Failure to Yield Any Benefit - The Truth About GMOs

I watched the movie Genetic Roulette online for about the third time. Each time I watch it, I see a new fact about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) that I hadn’t really paid attention to quite as clearly before. This time, it was the statement about the chemical companies who promote GMOs have been promising that the use of GMOs would create higher yields of food and therefore feed the world. Except that hasn't panned out - in fact, just the opposite. If you want to read the study for yourself, you can read it at the Union of Concern Scientists’ in their Failure to Yield report. The truth about the use of GMOs is quite different. The fact is that without GMOs, there is still plenty of food in the world to feed everyone. The problem is not the production of food, but the distribution of food which is a whole other problem to solve. So, let’s put that misinformation to rest. Still, chemical companies would have you believe that we NEED GMOs in order to manage our production so we can all eat more at a lower cost. In most industrialized nations, the problem is not about having enough food and it’s become more a problem of having healthy food. According to the Union of Concern Scientists, the promises of increased production are false. According to the USC,

“Despite 20 years of research and 13 years of commercialization, genetic engineering has failed to significantly increase U.S. crop yields.”

In fact, many farmers are beginning to see that their yields are lower after buying these GMO seeds and spraying chemical products on those seeds. One cotton farmer interviewed in Genetic Roulette said he began to really question his initial decision to use GMO seed when he began reading the dire health warnings on the seed bag itself. Don’t eat it, don’t touch it, don’t breath it, don’t let it touch your skin….sounds like the warning label on poison, doesn’t it? The bottom line is this - chemical companies like Monsanto have been promoting the use of chemicals under the promise of higher yields (i.e. more crops for the farmer as lower costs), and that has not been the case. As farmers see their crop yields drop and their animals suffer from eating GMO crops, they’re beginning to understand that their livelihood depends on them NOT using GMOs. The tide is turning, people are starting to understand the link between GMOs and human illnesses that seem to be on a steady increase. As these links between GMOs and human health, livestock health, crop yields and agricultural sustainability are made, informed people will vote with their dollars and buy foods that do not have GMOs. Our health as a nation, as a world and as a species literally depends on it. Read more!

If GMOs Are So Great, Why Not Advertise Them?

As you’ve probably noticed, there’s a lot of buzz around genetically modified organisms (GMO), especially in food. California voters are going to be heading to the polls to determine if manufacturers will be required to label GMOs in their food products in that state. California is the 8th largest economy in the world (yes, you read that right), so if manufacturers are required to label GMOs in California, all products they sell (likely) will be labeled since it’s not cost-effective to have packaging for California and packaging for the rest of the country.

I can’t speak to the text of California’s Prop 37 – I’m not a voter there and haven’t read the bill in its entirety. However, I can speak to wanting to know what’s in the food I’m eating. That’s pretty fundamental. And, to repurpose one of the common arguments FOR Prop 37, if GMOs are not harmful or better yet, if they’re so great, why the refusal to label them as such?

When foods are packed with Omega 3’s, manufacturers splash that all over the packaging. The big thing right now seems to be “made with 33g whole grain”, which I honestly don’t know exactly why that matters since that product has 1g fiber per serving….but I digress. The point is when there’s a health benefit – real or perceived – manufacturers are quick to pounce on it and announce it all over their packaging, even when it’s just “window dressing”. So why don’t we see big splashy packaging announcing “packed with GMOs!” or “made with the latest GMOs, try it today and taste the difference!” ?

We don’t because there’s no consumer benefit to GMOs (lots of downside, but that’s for another post). The benefit is to large growers and manufacturers and, as most major issues in life, it comes down to money.

So, here’s my suggestion for you – this month is the 3rd annual non-GMO month, sponsored by the Non-GMO Project. In celebration, check out the movie Genetic Roulette (http://www.geneticroulette.com) or visit the folks at Responsible Technology (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/) to learn more. It’s a fascinating topic and when you have a wide range of people from many different disciplines opposing GMOs, it’s worth paying attention to. Learn more, become informed, form your own opinion. In the meantime, shopOrganic just relaunched as shopOrganic & shopGMOFree to let our customers know that every product we carry is free of GMOs. We’ve dropped entire product lines because the manufacturer indicated their products all contain some GMOs (that was a real jaw-dropper). We’ve added new products (often from smaller producers) to offer products that we know are organic & GMO-free. Visit today and shop safe. Read more!