GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, have been used for over 20 years in the global agriculture industry. In the last 10 years, campaigning to make GMO labeling a legal requirement has intrigued customers to ask, “what’s the big deal about GMOs, anyway?”
The media has portrayed the public as being in one of two camps: anti-GMO or pro-GMO. Much like a political stand off during voting season, having a stance on GMOs becomes “mandatory.”
Unfortunately, with a stance comes a barrage of supportive and deteriorating information to (hopefully) convince you otherwise. Finding the truth, and the honest truth, may always be a struggle.
Today’s Wellness Wednesday is all about uncovering the things we all didn’t know about genetically modified organisms, the world’s first man-made food production system. Whether you are promoting or against GMO labeling and consumption, these facts are meant to inform and benefit everyone interested in learning more about them:
GMOs Present A Smaller Cost (And Risk)
By providing a farmer with seeds of a GMO crop, the resulting produce for harvest will be more likely to survive and sell to the local marketplaces asking for orders. With seasonal weather concerns, invasive insect damage, and economic downfall, using GMO crops can be appealing for a farmer’s livelihood.
GMOs are extremely popular due to this fact; GMO foods are more affordable for more people and generate a smaller crop loss on average.
On The Flip Side: Organically grown produce from natural seeds may not be predictable, and they are definitely sold at a higher cost to accommodate for losses. This increase in price ensures that organic, non-GMO farmers will stay in business and continue to offer an alternative for those who are avoiding genetically modified foods.
Non-GMO “Strong Seeds” Are Possible In 2013 alone, sales of non-GMO labeled foods exploded to over $3 billion! Only about 10,000 suppliers have been granted the “non-GMO” label by FoodChainID, the world’s leading non-GMO verification system available. NPR covered a story highlighting the unique work of a small town Iowa farmer named Alix Paez. “Paez and his wife [...] hope to develop seeds that can achieve the same yields without expensive, patented traits [...] Paez studies the effectiveness of each hybrid seed variety.” Alix Paez is currently offering his successfully tested hybrid seeds for non-GMO farmers: organic speciality corns, blue, white, and high lysine content. The Non-GMO Sourcebook is a centralized place to contact all farmers working to produce quality, resistant seeds without the mechanical aspect of traditional GMO seeds. On The Flip Side: Technology has taken the boundaries of communication and success far beyond anything previously imaginable. GMO seeds are produced in high volume due to their success rate with farmers across the globe. Finding a natural hybrid seed equivalent can vary dramatically based on the seasonal, base quality of the seeds used to produce that hybrid. GMO seeds are a consistent crop yield result for farmers livelihood. |
It’s interesting to note that many countries outside of the USA have put a complete ban on GMO production and sales.
“A few years ago, there were sixteen countries that had total or partial bans on GMOs. Now there are at least twenty six [...] Switzerland, Australia, Austria, China, India, France, Germany, Hungary, Greece, Bulgaria, Poland, Mexico, Russia [...] in about sixty other countries.”
Many of these countries are determined to prevent the spread of genetically modified organisms and seeds from contaminating their agricultural industry. Food production varies from country to country, however, this significant number of bans are encouraging Americans to ask “why aren’t we doing this, too?”
On The Flip Side: With a GMO ban in place, it prevents agriculture from growing without fear of repercussions. Pesticide use also goes down when GMO crops are planted, reducing the amount of toxic material saturating the crop yields. 976 million pounds of pesticides have been successfully alleviated from farms in the last 15 years.
The key to understanding how you can make informed decisions in your life lies in your hands. Being healthy has a unique place in your life, and no two ideas of “wellness” are the same. Whether you feel that GMOs are safe or scary, staying educated on what GMO means, or how it is used, can give you an informed perspective to make positive decisions from.
Where are you on the GMO scale? Do you avoid all GMO-containing products? Do you love the idea of using GMO seeds? Share your perspective with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using the hashtags #rylwellnesswednesday, #rylGMOs and #roswellyogalife!