Food

Is Food Grown With GMO Farming Methods Safe?

What We Know From 30+ Years, Billions Fed and Thousands of Studies

We’ve all been there. Standing in the grocery store, staring at aisle after aisle lined with food claiming to be “all natural,” “certified fresh,” “organic” — the list goes on. But do they actually mean anything? Or are they just trying to make us feel good (and pay up to 90% more)?¹https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306919218301131

And what about GMOs — are they safe?

There’s a lot of confusion out there, often spread by people with good intentions but bad information. The real story is pretty simple: Decades of research and the overwhelming majority of experts tell us that food grown with GMO Farming methods is as safe and nutritious for our families and farm animals as any alternative. See for yourself:

Is it Safe? Scientists, Farmers and Moms Agree

In an era of “fake news,” it can be tough to know who to trust on an issue that seems so publicly contentious. Especially after a few discredited reports sparked a wildfire of terrifying headlines. On the internet, myths and rumors survive long after the original claims get debunked.

What those stories leave out is that GMO Farming is simply the latest and most precise way to do the same sort of crop-breeding and trait-selection humans have done since the dawn of agriculture.²https://www.fda.gov/food/guidanceregulation/guidancedocumentsregulatoryinformation/biotechnology/ucm096095.htm And that not one crop grown with these methods makes it to our grocery stores without more than a decade of study, not to mention over five years of rigorous health and safety testing through the USDA, FDA and EPA. In fact, it’s the only type of farming where crops are tested before they’re ever grown on a farm.³https://www.usda.gov/topics/biotechnology/biotechnology-frequently-asked-questions-faqs ⁴http://agbiosafety.unl.edu/environment.shtml

Today, after thousands of studies, billions of people fed and over 30 years of observation, the scientific consensus is as clear as they come.

Just listen to more than 100 Nobel laureates calling for a more thoughtful discussion of GMOs — one that recognizes the findings of “scientific and regulatory agencies around the world,” rather than “opposition based on emotion.” Here are just a few of the organizations:

What the World’s Most Trusted Scientific & Medical Organizations Say About GMO Farming

Better than Safe: Healthy and More Affordable

It’s 2018. We have cars that drive themselves. Phones that can do just about anything. We should expect more from our food than “not dangerous.”

But too often, food does make people sick — even food we’re told is the best we can buy.

One important way GMO Farming is improving the way we eat is by growing all around heartier food at a fraction of the cost to consumers. Crops like corn, soy and papaya are more resistant to infection, so they can spend their energy growing instead of fending off disease. What’s that mean for your kitchen? Safe, nutritious fruits and veggies proven to be no different than anything you’ll find with a non-GMO or organic label — except they last longer on your shelf and can help cut your grocery bills up to 62% compared to non-GMO products and up to 90% compared to organic ones.⁵https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306919218301131

And while all types of farming use pesticides to one degree or another — including organic — GMO Farming has allowed farmers to use a lot less. With crops that are naturally resistant to pests and disease, farmers can spray less often, using fewer, safer chemicals.⁶ http://www.isaaa.org/resources/publications/briefs/52/download/isaaa-brief-52-2016.pdf

Eat Your Fruits & Veggies…and Your Milk, Meat and Eggs Too

Misunderstandings about GMO Farming in the media and public conversation don’t stop with our crops — they’ve ballooned into unfounded fears about farm animals that eat feed grown using these methods too.

Luckily we can check those fears against nearly three decades of health data from more than 100 billion farm animals, starting well before crops were even grown with GMO Farming methods.⁸ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25184846 Today, 95 percent of U.S. farm animals eat feed grown with these advanced methods⁹https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25184846 — and we can see exactly how many animals have gotten sick as a result:

None. If anything, they got healthier.¹⁰ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25184846

But something did change about the meat, milk and eggs produced by these animals — their environmental impact. When we produce animal feed using GMO Farming methods, it uses fewer resources, costs less and has a smaller environmental impact to raise farm animals. Which means your grocery bills can cost less too.)¹¹ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25184846

So, What Should You Think About GMO Farming When It Comes To Your Food?

We all want to do right by our families. Raise our kids on good, nutritious food. But it can be a challenge for any parent, especially on a budget. It certainly doesn’t help that we’re barraged almost daily with a cycle of hype and headlines about suddenly unhealthy ingredients everyone used to think were good for you, and amazing new superfoods that certainly cost a lot more but never seem to deliver.

GMO Farming is pretty simple: it’s just a smart, sustainable way to farm — the latest evolution in how we get more affordable, healthy food on our dinner tables. When it comes to feeding our families, that’s something we can all feel good about.