Tractors, combines, harvesters… you can’t farm without fuel. GMO farming just lets me use less.
— Dan Lisco, Colorado Farmer.
We look at a label and the first thing we see is “non-GMO.” It’s posted everywhere! Is this really better for us or are we falling into the labeling trap?
- “Non-GMO is healthier”
I was walking through Kroger a few weeks ago and went down the dairy aisle. As I was shopping, I noticed someone putting a container of butter in their cart that was twice the price of a regular container. What was the difference? One had “non-GMO” printed on the label with a pretty green leaf next to it. The other just had a normal label that said “butter.” I’m sure her motive, like many others, was to find the healthiest brand, when in reality, all she was buying was the most expensive. This is the case with so many other foods! We tend to gravitate toward the healthy green label that is more expensive instead of looking at what we are actually buying.
2. “GMO food is fake”
People often times think of genetically modified food as food that has grown its whole life in a lab. This is not true! In 2013 a company called arctic apples created an apple variety that never turns brown. The DNA from the apple did start out in a lab, but it finished on a tree in an orchard just like any regular apple. I bet if you tasted a basic apple and a non-browning apple you would taste no difference. The apple isn’t “fake food,” it just has a longer shelf life, which makes it even better!
3. “GMO foods are less nutritious”
This is the most common myth I hear about GMOs. When a crop is modified, scientists try to make a crop more resistant to pests and disease. This has no impact on the nutritional value of the crop. If anything, it makes them better because less chemicals are sprayed on them and less fuel is used. It has been proven in many cases that the nutritional value of the product is identical to one in original form.
4. “GMOs are in everything”
With the rise in the population, farmers are trying their best to keep up with the food security challenge. This is easier said than done. While more food does need to be produced, it does not mean GMOs have taken over everything! There are only ten modified crops in the United States that are approved and produced. Ten is not anywhere close to the number of crops farmers grow in our country. In 2022 you will be able to see on a label whether or not a food has been genetically engineered through a uniform logo. The USDA is in the process of making this a requirement.
FOOD FACTS 