Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are a hot topic right now; with campaigns to suggest the possibility of negative health effects and a lack-there-of. My focus here is to inform you about GMOs, what they are, what they are not, and how I believe they affect the nutrition industry.
So what is the argument? Based on the research that exists, if there are adverse health effects of consuming GMOs, they are not direct, and we have not seen them yet. But therein lies the argument. We have not seen adverse health effects YET. Keep in mind you could make that argument for literally anything, and there is nothing in life that is completely without risk.
“Don’t use your cell phone, we don’t know what it will do to us in the long run!”
It’s an inherently flawed argument.
You may know that I like to be very evidence-based; so with a lack of evidence directly linking GMOs to adverse health effects, you are probably thinking I’m about to give you the go-ahead on GMOs. Well, I’m not telling you not to eat GMO’s, but if you asked me if I think they are linked to obesity/diabetes/cardiovascular disease etc., my answer would actually be…
Yes.
However, not for the reasons you may think, or have heard before. It’s common to hear things like “GMOs are toxic”. But, I don’t believe that substituting non-GMO ingredients for the same GMO ingredient will make you healthier; although the pseudoscience movement will try and make you believe it. There’s just no clear evidence of that. Even activist Mark Lynas, who played a key role in starting the anti-GMO movement has become pro-GMO. He is credited with statements such as:
“The GM debate is over.”
“Three trillion meals eaten and there has never been a single substantiated case of harm.”
“I was completely wrong to oppose GMOs”
So then, why do I think GMOs are linked to obesity and diabetes and other health problems?:
“Eat your GMOs, there’s starving kids in Africa”.
-Kevin Iwasa-Madge
However, the effects of GMOs are not all bad. Cheaper crop production means more food for the same price. Efficiency in the production of food can be a huge tool for feeding the hungry.
Whether you want to “take the risk” of GMO consumption or not, you have little control at the moment. We have embraced GMOs as a culture and in Canada; GMOs do not need to be labeled. What I would like to see in the future is a labeling system that effectively labels GMOs from non-GMOs. This puts the power in the consumer’s hand to choose whether they want to “take the risk” or not.
Would you pay more money for non-GMOs?
“Don’t use your cell phone, we don’t know what it will do to us in the long run!”
It’s an inherently flawed argument.
You may know that I like to be very evidence-based; so with a lack of evidence directly linking GMOs to adverse health effects, you are probably thinking I’m about to give you the go-ahead on GMOs. Well, I’m not telling you not to eat GMO’s, but if you asked me if I think they are linked to obesity/diabetes/cardiovascular disease etc., my answer would actually be…
Yes.
However, not for the reasons you may think, or have heard before. It’s common to hear things like “GMOs are toxic”. But, I don’t believe that substituting non-GMO ingredients for the same GMO ingredient will make you healthier; although the pseudoscience movement will try and make you believe it. There’s just no clear evidence of that. Even activist Mark Lynas, who played a key role in starting the anti-GMO movement has become pro-GMO. He is credited with statements such as:
“The GM debate is over.”
“Three trillion meals eaten and there has never been a single substantiated case of harm.”
“I was completely wrong to oppose GMOs”
So then, why do I think GMOs are linked to obesity and diabetes and other health problems?:
- Well, they make the cost of producing high yields of corn, wheat, etc. cheaper; so ultimately, we have decreased costs of starchy, energy-dense foods. The change in the cost of producing these crops, and the resulting drop in cost for consumers to buy these calorie-filled, low-nutrient products better explains the health epidemic in North America than any GMO toxicity argument.
- GMOs can also potentially be bad for the environment; they decrease the crop variety produced by the world as farmers are consistently choosing only a few types of GMOs.
“Eat your GMOs, there’s starving kids in Africa”.
-Kevin Iwasa-Madge
However, the effects of GMOs are not all bad. Cheaper crop production means more food for the same price. Efficiency in the production of food can be a huge tool for feeding the hungry.
Whether you want to “take the risk” of GMO consumption or not, you have little control at the moment. We have embraced GMOs as a culture and in Canada; GMOs do not need to be labeled. What I would like to see in the future is a labeling system that effectively labels GMOs from non-GMOs. This puts the power in the consumer’s hand to choose whether they want to “take the risk” or not.
Would you pay more money for non-GMOs?