When the
food you are eating contains ingredients created through the process of Genetic Engineering (GE is shooting a gene from one species into the DNA of another), your
food has been served GMO'd (
like a'
la mode, but with Genetically Modified Organisms instead of ice cream).
Since the
mid 90s Agribusiness has converted traditional crops to GE crops. Today, roughly 90% of
corn, soy, cotton, canola, and sugar beet (sugar) ingredients used in processed foods are GMO'd. Other GE crops include Hawaiian papaya, sweet
corn, yellow squash, and alfalfa (animal feed). More are in the research hopper for release into the
food supply soon.
There is controversy over whether GMOs are safe for human consumption because the FDA does not require human testing,
long term testing, or labeling for tracking disease. Until GMOs are proven safe, rising numbers of
people are choosing organic and searching out products without ingredients highly likely to be GMO'd.
GE is controversial because farmers cannot save seeds after harvest because the GE seeds are patented and organic and unaltered crops can become contaminated by GE crops, causing farmers financial harm.
There is a movement in the U.S. to pressure
food companies to label their GMO'd products through consumer boycott, state legislation and the FDA at the federal level. Over 50 other countries, including
Russia and China, require GMO labeling, yet U.S. citizens are not afforded the 'right to know' to date.