Why Non GMO Foods Are Becoming Harder To Find

By Lana Bray


Corn, soy, cotton, canola, and zucchini all have one thing in common. The vast majority of these that are grown in the United States are genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. GMOs are plants or animals that have been genetically modified at the molecular level in order to produce a specific effect. Non GMO products are those that have not been genetically altered, and sadly they are becoming harder and harder to find in stores.

Someone once had an idea that if you took DNA from a species that repelled a pest and mixed it with the DNA of a species that was being ruined by that pest you could save that species. You could reduce the use of pesticides and bring in a better harvest. Since this appeared to be a good idea the production of GMOs began.

Cross breeding and natural selection has been used for pretty much forever to yield better crops. Farmers would breed the strongest or best of the crops to make even better ones. This works very well and has for a long time. This may cause one to think that since these two ideas are similar that they would both be beneficial to the food supply.

The problem is that this is not the case. Cross breeding and natural selection are very different than genetic modification. With cross breeding, the breeding is intentional, but it could happen naturally. It is simply two natural species or crops that are mated in order to achieve a specific effect. Genetic modification actually changes the genetic make up, creating a species that never would have occurred naturally. These products have now made their way into our food supply.

The FDA decided that there is not a large enough difference between foods that are GMO and ones that are not for them to have to be labeled. This causes a problem, though, because GMOs have not been around for long. There is little indication of what the effects will be long term. Since this is the case, many people are choosing to completely avoid all GMO foods.

Since these foods do not have to be labeled, however, it is difficult to find foods that don't contain GMOs. Luckily there are many health food stores and product manufacturers that believe these foods should have labels. Lots of health food stores require all products that contain GMOs to carry labels. Also, food manufacturers who do not use GMOs usually clearly label it on their packaging.

The biggest problem that people who choose not to consume products that have been modified genetically encounter is that these products are in virtually everything. Ascorbic acid, citric acid, high fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, and yeast products are just a few of the products that are at high risk for GMOs. Finding any food in a regular grocery store that doesn't contain any of these products is difficult.

So that means that people who only want to consume non GMO foods have to shop at special health food stores. This is not an issue for some people who are able to spend more money, but for the majority of Americans who are on a strict budget, this can be a problem. Health food stores are generally much more expensive than traditional grocery stores, so non-modified foods are not available to everyone.




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