Modern food production uses various technologies to ensure that our food supply yields safe and environmentally friendly foods. “Genetically engineered” foods, also known as “genetically modified” foods or GMOs, are safe for consumption, and this has been proven repeatedly by scientific research. So what do package labels such as “GMO-free” and “Non-GMO” really mean? These labels generally indicate that GM technology was not used for the production of this food.
As an informed consumer, you should know that there are only 11 commercially available GM crops in the United States: soybeans, corn (field and sweet), canola, cotton, alfalfa, sugar beets, summer squash, papaya, apples and potatoes. These are the only foods that can have a GMO version or a “Non-GMO” version. So why are there so many foods with the “Non-GMO” label if only ten GM crops are available? Great question. There shouldn’t be!
With many foods, it would be misleading to label them as GMO-free, as they do not contain any of the ten crops listed above. Therefore, when you see “GMO-free” labels at the store on unflavored bottled water (flat or sparkling), milk (and other unflavored dairy products), and many meats (beef, chicken, pork), don’t be misled, and know that these foods do not have GMO equivalents. They are all “GMO-free.”
