GMO's in the US

Do you know exactly what's in the food you're eating?
GMO's, or genetically modified organisms have become a common trait of the food we eat, but they are often hidden or swept under the rug
Most of the pizza, chips, cookies, ice cream, or salad dressing you might buy include GMO's, but even the produce aisle isn't free of them.
Unless you are buying a product labeled 100% organic, you are taking a chance with GMO's
The lack of common knowledge of GMO's and number of unknowns have motivated me to research this topic
There is a startling number of genetically engineered food on supermarket shelves with little to no indication of their secret ingredients
There are ways to avoid them. Alternatively, we can take action to eliminate them.
In order to do this, we need to take a closer look at GMO's

According to an article in National Geographic, over 60% of processed foods in the United States contain GMO's
- GMO's first started making an appearance in our food in the mid 1990s, the article states.
- That's around the time most of you were born, so you have really been consuming GMO products your entire life.

Regulations across the pond and in other developed countries are must more strict than the restrictions we have here in the US in accordance with genetically engineered foods
- In the UK, foods containing GMO's must be approved and labeled so that consumers know exactly what they're eating
This coming from the UK's government website, gov.uk
- By contrast, as Elizabeth Weise, in a USA Today article points out, in the US, foods with GMO's do not need FDA approval, they are presumed safe until they're found out not to be
If there was a crime in your neighborhood, but the cops didn't have enough to make the case, wouldn't you still use caution when leaving your home?
It's kind of like that, we know the GMO's are there, the FDA can't disprove their safety without evidence, but we still need to watch what we're consuming.
- Throughout Europe, anything containing more than .9% GMO is labeled
- Where's our standard?

Although these GMO's are prevalent, they are not altogether unavoidable.
In order to avoid GMO's, we can carefully read food labels.
- Although there is no standard on labeling GMO products in the US, organic food has a strict code. Miles McEvoy, a representative for the USDA says, Anything with a label reading 100% organic has 0 GMO's.
- But don't be fooled by the word "Natural" 100% Natural does not mean it's organic or GMO free
- We can also take an initiative to buy from local farmers, as suggested by the center for food safety.
- Produce from smaller farms are less likely to contain GMO's, these are a common ingredient in the food giants who control the industry
If you'd like to find a nearby farmer's market, you can visit this website and enter the city you'd like to search. (it will also appear at the end of the presentation)
- You can also try growing your own food with the use of GMO free seeds.

Avoiding GMO's is the first step, next we need to voice the cause
- Some steps noted by the nongmoproject.org include "voting with your wallet" or, buying GMO-free food exclusively
- You can also petition food brands. If there's a brand you enjoy eating, such as Panera Bread, put pressure on them to change their ways. You can send letters, write blog posts, and spread the word urging them to come clean with their GMO ingredients. These examples were found on foodbabe.com
- Lastly, we must appeal to the FDA to tighten up their regulations. Too many people are being fooled by labels claiming to be 100% Natural. GMO's are hidden in some of the most common ingredients in foods, such as corn syrup and there's no label telling us they're there!

GMO's have become a huge issue deserving more attention.
Now that you have a better idea about what you're eating, do you really want to eat it?
Why are we in the US accepting fewer regulations than our overseas counterparts? GMO's are not meant to be in our diet.
We need to more attentive to what we're consuming, and we need to voice what we want.
You've learned a little more about GMO's now you can make a move by following any of the examples I gave. Find a local market, try growing your own food, and if you want to keep purchasing products, lobby the food industry.

Leave genetically modified crops to the genetically modified.