GMOs: The OG

The more I sit in my Environmental Science 101 course, the more I begin to better understand the world around me.  I am no tree-hugging vegan who asks if my soy cafè latte was made with Monsanto beans, but we should all be better educated about our food.  For a comprehensive understanding of how and where Americans process the food they eat, check out the film "Food Inc." (streaming on Netflix).  

But let's talk about GMOs (genetically modified organisms) for a moment.  There are no substantive scientific evidence that the use of GMOs is particularly harmful to human beings as we consume them, particularly those that take the seeds out of our watermelon or reduce the use of pesticides on our soybeans.  There are, however, a host of ethical concerns that are connected with the use of GMOs.  Let me reiterate: I don't particularly care if the chicken in my chicken salad enjoys its life.  It's a chicken.  It's made for me to eat.  Cleanliness and the reduction of disease, though, are concerns that I do have.  If the bird I'm eating is raised in a dark, filthy shed and is at an increased risk of infection, then I have a problem.  These infections often go unnoticed until there is a breakout, and that's just not right.  Period.  The USDA and the FDA need to be harsher with regulations for farmers and GIANT food corporations.  More regulations and checks breed safer food for us.

I get it: What can I, a person reading some fool's online rambling, do about this giant impending problem?  It's all about choice.  And, yes, I've tried to think of some snappy way to make 'choice' an acronym, but I came up short (Create Happy Organisms... Change How Our... it's the 'I' that gets me).  In any case, giant corporations like Smithfield and BPI are simply meeting the demand because our country is one of fastfood and red meat.  Now, these things are fine in moderation, but we need to get serious about how we consume food.  Genetically modified organisms aren't truly the original gangta, but they're a piece of the puzzel that needs to fit into the overall picture of sustainability.  I think the main issue we face with corporations like Monsanto is that on the one hand we have an owner of a major portion of U.S. food production who wants to make a lot of money, and, on the other hand, a bunch of soybean eaters who want to bring the corporation to its knees.  Now, you and I both know that that's not going to happen.  Let's instead be realistic and have both parties work to a common goal. If you want your food to be better, buy better.  The food market responds to demands.  People need to demand safer and healthier foods.  Write your Representative or your Senator (please do, because I have a Congresswoman without voting rights and no Senator), buy foods that are raised ethically, and do a little research.  Oh, and cut down on those Big Macs, that stuff is bad for you anyway.

Yours in health---