However you look at it, the food we eat today is not the same food that was on the plates of our grandparents.
Genetic engineering is a reality we must all face. Whether directly or indirectly, almost all the food we eat either had some form of gene alteration or has been mixed with genetically engineered (GE) foods.
From fast-food restaurants to the seedless grapes you can get at the supermarket, there are many concerns surrounding GE foods, but the three basic ones are allergic reactions, gene transfer and out-crossing, which is the spread of GE genes to animals in the wild like pigeons and squirrels.
One of the big controversies that has led to these concerns around GE foods is the poor history of GE food testing. As of now we are being told GE foods are safe to eat and have no real adverse reactions, but even the corporate researchers have to admit the long-term ramifications of the genetic engineering have not been thoroughly examined.
Most of the tests performed on genetically modified foods are done on animals, but there is little research done on humans, and with such a young technology there is no real way to know how gene transfer affects different species.
Of all the GE food in the world, the United States produces approximately 53 percent of it. So if genetic engineering has so many unanswered questions, why has it been silently allowed into every supermarket aisle in America? And more importantly, why aren’t we being constantly informed?
The answer to 99 out of 100 questions is money, and this is no different. Corporations have lobbied day and night in Washington in order to keep the GE foods a silent matter, out of the media and downplay the unanswered mysteries of what we put into our bodies.
GE foods might also have a negative effect on the world’s ecological system. As of yet, there has been almost no testing of the animals and areas nearby GE factories.
GE foods usually promote superior strains of produce that can last in colder weather and are resistant to pesticide, which means farmers can use more pesticides and keep more of their crop. But many wonder what is happening to the lack of genetic diversity that once existed. There are more than 7,500 variety of apples yet most people cannot name more than 10. This can be applied to almost all the foods we eat today.
There is little the average person can do to immediately control what is done to his or her food, but knowing what you put in your body will help you understand the health and social issues that might come up in the future for us and our children. Please take the time to learn what is in your food because if you are what you eat, you might be surprised to find out just what you are made of!
