AW Stories of the Month

May, 2014 – What are GMO’s and Why You Should Care

April 1, 2015

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What are GMO’s and Why You Should Care

By Jon Lipshaw

What are GMO’s? According to Nongmoproject.org “GMOs, or genetically modified organisms are plants or animals that have been genetically engineered with DNA from bacteria, viruses or other plants and animals.” In other words they are crops that have DNA that has been un-naturally altered and are now resistant to the weed killing chemical Roundup because of this process. According to Naturalnews.com “Many genetically modified crops are engineered to produce their own pesticides and may even be classified as pesticides by the EPA.” Roundup resistant crops are banned in every country except the US and Canada.

The FDA claims that GMO’s are safe but there’s insurmountable evidence to the contrary. According to Responsibletechnology.org “numerous health problems increased after GMOs were introduced in 1996. The percentage of Americans with three or more chronic illnesses jumped from 7% to 13% in just 9 years; food allergies skyrocketed, and disorders such as autism, reproductive disorders, digestive problems, and others are on the rise.” There’s also strong evidence showing GMO crops are more difficult to digest and don’t allow full nutritional absorption. GMO’s have also shown strong evidence that they lower your immune system’s capabilities as well. According to multiple sources, GMO’s have been shown to cause tumors in lab animals as well. The most common crops that are Roundup resistant in the US are corn (over 85% GMO), soy, yellow crookneck squash, zucchini, alfalfa, sugar beets, and milk.

GMO’s are actually very bad for the environment as well. Monsanto is the wealthiest company in the world that produces GMO foods and their way of doing business is threatening the environment. This has become more apparent throughout the years. According to Geneticliteracyproject.org “The controversy began in 1999, when a paper in Nature concluded that pollen from Bt corn—which is genetically modified to carry a Bacillus thuringiensis gene that allows the corn to produce a toxin meant to kill pest insects—could kill monarch butterfly caterpillars.” Now in recent years research has shown that monarch butterflies population has gone down every year. On top of that, Roundup has a chemical called Glyphosate which ends up seeping into aquifers. This leads to serious health effects to us and the environment.

There is a way to avoid GMO’s – buy organic vegetables and fruit. If you’re a meat eater, buy organic meat as well because it’s still dangerous to your health to eat animals that ate GMO foods. So do you still find GMO food appetizing? Please share your thoughts.