GMOs or genetically modified organisms are plants or animals created through experimental gene-splicing techniques (genetic engineering or GE). This technology merges DNA from different species for ābenefitsā such as higher crop yields that are disease-resistant and need fewer pesticides.
A large, growing body of scientific and other authoritative evidence show that GMOs create unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding.
We cannot control GMOs. When we plant genetically modified (GM) seeds, they spread via wind, water and animals to mix with other crops and pollute organic and heritage seeds. There is no way to stop itāand itās happening now!
12 GMO Facts
1. Often have toxins or poisons incorporated into their DNA. BT-corn (the name given to GM corn) is registered as an insecticide.
2. Often trigger food allergies. Today, the most common food allergens are in foods that are predominantly GM.
3. Lead to antibiotic-resistance in humans. GM plants contain common antibiotics solely as markers for genetic identification. When we consume these plants, the antibiotics used to treat illness become less and less effective.
4. Damage the soil – the source of all life on earth.
5. Contain less of the vitamins and minerals vital to our health.
6. May lead to increased cancer rates.
7. Many GM items appear as added ingredients in common foods (see below). Even if you donāt eat tofu or drink soymilk, soy is most likely present in a significant percentage of your food.
8. Many foods popular with children – cereals, snack bars, snack boxes, cookies, processed lunchmeats and crackers – contain large amounts of high-risk food ingredients. These include aspartame, MSG, amino/absorbic/lactic/citric acids, vitamins, sucrose, natural/artificial flavours, yeast products, xantham gum and corn/maize additives.
9. Pesticide use actually goes up in GM crops. Instead of breeding tougher plants, some international agro-chemical/ pharmaceutical conglomerates create plants that arenāt affected by pesticides so farmers will spray more. Everything else dies, but the GM foods survive.
10. In North America, over 80% of our food contains GMOs.
11. Most developed nations do not consider GMOs to be safe. More than 60 countries around the world (including Australia, Japan, and all European Union countries) significantly restrict or outright ban the production and sale of GMOs.
12. In Canada, the government has approved GMOs based on studies conducted by the same corporations that created them and profit from their sale. Increasingly, Canadians are choosing to opt out of the GMO experiment.
GMO Risk Crops
Soy, cotton, canola, corn, sugar beets, Hawaiian papaya, alfalfa, and squash (zucchini and yellow)
GMOs are often hidden in common processed food ingredients including:
Flavourings (ānaturalā and āartificialā)
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
Most developed nations do not consider GMOs to be safe. More than 60 countries around the world (including Australia, Japan, and all European Union countries) significantly restrict or outright ban the production and sale of GMOs. In Canada, the government has approved GMOs based on studies conducted by the same corporations that created them and profit from their sale. Increasingly, Canadians are choosing to opt out of the GMO experiment.