Food, it’s something we all have a relationship with, from the grocery store to fast food, there’s plenty of options on the table.
However how much do you look into what’s making its way onto your plate?
GMO’s are in nearly 80% of all available food products, which makes some people uncomfortable and leaves others indifferent.
So what exactly is a genetically modified organism or GMO?
“Genetically modified foods sound like these really scary weird franken-foods but when you look a little closer they’re a lot less frightening. In GMO foods, scientists replace undesirable DNA with more desirable characteristics to improve plant function.” said Nutritionist and Registered Nurse, Samantha Penlington.
To address the growingly negative connotation associated with GMO’s, Penlington referenced the science behind their health affects on the human body.
“Recently, the National Academy of Science released quiet a large research report that analyzed all the data on GMO’s, and found that the long term data shows they don’t produce any health or safety risks.”
Dakota Soaris, is the owner and operator of Sonshine Acre Chicken Meats, a non-certified organic chicken farm in Middlesex, Ontario.
He suggests GMO’s are unnecessary and could cause some unforeseen problems down the road.
“One quick example would be the resistance of bugs and other pests to DNA injected, genetically modified organisms into corn, soybeans and other products.”
This results in the bugs becoming immune forcing us to create new technologies. Many organic farmers like Soaris have their farms compromised by GMO farms.
“Having GMO farms next to non-GMO farms is negative to the organic farmer in every single way.” said Soaris.