Many months ago, Cheerios, manufactured by General Mills, made a national announcement that they would make Cheerios GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) free. Almost as soon as the announcement was made there was a chorus of supporters of non-GMO foods who cried foul. Oats aren't a GMO crop.
Here’s what’s important to know. Contrary to what you think, this was not about oats. Oats are indeed, so far, a crop that has not been tampered with genetically. The reason this was such a big deal was because General Mills had announced that it was going to start using sugar beets to sweeten Cheerios which is a genetically modified crop. So there is transparency, but like most issues with anything dealing with large business it’s complicated. The reason it was a big win it was the first time a national company had agreed to remove or not use a GMO ingredient. That’s worth the win!
Of course this was a national win for food activists. We caught up with one of our favorites, , who shared her thoughts about GMOs with us.
An allergic reaction sends someone to the ER once every three minutes in the US. We label if milk is pasteurized and if OJ comes from concentrate. With no long term human safety studies and no mandatory pre-market safety testing conducted on GMOs and the use of this technology which was introduced in the last fifteen years, this process of inserting GMOs into our foods should be labeled, too.
Given that the EPA regulates GM corn as a pesticide, consumers have the right to know whether or not they are eating these foods. If given the choice on a kitchen table between two types of corn: one regulated as a pesticide, the other not, which would you choose? As consumers wake up to this, farmers are listening, companies are listening and they are beginning to opt out. The dialogue is critical, not only so that farmers can meet this growing demand but also so that policy can change to address it.
There’s one more thing to be said about GMOs. A lot of people say GMOs is about science and this kind of thing has been happening for 100s of years. We all studied Mendel and cross-pollination in school. It’s the same thing, right? The answer is no. Here’s what makes the difference. Mendel cross-bred similar plants together, different types of peas to be specific. GMO science really is scary. GMO science takes a roundup, yes the pesticide, and places a drop of Roundup in a kernel of corn. That’s not natural biology. Every reasonable person can understand that a petroleum based pesticide in a kernel of corn is beyond cross-pollination and breeding science. It’s using the entire American population as an unregulated lab rat. It must stop.
There’s plenty to read to learn more. Start with Robyn O’Brien’s and Michael Pollan’s . Then make a simple change each time you shop. Buy local, organic, NonGMO as much as possible and start spreading the word to everyone you know. Let’s prove the voice and shopping habits of the American people can change industry.
The condensed version of Robyn's book...her TEDx Talk
