What do we do now about GMOs?

Even though California Prop. 37 (GMO labeling) didn't pass, one of the positive aspects of the campaign has been to alert more people to the real dangers and prevalence of experimental GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) in our food.

So now I hear people wondering what they can do about GMOs. There are lots of options being discussed, with some more reasonable than others. 

I've been writing and educating folks about GMOs for many years (since before most people even heard of them!), so I thought it'd be helpful for me to write out some of my key suggestions about how to approach this. 

I encourage you to share this link with your friends and allies. And feel free to ask me further questions and/or share with me your ideas for constructive action in the comments below!
                                                                                                                                                                  
1) The first question most people ask is how they can avoid GMOs personally. On an individual level, the easiest thing to do, and tell others to do, is eat a diet that is 100% organic food. The first message needs to be "To avoid GMOs, eat organic. Organic forbids GMO seeds. It's the key non-GMO label that we have." Even folks who eat organic don't always know that!

There is currently no labeling of GMOs in the U.S., even though over 50 countries have it. (See www.centerforfoodsafety.org/ge-map.) And, no, we don't even have that supposed leading "8" on produce labels to indicate GMO produce; see PLU Codes Do Not Indicate Genetically Modified Produce. People need to stop forwarding that misinformation!

However, we are lucky to have one option we can choose at the store -- organic -- because organic regulations forbid the use of any GMO seeds. While buying 100% organic is preferable, it's actually OK to buy processed foods that have at least 70% organic ingredients. That's because the organic regulations require that even the non-organic ingredients in these products must be non-GMO.

Other options include looking for products labeled verified GMO-free (http://www.nongmoproject.org) and growing some of one's own food from organic seeds.

                                                                                                                                               

2) However, while I absolutely encourage those actions, I also understand that most people will have resistance to eating 100% organic  --- for instance citing cost, availability of desired products, wanting to eat in restaurants and potlucks, etc. That's why this strategy of individual choice is useful but not sufficient.

                                                                                                                                               

3) If you're going to buy non-organic food, you can educate yourself on what items are most likely to contain GMOs, to try to avoid them. Unfortunately, though, this path is not very easy. That's why labeling of GMOs is such a key strategy on this issue.

A simple rule we can try to follow is: avoid processed foods with non-organic corn, soy, and canola oil. This doesn't get all GMO foods, but it gets many of those currently on the market. 

However, the problem is that these crops masquerade as lots of other ingredients, e.g. lecithin can be based on soy, etc. So it becomes a project for people to learn what to avoid in reading labels. This info can help somewhat. http://truefoodnow.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/cfs-shoppers-guide.pdf

                                                                                                                                               

4) Because of the various challenges for trying to avoid GMOs at a consumer level within the current system, there are a limited number of people who will actually do it. That's just one reason that I think our strategy must include community-level action to change the system. Only then can we get a dynamic that's reasonable and fair for everyone in their everyday lives. 

Key priorities need to be national labeling of GMOs, and regulation and control of GMOs before their release. There are great groups that we can join, learn from, and support.  My favorite groups are: www.justlabelit.org - The Center for Food Safety www.centerforfoodsafety.org - and Dr. Vandana Shiva www.navdanya.org. We need lots of people power to counteract the extraordinary financial and political power that Monsanto and these other GMO corporations have.

Better regulations would be ideal, and we need to work for that. But there are serious challenges to achieving that. Labeling GMOs is a good compromise proposal, because it's much simpler but can still have a big impact on what happens. That's because it shows the average person just how many products already contains GMOs – most of them don't know this – and make it easy for them to use that information to decide what to buy at the point of purchase. I think it's only through that path that we'll get enough people changing behavior to impact the decision-making at the food manufacturer's corporate offices. It's also consistent with a key principle of a free market -- that consumer choices need to be informed -- thus allowing us to attract more people to support the cause.

                                                                                                                                               

5) A key part of our strategy must including looking for ways educate ourselves and others about the dangers of GMOs, so that people understand the importance of avoiding them personally and taking community-level actions to protect ourselves. It will also help inoculate them against the GMO-maker lies and misinformation.

                                                                                                                                               

6) Also be aware that the danger of GMOs is NOT just in our individual consumption of them. Thus, while trying to avoid them individually is a good start, it can't be the only remedy we pursue. For instance:

* There are many more GMO products coming down the pike. It's becoming increasingly difficult to track them all, even for the experts.

* As long as GMOs are freely used in farms, there will be drift. This compromises the original varieties, and makes it impossible for organic to stay pure. Organic is already being polluted by these GMOs, and in some regions it's impossible to grow organic options because the GMO options are so prevalent in the region and ecosystems. 

* With GMOs in all our food, other people that we care about are being impacted, including our family and friends, customers and staff – even our pets and wildlife. We can't protect everyone with a consumer-only strategy.

* GMOs are shown to increase the use of pesticides, because these products both include pesticides and allow increased use of pesticides. This increases health harm from these toxics, and is creating super-weeds and super-pests that then require more and toxic pesticides to try to address. This is the toxic pesticide treadmill that has been discredited as an approach long ago.

* Our health care costs (financial and emotional) will increase as GMO use increases, and with that the costs of health care in our household, business, and government budgets. 

* Monsanto et al are claiming ownership of these seeds, and buying up seed companies, and forbidding farmers from saving seeds as they have for countless generations. Instead, farmers have to buy new seeds each year from the company store, at much higher prices than seeds used to be, which is causing a variety of serious crises for farmers. The GMO corporations are also suing farmers for having GMO seeds illegally, treating them as thieves, even when it's just because the seeds drifted onto their land, which is really a trespass on the farmers!

* Having all our food seeds owned and manipulated by a few large corporations can lead to a variety of frightening scenarios, including drastically reduced food options, higher food prices, and mass crop failures. It removes the diversity of variety and ownership that is vital to a robust food system.

And so on. 

                                                                                                                                               

7) So this is a huge issue with lots of dimensions that individual consumer choice within the current system cannot solve. 

However, by joining our actions together in wise and strategic ways, we can push back against this GMO threat to us all. Let's do it!

                                                                                                                                               

8) For more information:

* See the groups and links above.

* I cover GMOs regularly on my Ask EcoGirl Facebook page, including posting actions folks can do. I invite you to come visit and Like my page there! www.facebook.com/AskEcoGirl

* I've gathered together my past columns and articles on organic, GMOs, food and ag at this link. Check it out! www.askecogirl.info/AEThemeEcoFoodAg.html

* If you like my writing, I encourage you to read more of it on my websites, www.patriciadines.info and www.askecogirl.info. You can also sign up to receive email updates when I post new blogs; just enter your email in the box near the upper right of this screen.

                                                                                                                                            

*** SEE PART TWO OF THIS BLOG FOR MORE ACTION IDEAS & RESOURCES ***

This topic is really buzzing! So I gathered more great ideas in a second blog post. See http://ecogirlslife.blogspot.com/2012/11/what-do-we-do-now-about-gmos-part-ii.html

                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                                           

*** SEE (AND SHARE) MY DECEMBER ASK ECOGIRL PRINT COLUMN, "What Do We Do Now About GMOs" ***

Because there's been such interest in this topic, I decided to cover it in my print column too! In that piece, you'll find key information presented in my more polished and compact print style. It's designed to be an essential summary, and is perfect for sharing! Find it in the December Sonoma County Gazette, and at www.patriciadines.info/EcoGirl6f.html.  The web version has lots of added resources at the end.

                                                                                                                                          

Blog content (c) Copyright Patricia Dines, 2012. All rights reserved. Links are encouraged! My content is also available for reprint, but please contact me for permission first. Thanks!

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