What in the world is a transgenic organism? Ever notice the phrase, “Non-GMO” on the food items you pick up at the grocery store? Do you know what it means? GMO actually stands for “Genetically Modified Organism”, or in scientific terms, a “transgenic organism”. A transgenic organism is one that has been genetically-altered in the lab by inserting mutations into the genes through bio-engineering, thus creating a plant with new characteristics. So, a “non-GMO” food item, then, is one that is occurring in its natural state, the only way foods were ever sold up until recent years and, in my opinion, the only way food was meant to be eaten.

Ever wonder why our food is being genetically modified, and why this push toward transgenic plants? I’ve wondered about this myself, and have done some research on the topic. From what I’ve learned, seed crops are quietly being altered in such a way that potent weed killers, pesticides, and insecticides can be applied to the growing plants without harming them; this is known as “herbicide tolerance”. In other words, the weed killers will kill any natural, non-GM plants or weeds that are growing in the field around them, but will not harm the GM crops, the very foods that are being transported to the store for us to eat. Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t really like the idea of consuming all those pesticides and weed killers along with my daily food. Since a transgenic plant has been modified at the DNA level, that means that the resulting plant—its leaves, fruit, or vegetables—will all contain those same alterations.

I happen to have a basic appreciation of food. I see a strong connection between the quality of what we eat and the quality of our health and well-being. Are you familiar with the expression, “Garbage in, garbage out”? It’s true of the connection between food and health, too. You can’t put junk food in and expect vibrant good health and well-being to come out. Just as you would not think of putting a low-grade fuel into a finely-tuned sports car and expect to get great performance out of it, neither can our bodies operate indefinitely on “fuel” that is not high quality without breaking down. Food is the fuel we provide for our bodies, and I for one don’t want my food/fuel contaminated with lots of toxic by-products that put a heavy burden on my body.

There are a growing number of people out there speaking against these changes which are insidiously being made to our food supply. The science of transgenic plants is such a new field, that there has not been sufficient time for long-term research to determine what effects it will have on a whole generation of people. In effect, you and I are the guinea pigs.

There is a strong persuasion among some that these changes in our food supply could be contributing to the surge we’ve seen in recent years in degenerative and auto-immune disorders among our population here in the US. It’s interesting to note that European countries have been very cautious regarding GMO foods and products made from them, taking the stance that they should err on the side of caution until it has been sufficiently demonstrated that GM crops are safe. Why is the US not showing the same concern for its citizens?

I leave you with this “food for thought”. Henry Kissinger is credited as having said: “Who controls the food supply controls the people…”