this label on the packaging of the food in your grocery store do you know if it is safe to eat? It is easy to get lulled into just grabbing the package without thinking. Many people think it is an endorsement that it is virtually "Organic." However, this label simply means what it says, it is not made with products which are grown from seeds that are Genetically Modified Organisms (the mixing of bug DNA with plant DNA, human DNA, animal DNA, fungal DNA...).  This label does not mean the food you are buying is organic. The foods were likely grown using all the same Monsanto poisons, herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, just not GMO seeds.

Of course we are all happy at least to know which foods are non-GMO, however my point is that it is not still to be considered the same as foods labeled "Organic."

But what about when you are buying fruit and vegetables? How do you know it is organic?

Eating healthy used to mean simply eating your veggies. Now it is important to know the "Secret codes" on the foods so that you don't eat things that could harm you and your family.
Organic produce has a five-digit number beginning with a 9. Organic bananas, for example, would be given the designation of 94011.

Conventional produce has a four-digit number beginning with a 3 or 4. Therefore, the number on conventionally grown bananas would be 4011.

Genetically engineered produce also has a five-digit number on the label and begins with an 8. Again, the number on genetically altered bananas would be 84011.

Unless the label specifically states “certified organic”, it is a safe bet that any food containing corn, soy, and cottonseed oils has a GE origin.

“100% Organic" or "Certified Organic" means that all of the substances, ingredients, processing aids, food additives, including colors and flavors, are certified organic.

Organic” means that only 95% of the ingredients must be organic, leaving the remaining 5% open to “allowable” substances from the USDA's National List of Allowed substances.

“Made with organic ingredients” means that only 70% of the ingredients have to be organic. The other 30% contain non-organic ingredients and synthetic substances normally allowed in conventional food and fiber production.

Products with less than 70% organic ingredients have to list only the organic ingredients on the ingredient panel rather than the primary panel.

Foods labeled "Natural" or "All Natural" are almost meaningless, and are a marketing ploy to mislead the consumer into thinking it is chemical-free, when almost always foods labeled in this way are highly processed and full of things you wouldn't eat if you understood what they were doing to your body.

Buyer beware! Buy smart and read every label!
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