Genetically modified organisms have been at the center of a lot of stormy debates for the past few decades. On the one hand, advocates say the genetic modification is one of the best ways to fight world hunger. As the human population is expected to reach seven billion this decade, malnutrition is a growing global problem.
However, transgenic crops and livestock are not the new Green Revolution. Industrialized farming has resulted in decreased biodiversity, increased use of pesticides, climate change, and polluted water supplies. The introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops will hardly alleviate these problems, and are more likely, according to some activists, to exacerbate them. In addition, GM crops are owned and patented by those who created them, like agri-tech giant Monsanto (once voted the most evil corporation in the world), who enforce their patents through legal action against any farmer they suspect of ‘biopiracy’.
Currently, the USDA and FDA does not require GM foods to be labeled. This list has been put together in the hopes that it will help concerned consumers avoid hidden GMOs.
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