I have been thinking for a while now do I even want to write something about such a powerful topic. Not because I don’t know what to write. I have my opinion on GMO food but I have decided to keep it at bay for now. I would like this article to serve as information only. Sometimes in life, it is better to leave the readers to make their own conclusions by themself. That way we don’t take responsibility for other people’s decisions.

Whether you like it or not GMO food is all around us. On the shelf of your local grocery store. On the counter of your supermarket. More than probably even in your own fridge. You must have heard these 3 letters more than hundreds of times. And today we will dig a little deeper into the basics of GMO food and what it all comes down to. For more information on the food we eat daily check Processed Foods – A Necessary Evil?

Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time, we all had a grandfather, grandmother, or any other older relative that raised crops. Whether it was a simple garden or a real farm we could witness plants growing from simple seeds to tasty fruits and vegetables. And they didn’t look as perfect as you buy them today in your supermarket. I can’t count how many times I would bite into a juicy apple straight from a tree to find a worm inside. It just meant it was yummy for him too.

People would keep certain seeds for years and exchange them with their neighbors. When they would get a great-tasting crop, they would keep the seeds and plant them again. It was their way of making sure only the best seeds were used. But it was done by natural selection. By exchanging seeds with other farmers they would get enough diversity and improve the seeds they already had. Of course, this didn’t mean that they were immune to plant disease. And yes sometimes it would happen to lose a crop or two. But being a farmer meant more than just planting. You had to think and estimate the weather that year. You had to take into account how cold and hard the winter will be and how much rain to expect during the dry season. To be honest. You had to be a great farmer and work hard. But even with all that it still didn’t mean that you would be successful. And soon exchanging seeds and saving them also became illegal for some plant varieties.

Money Talking

As it usually happens sometimes good intentions can create opportunities for terrible situations. Since crop disease and failure became more common and caused great economical loss some decided to create change. Using expert knowledge and available technology agricultural companies have succeeded in creating more resistant and better yielding seeds. But there was a price.

The more disease-resistant and better-yielding seeds that could potentially help farmers were patented. This means farmers lost the choice of how to grow and plant them. Not to mention that their price was much higher than what most small farmers could afford. Patenting seeds created monopolies and pushed independent farmers out of the market. Patented seeds have the legal protection that forbids growers from saving or sharing seeds or using the plant in research or other plant breeding projects. There are more than 17 000 patented seeds including many popular vegetable varieties. So if you don’t have money to pay you can not grow them

Here Enters The GMO

A Genetically Modified Organism is produced by genetic engineering, altering the genetic material of an organism by using the genetic material of another organism. And this other organism could be anything.

So far before GMOs were implemented companies used hybrid engineering. Hybrids were products of guided natural reproduction. While GMOs are the result of unnatural, high-tech methods used to create an organism that would never emerge in nature. And the list of vegetables that have been GMO-modified is extensive. Starting from corn, soybean, cotton, potato, papaya, canola, and many more. GMO food is commonly used in processed foods and you will have to check the labels very carefully if you want to avoid them. And there are more future plans for other fruits and vegetables to receive their GMO counterparts. So even if a product is not labeled as GMO you never know and probably there is a high probability that some of its ingredients are pure GMO rated.

Concerns about GMOs are of course health-related. Because we as consumers don’t know what type of genetic material was used in our GMO apple we see a rise in allergic reactions. Honestly, you are eating more than an apple. Since they are usually incorporated with antibiotic-resistant genes to make the crops stronger it could contribute to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. GMO crops have the potential in creating superbugs. Putting a stronger chemical in each new generation of crops will lead to the growth of superbugs that decrease food provisions.

Yes, there are benefits such as no need to use a lot of harsh chemicals. Better environmental impact on the ground. GMO crops have a bigger yield and grow stronger and larger. Also, the crops can be transported to inaccessible regions of the world and they are easier to cultivate. But for now, maybe the only decision we can all agree on regarding GMO crops is the right of choice. We as consumers have a right to accept or decline to purchase such products. And not to be misguided by the marketing of powerful multinational companies. Because it’s impossible to predict the impact of only one genetic manipulation on the overall human health and crop efficiency no matter what their scientists will make you believe. And how much genetic manipulation they are willing to do just to create a better yielding, more resistant, super crop?