The Most Common GMOs

Check your pantry. Do you have cereals, crackers, cookies, snack bars, or baby formula in there? How about anything with corn syrup or processed food made from corn on your shelves? If so, you are probably eating food containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Genetically modified material sounds a little bit like science fiction territory, but in reality, much of what we eat on a daily basis is a genetically modified organism (GMO). GMOs are plant or meat products that have had their DNA altered in a laboratory by genes from other plants, animals, viruses or bacteria. In the very short time since GMO foods were first introduced, they have tainted ecosystems, created financial strains for farmers, and introduced unnatural elements into the local, national, and global food supply. Genetically modified foods (GMO foods) have been shown to cause harm to humans, animals, and the environment, and despite growing opposition, more and more foods continue to be genetically altered.

“In Indonesia, we are still not allowed to implement it (GMO),” Deputy Agriculture Minister Rusman Heriawan said in an interview with Reuters in November 2013. At present, Indonesia only allows the import of many GMO foods, including soybeans and corn, but politicians have shied away from backing the introduction of genetically modified seeds for staple foods. The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded an increase in the volume and value of Indonesia’s fruit and vegetable imports throughout January-October 2017. Within a period of 10 months, Indonesia imports vegetables amounting to US$ 654.70 million and US$942.10 million for fruits. The total value of Indonesian vegetable in October 2017 alone reached US$67.91 million with a volume of 83,637 tons, which is a significant increase from the previous month at US$ 54.82 million with a volume of 67,666 tons. With little regulation and safety tests performed on these imported produce, we have no way of knowing for certain where these foods come from and the risks that these possibly genetically modified foods pose to us. Whether or not these modified foods are actually healthy is still up for debate—and until the laws change and ban these destructive products, the best protection is to avoid them.

Until then, here we have 7 most common GMO foods you probably should avoid. We know that steering clear of these foods completely may be difficult, but take this list with a grain of salt. If produce is certified organic, it’s non-GMO (or supposed to be!). Also, seek out local farmers where you can be ensured that the crops aren’t GMO. Even better, if you are so inclined: start organic gardening and grow them yourself! It’s also important to note that very few of the whole foods we eat are GMO, and large quantities of some of the field crops are also used in non-food products (for example, field corn in ethanol and cotton in fabrics). Most of the ingredients made from GMOs can be found in processed foods on supermarket shelves as well as in feeds for livestock and farmed fish.

1. Corn

If you’ve watched food documentaries, you know corn is highly modified. It is one of the most prominent GMO foods, and almost 85 percent of corn grown in the U.S. is genetically modified. In addition to being added to processed foods (in the form of high fructose corn syrup, corn strach, corn oil, corn meal, etc), genetically modified corn is a staple of animal feed. Several studies have shown regular consumption of Bt-corn (a variant of maize that has been genetically altered) leads to serious health problems and negatively affects the kidney and liver, as well as in the heart, adrenal glands, and spleen. Many producers modify corn so they are resistant to the herbicide glyphosate, which is used to kill weeds. Eating organic corn may be one way to eliminate exposure to this dangerous GMO.

2. Soy

Found in tofu, vegetarian products, soybean oil, soy flour, soy milk, and numerous other products, soy is also one of the most prevalent genetically modified food. About 90 percent of soybeans grown in the US are genetically modified to be resistant to a herbicide called RoundUp. This increased resistance to the herbicide, allowing farmers to use more RoundUp to kill weeds. However, this results not only in a genetically modified food product, but also a food product loaded with more chemicals.

In 2006 alone, there was 96.7 million pounds of glyphosate sprayed on US soybeans alone. Soy has been associated with a wide range of health problems and GMO soy has been linked to pancreatic problems. Researchers have also found soy lecithin to contain allergens that have wide ranging health impacts. Soy lecithin isn't even a choice soybean product, it's a waste product from the processing of crude soy oil. It typically contains solvents and pesticides. As a rule, avoid soy unless it is organic and fermented (such as in miso or natto).

3. Canola

As of 2006, around 90 percent of U.S. canola crops are genetically modified. In the 1970s, canola was created through traditional plant cross-breeding by removing two things found in the rapeseed plant: glucosinolates and erucic acid. Erucic acid was removed because it was believed to be inedible or toxic in high doses. The newly developed plant was renamed "canola" – a combination of "Canadian" and "Oil" (or ola) to make this difference apparent. Extracted from canola, canola oil and others must be chemically removed from the seeds, then deodorized and altered, in order to be utilized in foods. They are among the most chemically altered foods used in cooking, as well as biofuels.

4. Sugar

Genetically modified sugar beets make up half of the U.S. sugar production, and 95 percent of the country's sugar beet market. Of the nearly 130 million metric tons of sugar produced globally every year, sugar beets constitute nearly 54% of that sugar (the remaining amount coming from sugar cane). GMO sugar beets were engineered to grow faster and to be more resistant to weeds. This very controversial vegetable was approved in 2005, banned in 2010, then officially regulated in 2012 as USDA gave the green light to sugar beet planting. Many environmentalists and researchers are concerned that GMO sugar beets could have serious impacts on the environment and other crops. The best way to avoid sugar beets is to avoid products with sucrose (sugar).

5. Cotton

Considered a food item because its oil (cottonseed oil) can be consumed, cotton—in particular, genetically modified Bt cotton, common to India and China—has damaging consequences. According to the USDA, 94 percent of cotton grown in the U.S. is genetically modified. Genetically modified Bt cotton has had devastating results in Indian agriculture causing suicide of 250,000 Indian farmers in the last decade. In a study, Vandana Shiva shows how GM cotton have lead to Indian farmers suicide and soil infertility by killing useful microorganisms in the soil. Also in March 2006, the shepherds of Warangal district reported the death of nearly 2,000 sheep after gazing on GMO cotton crops from severe inflammation and toxicity of intestine. Consumers should be aware that cottonseed oil are extracted from cotton plant seeds and is then used for vegetable oil, margarine or shortening production, or frying foods, such as potato chips.

6. Dairy

As many as one-fifth of dairy cows in the U.S. today are pumped with growth hormones to increase milk production, a figure that has been rising since the FDA approved a genetically engineered recombinant bovine growth hormone aka rBGH or rBST for use in dairy cows in 1993. While said to boost production by 5-15 percent, scientists have expressed concern that the increased levels of IGF-1 (insulin growth factors-1) from hormone-treated cows may boost the risks of colon and breast cancer. Studies have also found milk from cows injected with rBST contain reduced amounts of healthy fatty acids, and these cows are more likely to have mastitis, which is an udder infection that can lead to blood and pus in the milk. Health-hazardous rBGH are banned in 27 countries including the European Union, Japan, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. To keep all bovine growth hormones out of your diet, watch out for foods that contain milk products, like processed foods and beverages, as these may come from hormone-injected cows.

7. Papayas

Genetically modified papaya trees have grown in Hawaii since 1999, and China has also been introducing them since the last decade. 75 percent of the Hawaiian papaya crop is genetically modified to be naturally resistant to Papaya Ringspot virus, and also to delay the maturity of the food. Delaying maturity gives suppliers more time to ship the fruit to supermarkets.