Author Robyn O'Brien is a former financial and food industry analyst, author, public speaker, strategist and mother of four. She brings insight and detailed analysis to her research on the health of the American food system as documented in her first book, "The Unhealthy Truth", and has been called "food's Erin Brockovich" by the New York Times.

If you have no idea what a genetically modified organism (or “GMO”) is you’re not alone. Introduced into our food supply just before “pink slime,” these ingredients are “food’s operating system.”

In the 1990s, using a new technology, scientists discovered a way to hardwire food crops to withstand increasing doses of toxic weed killer. Great news if you are a chemical company, as this enables you to sell more chemicals, not such great news if you are a consumer eating these crops that have been chemically saturated, especially in light of the recent New York Times piece that highlights “How Chemicals Change Us” (hint: in more ways than you could ever imagine).

So what is a genetically modified organism or “GMO”? Well, thankfully, there are some extraordinary independent (key word there) scientists that I have worked with over the last several years as the Executive Director of the AllergyKids Foundation, and they can tell you (since I’m not a scientist). And once someone knows what a genetically modified organism is, they often want to stop eating them or at the very least be given the right to have them labeled on their foods.

As a matter of fact, a recent poll showed that 89% of Republicans, 93% of Democrats and 90% of Independents want these ingredients labeled once they know what they are. Have we ever had that kind of consensus on anything?

So why the concern? Well, despite the claim by industry that these ingredients are thoroughly tested, it turns out that there really aren’t too many human studies that have ever been done – things like prenatal or pediatric studies that would test for the toxicological safety of these new ingredients in our food supply. For this reason and others, there is mandatory labeling of these ingredients in other countries (every country in the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Japan and China, just to name a few) since their introduction into food in the 1990s. But despite this concern, since the rapid growth of their adoption in the United States, as seen in this chart above from the United States Department of Agriculture, there haven’t been labels. None. Kind of like “pink slime”, so we had no way of knowing that we were eating these things.

Want to learn more? Then take a look at the fact sheet below. Have questions? Then post it in the comment section below or check out Just Label It for more info and Eight Things You Can Do.

Because if eaters in other countries have been given the right to know what’s in their foods, Americans be given that same freedom of choice here, too, don’t you think?

FACT SHEET: GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOODS

Questions and Health Concerns:

What are genetically engineered (GE) foods?

These are foods created from the insertion of a gene, bacteria or virus from one species into a different species to produce a desired effect, usually resistance to herbicides or insects. The terms genetically modified (GM) and genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) are typically used interchangeably with GE.

Are they the same as foods from traditional breeding?

No. Traditional breeding between the same or similar species, such as crossing two types of corn or apples, has been done for thousands of years. GE foods, only developed in the past few decades, are created in a lab and are between different species.

What kinds of food are genetically engineered?

There are currently six major foods sold in the U.S. that are typically genetically engineered. These are listed below with the percent that are GE:

Sugar beets 95%

Soybeans 93%

Cotton (Cottonseed oil) 78%

Canola 75%

Corn 70%

Papaya 50%

Because most of these are used widely, about two-thirds of processed food contains a GE ingredient. Conversely, the vast majority of raw fruits and vegetables are not GE. Organic foods, by definition, can’t be GE.

Does genetic engineering improve the nutritional quality of foods?

No. There are no GE foods on the market in which nutritional quality is enhanced beyond a non-GE food counterpart.

Is the act of genetic engineering precise?

No. The entire foundation of GE is that the introduction of one foreign gene, bacteria or virus into a plant will activate one protein, producing one desired effect and nothing more. But this ignores basic science – the chances of harmful unintended consequences with GE are substantially increased:

One gene often creates multiple proteins

The location of the gene often varies, which can affect whether it produces the desired protein or not

The insertion of the gene can disrupt the genetic blueprint of the plant

The new gene can either silence other genes that were normally active or activate other genes that were silent

A promoter (typically a virus) is usually added that helps the gene activate a desired protein. However, it may also activate other proteins that were silent, which could lead to harmful effects on humans.

What evidence of harmful effects is there?

The deadliest incident occurred in the food supplement l-tryptophan, which had been used safely by millions of people as a sleep aid for decades. However, when a Japanese company produced a GE version in the late 1980’s, thousands of people contracted an extremely painful, serious disease, EMS, that killed at least 37 and left thousands with disabilities, including paralysis.[ii] The FDA subsequently removed virtually all l-tryptophan off the market, although only the GE version was linked to EMS.

It’s more difficult to detect harmful conditions such as cancer, birth defects, toxins or allergies, since they have other causes and/or can take longer to develop than EMS. Moreover, the FDA doesn’t require GE foods to be labeled, so most people don’t know they’re consuming them. This makes it virtually impossible to isolate and track them.

However, numerous credible animal studies all over the world have shown disturbing results. For example:

- In Scotland, GE potatoes fed to rats showed lowered nutritional content and suffered damaged immune systems, smaller brains, livers and testicles and enlarged intestines

- In Australia, a harmless gene in a bean engineered into a pea produced immune reactions in mice, indicating allergic reactions and/or toxins

- In Austria, a government study showed that mice fed GE corn had fewer litters and fewer total offspring[v]

- In France, a study found that GE corn previously thought harmless revealed hormone-dependent diseases and early signs of toxicity in rats

Harm to animals doesn’t necessarily prove harm to humans. However, it is a definite indication that more studies should be done. This hasn’t happened.

How is safety testing done in the U.S.? Is it adequate?

The FDA is responsible for food safety. However, it doesn’t do any testing on GE food and doesn’t require any independent tests. The only studies done are by the same companies developing the foods and they’re not required to give all their data to the FDA. They only need to declare their studies are adequate and that the GE food is safe. By and large, GE food safety is self-regulated.

CONSUMER ACTIVISM: How to Protect Yourselves from Potential GMO "Poisoning."

Learn More about Artificial Dyes

American corporations don't use artificial dyes in the products that they sell in other developed countries; they formulate their products differently to meet consumer demand overseas.

In response to consumer demand, Kraft, Kellogg, Coca Cola, Wal-Mart and other companies voluntarily removed artificial dyes and colors from the products that they sell in other countries. Learn about the remarkable study that is largely responsible for the reformulations and change by CLICKING HERE and what consumers in the U.S. are doing to bring those same changes home by CLICKING HERE

Protect Children from Chemicals in Our Food Supply

Join me and Alyssa Milano as we call for the labeling of foods that contain ingredients that were first introduced into our food supply in the 1990s without labels by the biotech and agrichemical corporations. These ingredients have been engineered into our food by agrichemical corporations and drive increased usage of their top-selling weed killers, but due to health and environmental concerns, including toxicity and allergenicity, these ingredients are either not used or are labeled in the foods consumed in other developed countries. Help us get labeling on these ingredients here in the United States, too, because no human trials were ever conducted to ensure their safety. You can learn more and join us in our call to action by CLICKING HERE.

Bring Healthy Food to School Lunchrooms with Jamie Oliver

Jamie Oliver is leading a Food Revolution, and it's like nothing we've ever seen before! There are so many ways in which you can get involved, depending on your time and interests. So I invite you to take a look at his incredible community and learn how you can engage if you are so inclined by CLICKING HERE.

Learn about Risks Associated with Biotech's Newest Foods

In 2009, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine issued a remarkable statement, encouraging doctors to take a hard look at genetically modified foods and encourage their patients to exercise precaution when it came to exposing their families to these novel foods and food proteins. Read through their document to learn more about the health risks that these products might contain and what you can do to protect the health of your family.

I invite you to CLICK HERE to learn more.

Learn about Labeling of Genetically Modified Foods

Recent polls show that an overwhelming majority of Americans want genetically modified foods labeled. Fortunately, in the last few years, there have been remarkable efforts made by organizations around the U.S. who are working to educate American consumers about both the risks that genetically engineered foods present and why governments around the world either didn't allow for their introduction into their food supplies or insisted on the labeling of these ingredients as they were introduced.

I invite you to visit www.nongmoproject.org and www.gmoawareness.org to learn more.

Protect Your Family from Antibiotics in the Food Supply

The Pew Campaign on Human Health is working to save antibiotics by phasing out the overuse of the drugs in food animal production. This remarkable group works with public health leaders, veterinarians, agricultural interests, academics and citizens groups who share the objective of preserving the integrity of antibiotics as a means of protecting human and animal health.

You can learn more by clicking here at http://saveantibiotics.org