First Ever Non-GMO Month Launches In October
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by Amy Wermuth, September 16, 2010
Natural Food Stores to Host Premiere Non-GMO
Month
In the
day and age where most people are starting to question exactly how their food is
made, generated, and processed, nearly 600 natural food retailers are launching
the first ever Non- Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) Month.
Yes,
October 2011 has a new accolade. It will be the premiere year in what hundreds
of organic health food stores and natural food retail outlets hope will be many
to come. By creating this tribute, 580 participating retailers (and with any
luck more) hope many more people will become aware of genetically modified
organisms and products. After all, if you didn’t know you had the right to
choose better and more natural foods, you probably would if you did know. Now,
with this recognition month, so many more people will find out that they can
decide for themselves and learn about genetically modified products in general.
Created
by the not for profit organization Non-GMO Project, the event corresponds with
the initiation of the Non-GMO Project Verified
seal (more on this below) on natural products.
For those wondering
what this is exactly, the development of genetic modification, which takes place
in a lab, usually combines DNA from diverse species, generating combinations of
animal, plant, bacteria and viral genes that never occur naturally or in
customary cross-breeding.
For
instance, several US
fish farms have either looked into genetic modification, or already subscribe to
the process in order to yield higher quantities of farmed fish. More fish equals
more stock to sell. However, this practice is not natural and produces a threat
to wildlife.
Moreover, your health may be a t great risk if you consume genetically modified
products. Long-term effects are yet to even be known in many cases. This is why
it is vital for this recognition of Non–GMO Month. Natural food retailers having
been talking about the lack of safety in genetically altered food and products
for years.
More and
more, studies show a connection between eating genetically modified organisms
and a range of health issues. In these times, with consumer assurance wavering
continually by what seems to be one US food safety malfunction after another
(think eggs), distrust in the practice of altering organisms is mounting.
In
fact, it is now known that natural food items now being labeled non-GMO are the
fastest in gaining attention and purchase by natural food retailers and
consumers in general. The Grocery Manufacturers Association guesstimates that
genetically altered organisms are presently in a staggering 80 percent of basic
processed foods in the US alone. The fact that they have no label telling you
this is disturbing to say the least. This is yet another reason why a month of
recognition is vital. Average consumers need to know exactly what they are
putting in and on their bodies.
In fact,
the US
does not have nearly the best of reputations when it comes to product labeling.
This is something activists have been warning the FDA for years.
In order
to help educate consumers who may not frequent organic health food stores and
natural food retailers, the above mentioned, Non-GMO
Project Verified
seal has been produced. Product manufacturers may only use this new seal on
their product once they pass rigorous GMO prevention principles. This testing
includes ingredient testing, as part of the US’s premiere third party non-GMO verification agenda.
As of
press time, about 900 products have been verified, with thousands more in the
route of becoming confirmed.
Here at
Greenaffiliateprograms.net, we sincerely applaud any attention drawn to consumer
education regarding genetically modified products and their potential effects on
our planet.
For more information, check out Environmental
Health Perspectives online.
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