Tag: Genetically Modified Food

As the federal government prepared for a shutdown, the U.S. Department of Agriculture late last week issued new rules regarding how genetically modified foods will now be labeled. Food safety advocates are blasting the rules, saying they will make it tougher for consumers to know if the food they buy has been genetically modified, and even some major food producers are expressing concerns. According to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, the new National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard, which will now govern how manufacturers, importers, and retailers brand foods that have been bioengineered, "increases the transparency of our nation’s food system, establishing guidelines for regulated entities on when and how to disclose bioengineered ingredients. The department sa...

We live in an age where access to knowledge on virtually any topic is at our fingertips. Yet, we are bombarded by misinformation on a daily basis. Modern advancements in scientific research are often sensationalized or disputed, with findings rarely reported to the public with the appropriate contexts and caveats. The term “GMO food” usually refers to an organism that has been modified in a laboratory setting or has had a direct transfer of genes into its DNA. Unfortunately, these foods are misunderstood. Due to the complexity of genetic research and the speed at which advancements are being made, there is an alarming lack of accessible, comprehensible resources by which to evaluate this topic from a public perspective. As a result, the general public is directed toward sources masqu...

Infant foods, Similac Alimentum and Similac Isomil, which are widely used for children with lactose intolerance, have been found to contain genetically modified foods, according to a study carried out by the Centre for Science and Environment. Twenty-five per cent of the samples imported from Netherlands and the US were found to be positive. There was no label to indicate they were GM positive. Nutritionist Sujatha Stephen of Yashoda Hospitals said, “Infants who are exposed to genetically modified foods are at risk of childhood obesity and early metabolic problems. Children’s immunity is compromised when they are not breast-fed and putting them on substitutes adds to the risk. The study found imported foods like Kellogg’s Froot Loops, American Garden popcorn, Trix Corn Puffs, Mori...