General Mills announced today that Cheerios will soon be GMO-free.
This is a small step (and largely symbolic one because Cheerios are made almost exclusively from oats which are already pretty much GMO-free), but it’s a sign that public concern is being heard and that the big food manufacturers no longer feel they can ignore it.
GMOs (genetically modified organisms) are plants or animals which scientists have altered at the molecular level by inserting genes or DNA segments from other organisms. Unlike conventional breeding and hybridization, the process of genetic engineering or modification allows for the direct transfer of genes between different species or kingdoms that would never breed in nature.
It’s a big science experiment.
And you probably ate a bunch of it for lunch today.
In Canada, GMOs first began appearing on supermarket shelves in 1994 and today much of the ingredients that make up the foods we eat, including soy, corn and canola are genetically modified.
Is this something we need to be worried about? Well, given that you’re likely eating a lot of it, it’s something you might want to start learning a bit more about. Here are four important points to think about:
1. We don’t an have a clear answer to the question about the effects of GMOs on our health or the health of our children. Research in this area is almost non-existent. What this means is that we are effectively being used as guinea pigs by the big food manufacuters and we won’t know for many years to come what the real, long-term effects of these foods are.
2. Many other countries around the world including Australia, Japan, Thailand, Norway, Austria, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Greece, France, Luxembourg and Portugal have put in place GMO restrictions and/or mandatory labelling laws. Canada and the US are not included on that list.
3. While GMOs are found in many of the foods we buy in the grocery store today, there is currently no legislation in Canada requiring that food sold to the public be labelled to say whether or not it contains GMOs. So, if it doesn’t say it doesn’t, assume it does.
4. I know that we’re all busy and it’s hard enough to try to get a balanced meal on the table every night, let alone now having to worry about what might contain GMOs and what those might be doing to our bodies. But, if you do want to try to decrease your exposure to these questionable ingredients here are some tips:
- Choose certified organic food because, in Canada, GMOs are prohibited in organic farming. This includes organic dairy, eggs and meat because animals in organic farming are not fed GM grains like corn or soy.
- Avoid eating processed foods with corn, canola and soy ingredients as these are almost always genetically modified.
- Switch to cane sugar to avoid eating sugar from GM sugarbeets. You can usually find cane sugar at your local health food store.
- Support farmers who fight GMOs. Ask questions and, whenever possible, buy food directly from farmers who do not plant GM corn, canola or soy or use GM grains for meat, dairy or egg production.
To learn more check out Greenpeace Canada or the David Suzuki Foundation.
