How to tell if produce is genetically modified

[KristaO]

The little stickers on fruits and veggies have digits that let you know whether they're conventionally grown or organic, and if they're genetically modified (GM).

http://www.idealbite.com/tiplibrary/arc ... mbers_game

[Letha]

Very interesting. Thanks.
Letha

[NanTzu]

Not really true. Here's a good article:
http://www.undoge.org/?p=25
Produce that is sold is not GMO. And I've NEVER seen anything with an 8xxx code on it.

Another article about GMO food and a quote from it:
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/geneticall7.cfm
"Currently, up to 45 percent of U.S. corn is genetically engineered as is 85 percent of soybeans. It has been estimated that 70-75 percent of processed foods on supermarket shelves--from soda to soup, crackers to condiments--contain genetically engineered ingredients."

We're all just lab rats! ':shock:'

[ncyg46]

Ed and his friend when to a gun show today here in Phoenix....ammo is limited basically, alot was sold out, makes me really wonder what is really happening! Actually I don't want to know....and don't know how to tell the difference in GMO food...sometimes I wonder if we are all going to be here that long?

[swearbyit]

it is illegal to label GMOs, not only in the united states but in every country involved in the world trade org (the EU is a different story right now, they were actually ruled against as committing protectionism of their own agricultural industries (and not safeguarding which is allowed) by prohibiting GMOs, so it's only a matter of time before they will fall into regulation). therefore the digits on a fruit or vegetable falling in with those categories of GMO vs non GMO would be purely accidental.

as for everybody freaking out about GMOs, get used to them. pretty soon there will be no non-GMOs out there. for example, a single grain of genetically modified rice mixed in with non genetically modified rice will mutate the others. that is how GMOs appeared in asian countries. GMOs take over all non-GMOs. so it's only a matter of time before there are no remaining natural strains, unless they are preserved. hope they won't kill us!

[jamietwo]

GMOs take over all non-GMOs. so it's only a matter of time before there are no remaining natural strains...

I agree and this makes me so sad ... and angry! One of the reasons I buy organic for my famly (and no, I can't afford it but so far I'm still able to make it a priority) is to avoid the GMO's. But the FDA, scientists, et all, seem to have forgotten about obtaining "long-term test results" as they embrace genetically engineered foods.

[KristaO]

Thanks everyone for the info.

Now, I've read another article from the New York Times, and maybe you all would know if this is true.... I sure hope not!

Excerpt:
You may be grossed out, but insects and mold in our food are not new. The F.D.A. actually condones a certain percentage of “natural contaminants” in our food supply — meaning, among other things, bugs, mold, rodent hairs and maggots.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/opini ... ml?_r=1&em

Geeeez, what do you think? I want to plant a garden now.

[swearbyit]

ugh, that is pretty gross. definitely wish i hadn't read that article. i always had an understanding with produce that it's not going to be super sanitary. i mean, the stuff grows outside and is handled by tons of people before getting in my cart. and i think how different the standards are now from years ago, where people probably bit into fruits and saw that stuff (minus the contemporary cig butts, which i find totally wrong, but the natural stuff is a different story).

i personally have always had a problem with the FDA. many of their practices are questionable to me. but still they hold most foods to an acceptable standard and they really do the best they can with the small amount of funding they get. if i didn't live in an apartment, i would be all for growing my own produce.

[Anne-Marie]

You all may be interested in this email I received as part of a listserv from Seeds of Change:

NOTICE TO ALL FANS OF ORGANIC AGRICULTURE

A bill has been introduced this session at the New Mexico legislature
which would protect organic agriculture in the state from GMOs,
possibly even including genetic drift from engineered crops onto
others' land. It limits the powers of companies such as Monsanto and
lays liability squarely on the seed engineering company and the
farmer who decided to plant the crop.

If you support this bill – which you really should! – please call
your lawmakers to ask them to support this really exciting bill. It
is a good idea to perhaps both call your lawmaker, and write an e-
mail. Having worked at jobs at or associated with the legislature for
nearly a decade, I promise you: Your voice (when you use it) does
count. Lawmakers listen to their constituents. Please forward this
notice to any like-minded groups or individuals.

Senate Bill 560, introduced by Cisco McSorley, is dubbed the "Farmer
Protection Act." It requires a person intending to plant a GMO in any
open field to notify the director of the Department of Agriculture 30
days before planting. The notice must include the proposed locations,
kinds and variety of seed or plant, and the traits for which the
plant is genetically engineered. The Dept. of Ag. Secretary must then
report annually to the legislature on GMOs planted, county-by-county,
across the state. The bill would impose a civil penalty of from $500
to $5,000 for any farmer who fails to report a GMO crop planted. A
third violation restricts the violator from planting in New Mexico
for 12 months.

The bill also prohibits the production of a pharmaceutical crop of a
plant that otherwise is commonly used for human or animal food in an
open field, with a fine of $1,000 per violation.

The bill also limits the powers of a supplier of genetically modified
seed to go onto farmers' lands to take samples – we've seen several
truly egregious cases of this in past years. It states that a seed
contract between the farmer and the supplier cannot give the supplier
(Monsanto) the right to enter private property owned or occupied by
the farmer in order to acquire crop samples. The seed supplier must
obtain written permission from the farmer to enter.

The bill states that genetic drift of a genetically engineered plant
constitutes a private nuisance, and the seed supplier would be liable
if the release causes the unintended presence of the plant on any
person's property – but only if the farmer could prove the presence
of the unwanted genetics caused him financial losses. No person
owning property is required to create a buffer zone to prevent
potential genetic drift.

Here are a couple links.
To find which legislator represents you, try the legislature's link
below. If in doubt, simply send to all the most likely individuals:
http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/legislatorsearch.aspx

And, here are a couple of informational links on GMOs and the
aforementioned egregious examples of misbehavior by seed engineering
companies:
http://www.saynotogmos.org/
http://www.geocities.com/newageinternat ... santo.html

Thanks,
Kristen Davenport

[swearbyit]

You all may be interested in this email I received as part of a listserv from Seeds of Change:

NOTICE TO ALL FANS OF ORGANIC AGRICULTURE

A bill has been introduced this session at the New Mexico legislature
which would protect organic agriculture in the state from GMOs,
possibly even including genetic drift from engineered crops onto
others' land. It limits the powers of companies such as Monsanto and
lays liability squarely on the seed engineering company and the
farmer who decided to plant the crop.

If you support this bill – which you really should! – please call
your lawmakers to ask them to support this really exciting bill. It
is a good idea to perhaps both call your lawmaker, and write an e-
mail. Having worked at jobs at or associated with the legislature for
nearly a decade, I promise you: Your voice (when you use it) does
count. Lawmakers listen to their constituents. Please forward this
notice to any like-minded groups or individuals.

Senate Bill 560, introduced by Cisco McSorley, is dubbed the "Farmer
Protection Act." It requires a person intending to plant a GMO in any
open field to notify the director of the Department of Agriculture 30
days before planting. The notice must include the proposed locations,
kinds and variety of seed or plant, and the traits for which the
plant is genetically engineered. The Dept. of Ag. Secretary must then
report annually to the legislature on GMOs planted, county-by-county,
across the state. The bill would impose a civil penalty of from $500
to $5,000 for any farmer who fails to report a GMO crop planted. A
third violation restricts the violator from planting in New Mexico
for 12 months.

The bill also prohibits the production of a pharmaceutical crop of a
plant that otherwise is commonly used for human or animal food in an
open field, with a fine of $1,000 per violation.

The bill also limits the powers of a supplier of genetically modified
seed to go onto farmers' lands to take samples – we've seen several
truly egregious cases of this in past years. It states that a seed
contract between the farmer and the supplier cannot give the supplier
(Monsanto) the right to enter private property owned or occupied by
the farmer in order to acquire crop samples. The seed supplier must
obtain written permission from the farmer to enter.

The bill states that genetic drift of a genetically engineered plant
constitutes a private nuisance, and the seed supplier would be liable
if the release causes the unintended presence of the plant on any
person's property – but only if the farmer could prove the presence
of the unwanted genetics caused him financial losses. No person
owning property is required to create a buffer zone to prevent
potential genetic drift.

Here are a couple links.
To find which legislator represents you, try the legislature's link
below. If in doubt, simply send to all the most likely individuals:
http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/legislatorsearch.aspx

And, here are a couple of informational links on GMOs and the
aforementioned egregious examples of misbehavior by seed engineering
companies:
http://www.saynotogmos.org/
http://www.geocities.com/newageinternat ... santo.html

Thanks,
Kristen Davenport

i think the bill is great in theory, but it doesn't sound like it will be very successful in practice. the reason i say this is because it is very difficult to keep track of GMOs. so, say a farmer purchases non GMOs from his seed provider and plants them. he is in full compliance of the bill if he does not report the GMOs. but what happens if he purchases what he believes to be non GMOs and one in the batch happens to be? he would not have knowingly planted that crop, and will be severely penalized for it. however, the seed sellers and farmers are probably a lot more sure of the status of the seeds when they plant them, so this might not happen.

but then we see the part of the bill that says, "but only if the farmer could prove the presence of the unwanted genetics caused him financial losses. No person owning property is required to create a buffer zone to prevent
potential genetic drift". so farmers still don't have to create a buffer between GMO and non GMO farms? what good does it do if the practices are still the same, but there are penalties in place? proving that you lost money is so hard to do in court. and over the span it would take for the crop to mutate there are tons of other contributing factors for bad business. proving "financial losses" in court for something with so many varying factors like farming would be nearly impossible.

overall, it seems like all this bill would do is tie up the courts and bury farmers in legal fees. but i always look on the bad side of things... perhaps it would be effective. but i don't see the point of putting penalties on people rather than attempting to fix the problem of genetic drift.

[momof4]

Here's something I just read:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090223/sc ... 0223200146

PARIS (AFP) – Genes from genetically-engineered corn have been found in traditional crop strains in Mexico, according to a new study likely to reignite a bitter controversy over biotech maize.

[Laurie Crittenden]

This seems to be a link to a good guide:
http://www.responsibletechnology.org/do ... es/144.pdf

[Karen]

You can read the FAQ for the standards for price lookup codes for produce here:

http://www.plucodes.com/faqs.aspx

But you need to understand that this is just a standard: there is no guarantee that between the farm and the grocery that produce has been properly marked.

[Purdy]

GM food is just fine with me.
And if there are a bunch of bugs in the veggies, it just means there ain't as much pesticides.
Folks here worry to much about things that are way down the list of concerns.

I drink tap water, eat GM foods, and just wash off the bugs. That solves about 99.9% of all the concerns.
If you drive your car even 1 mile out of the way to purchase organic, non-GM foods, you will have given up more safety than you have gained.