Genetically Modified Food
Genetically-modified food. It is the new catch phrase, but what does it mean? And, what does it mean to homesteading families like mine?
Simply, genetically modified foods have undergone a change in its DNA. There are two main kinds of changes: cisgenesis and transgenesis.
Cisgenesis occurs when genes are transferred artificially with plants or animals that could procreate naturally. An example of this would be creating a blight resistant potato. With transgenesis, genes of different species are combined to create something all together different.
In the 1990′s genetically modified foods began being marketed to the American public. They require no special packaging or warnings on the package. The consumer has virtually no way to know which is which. Although, I have learned through my research that Price Look Up (PLU) codes that begin with the number eight is a good indication that it is genetically modified.
What was the first genetically modified vegetable/fruit introduced to us? The tomato was. Very common products that are used in much of our processed foods are genetically modified. Foods like corn, soybeans, cotton, sugar cane, and rapeseed are commonly modified. This is of course not a complete list.
If you did not already know, rapeseed makes canola oil. You might be wondering why I added cotton to the list. Cottonseed is a popular ingredient in some foods like candy. Cottonseed, corn, and soybeans are also in most animal feeds. Why would that be a concern for you? If you are a vegetarian, it probably is not. If you consume meat like my family, then you might find it bothersome.
Should anyone find genetically modified foods bothersome? Is there any reason to be concerned? Scientists claim that there is no reason to be alarmed. There are no scientifically proven risks to humans and/or animals in consuming genetically modified food.
Personally as a mom, I am uncomfortable when science begins changing the genes of plants and animals. I am uncomfortable with mankind playing around with God’s creation, trying to improve upon it. I recently read an very interesting article on the subject called, “Science Fiction Horror Story,” by Michael Pearl. I completely agree with him when he writes, “God designs his human creation after his own image… And what do scientists do? They say, ‘It is good, but not good enough; we can do better,’ and then proceed to re-create what God created. ”
I would prefer that food be labeled honestly so that consumers can make the decision for themselves. I would like the right to choose genetically modified or conventional food. In Europe, many countries do.
As homesteaders and gardeners and farmers, we have to look at the foods that we are producing. Are we using genetically modified seeds? Are we raising the same produce our grandparents grew or is it something different? I can see the argument to try and make plants disease resistant. However, our bodies are already bombarded by pesticides, fungicides, and other chemicals daily. I think I would rather have less yield and be able to confidently eat organic produce. It is just my personal preference.
If you agree with me and are planning your spring garden, what kind of seeds can you buy? The brilliant blue, pink, and purple seeds sitting in the bins of your local feed store have been sprayed with fungicides. They are not necessarily genetically modified, but are not organic. Yesterday I spoke with a gardening expert at our local feed store. He assured me that the only way to be confident that your garden produce is not genetically modified is to buy organic seeds.
He went on to explain that gardeners can collect the seeds later this year to plant next season. The seeds will reproduce and the plant will be the same as last season. Organic seeds cost much more than other seeds. They cost almost twice as much. Another option is to purchase heritage or heirloom seeds. These seeds have not gone under any kind of genetic alteration. They are not hybrids. They are the originals, but they are not as cheap as the “normal” ones offered in bins.
If you are interested, please read this interesting article called “Heirloom and Heritage Seeds,” by Michael Bloch. I am not endorsing any company; it is simply a good article. I am in the process of shopping around myself. This week I am planting tomato seeds in my Jiffy Greenhouse in order to plant them in the ground later this month or early April.
Years ago I did not even know about genetically modified food even though I was probably buying them at the grocery store. Is it just me or is it bothersome to you as well? I would love to hear your opinion. If you have any tips or information on heritage/heirloom seeds or genetically modified foods, please contact me. We can all learn together.
I’m with you Lara. But tell me, where can we buy feed for our livestock without gmo corn that we can afford? The owner of my feed store assured me that if I don’t buy the organic stuff from a company 75 miles from my house, I’m getting gmo corn. But the organic stuff is prohibitive cost wise. Any ideas?
I have a friend that has taken to buying her grains individually and mixing her own goat feed. That way she knows what’s in it.
Last year I saved tomato seeds for the first time. Can’t wait to see what I can do with them. Never been too successful at starting seed.
Thanks for the clue with the UPC codes. I’ll try to keep that in mind, although I don’t buy too much produce at the store because we try to grow it all. But does this apply to canned vegies as well?
Blessings to your homestead,
Carol
Carol,
Thank you for your comments and questions. My advice to people coming into homesteading is to take baby steps. I think that this is great advice for anyone seeking to change his/her lifestyle. Trying to remove genetically modified food from your plate is a change in lifestyle. First, I would begin with the produce that I grow. I would make a conscious effort to plant and raise heritage and/or organic seeds.
Then I would start looking at the price codes on food that I purchased at the store. I would assume that the number 8 at the beginning of the PLU works for all foods whether fresh or canned or frozen.
As for feeding your own livestock, read Pasture Perfect by Jo Robinson and/or visit her site called Eat Wild. Joel Saladin is also a well-known farmer who encourages others to not feed grain to animals. My extended family owns and operates a grass fed beef operation. I am involved with the operation. In fact, I was the one who really researched and encouraged the family to transition from traditional ranching practices to grass fed. It really is different. It is more natural.
Whether you are talking about gmo in your food or in your animals food, you are wanting to get back to what God created. You desire His plants, fruits, and vegetables. You want to taste meat raised naturally as He intended them to live.
I have several articles on Welcome to the Ranch! on the health benefits of grass fed meat. I think you will find them eye-opening. Included in the articles are videos and clips of news broadcasts.
Having said all this, I am still in the process of converting my family farm into an all grass fed operation. Baby steps are the only way that I can possibly accomplish my goals. Our rabbits are fed alfalfa pellets and water. Our dairy goats receive minerals, baking soda, salt, and alfalfa pellets. Once in milk, the doe gets lactation pellets. I am trying to figure out what else to give her. Our chicken and ducks free range on grass and bugs. We do feed our chickens lay pellets once a day, which again I am trying to figure out what to give them instead of this grain. Our sheep eats hay and alfalfa pellets.
It is not perfect, but it is a work in progress. Look over the information that I recommend and let me know if you have any more questions. May your tomatoes grow and produce well. Here is to baby steps.
Lara
One website that has some very good heirloom seeds is the Seed Savers Exchange. They have a wide variety of just about any vegatable plant you’d like to plant and a lot of the more rare and hard to find strains. They also publish a magazine that my family gets that is very informative and contains articles about organic gardening, saving your own seeds for the next year, preserving produce, etc.
Regan,
Thanks for sharing the information. I appreciate it.
Lara
Dear Lara,
I have been reading up on your blog after seeing your article in the lastest Countryside! So glad I’ve found you!!
I also read the Pearls latest article about GM foods. It is so scary! I always thought it was MSG, BHT, and BHA that I had to worry about and here’s yet another thing to add to the list. It just makes our family want to get even more back to the basics and follow the plan that the Lord has for us to be more self sustaining!
I also saw the movie Food Inc. Very good about GM foods. Have you seen it? We viewed it on Netflix~it’s an instant download! It’s very worth the price of renting Netflix for one month~cost is only about $8ish!
Thanks for all your encouraging articles and God Bless!
Jamie
Jamie,
Thank you for your comment and compliment. The road that we are headed down is scary; although, my purpose was not to scare anyone. I try not to worry about our future; however, it is definitely a concern for several reasons. I am concerned for health reasons, for money reasons, but most importantly for my children and grandchildren’s future. I believe that information is key and empowering, which is why I would like to see the proper labels on the foods.
I have not seen the movie Food, Inc; however, I have watched the trailer and several interviews with Michael Pollan. One day I will, but I fear I will never be the same after watching it.
Lara
Lara,
I read your article in Countryside too. I am also concerned aobut what is in my food. One place I found that offers good seed is Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. Their beliefs are like ours and the seed is more for our gardens. My seed I started is just now trying to come up. I also have sheep and chickens and try to do the same as you regarding ‘natural for the animal’ foods. Keep up the good work!
You are so good at keeping us up to date. Little things do mean a
lot. A little change here and there in our food sounds so simple but
added up can make great changes, sometimes good, sometimes bad. My
husband has Leukemia and when we asked what caused it they said at
first they didn’t know. Then added that it could have been genetic,
or the food we eat, or the chemicals we use, on our yards or farms,
and ingest, that we don’t even know about, like in the air we breath.
We haven’t always eaten our own food or let alone grown it. We were
both raised in the city. But over the years we moved to the country
and have tried to get further and further away from store bought foods
and tried to make or grow our own. The Dr. told my husband that if he
hadn’t had such good underlying health when he got Leukemia he
probably wouldn’t have made it through. It has been a long journey
these last 19 months. He was 74 when diagnosed but they treated him
as if he were a 55 year old man. All due to the fact that he
exercised, eat pretty much organically, used supplements and didn’t
smoke or drink alcohol or caffeine. I’d say that was a good
recommendation for just about anyone. We are even more diligent about
reading all labels on the things we buy and use in our garden.
You probably already know this but Wal-Mart carries a line of organic
garden seeds for about 2.98 a pack in our area, and a seed pack can
grow a lot of food. All of our seeds came up good and strong.
Genetically modified seeds wont grow another a good crop the next year
if you try to save the seeds. At least not a product is of good
quality. The taste and quality are inferior. Of course that’s what
the seed company’s want. Come back a buy and buy again. And the
other thing to remember is that you are what you eat. So make sure
it’s good wholesome food that you put into your body. Our bodies are
‘temples’ and we must treat them accordingly. Hard times are here
and if they keep going the way they are then hard times will get
worse. Use good untreated seeds and store they away for the future
too. Talk again. Pat from Ga.
Pat,
Thank you for taking the time to share your story. You are an encouragement to us all.
Lara
Christina,
Thanks for the tip on the seed company. I will have to look into them also.
Lara
Nice article. I think ya’ll are very smart to be cautious about where your food comes from. However, I want to gently take issue with a couple of points here:
* “There are no scientifically proven risks to humans …” See http://bit.ly/3845l. There is a large body of scientific literature documenting a wide range of risks to humans and animals from GM foods.
* “…Price Look Up (PLU) codes that begin with the number eight is a good indication…” This is an urban myth. See http://bit.ly/9lTpmn.
Of course, don’t take my word for it. Do your own research (sounds like you’re not afraid to do that!), and keep up the good work!
Bob
Bob,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share some information with us. I can take constructive criticism well, and I even appreciate it. I read the articles that you linked to and wished I had found them sooner. Thank you for bringing them to my attention. There is so much information out there; it is hard to sort through everything.
Lara
I urge everyone to read the articles that Bob mentioned. They are good and informative.
Very interesting and yes I totally agree with you. After I watched the movies Food Inc. and The Future of Food I really started to pay attention. Me and my family are doing our best to avoid them and I hope they require labeling someday!
Hello! I am pretty new to homesteading, and subscribe to Countryside journal where I read your article about surviving on one acre. Quite humbling I might add! I love to garden and have slowly expanded what I grow. I hope to eventually feed my family with what we raise or hunt, and avoid (most) grocery items. I wanted to suggest Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (www.rareseeds.com) as a source of vegetable, herb, and flower seeds. All are heirloom varieties and no GMO’s! They guarantee their corn to be GMO-free, but they say that it is harder and harder to find seed that does not have traces of GMO genetics, since pollen is borne on the wind, your crop can be contaminated without your knowledge. It’s a little scary to say the least. Thank you for this inspiring website.
God Bless!
Jennifer,
Thank you for your kind words and for suggesting http://www.rareseeds.com. I appreciate you taking the time to give me that information. And yes, it is scary.
Lara
Hey Lara
Not sure how I found your site?? But here I am. I really enjoy your articles. You do a great job, thanks for taking the time They are very interesting. As far as this whole GMO. I am like you, we raise meat chickens, beef cows, garden etc. We do the best we can to eat clean, if for no other reason then it tastes better. I still find myself obsessing over food related issues. Lately though, I have been convicted that I’m putting my faith in food and its source, and not GOD. I’m not saying eat hots dogs, pork rinds, and Pepsi cola (yuck!!) etc. I’m not saying lets tempt faith. But if I do my part and ask GOD to bless it, isn’t that enough? What do you think? I’m interested in your thoughts as well as others. Are we investing to much thought and energy attempting to be like the “World” who worship mother earth and not the Creator? Am I correct in thinking that the Lord will provide no matter what science dictates?? What do you think?? This is all theroy.
Sincerly,
Autumn
Autumn,
First of all, thank you for reading Texas Homesteader. It sounds like we are kindred spirits, who are trying their hardest to raise our food as God intended.
I am a little confused as to the wording of your comment in that you say, “Are we investing too much thought and energy attempting to be like the ‘World’ who worship mother earth and not the Creator?” I re-read my post and can find no evidence where I am worshiping mother earth.
If by my article I am spending too much thought and energy attempting to be like the “World,” then I have truly missed my mark. My intention was to raise awareness and link to articles that I found interesting on the subject.
Do I believe that the Lord is all-powerful? Yes. Do I believe that He provides for His people? Yes. Do I consciously exercise to live in faith and by faith on a daily basis? Yes.
However throughout time, people have constantly striven to be like God. Eve wanted to the knowledge of good and evil. The Tower of Babel was constructed to show power and might. There are many, many other examples in the Bible, but I will stop there.
What did God do to Eve and the people constructing the tower? He punished them. He sent Eve out of the Garden of Eden. He made her subject to Adam. God gave her pain in childbirth. To the latter group, God changed their languages so that they could not communicate with one another. He scattered them all over the world. They were not allowed to finish their project.
I do not want to be punished. Punishment is not fun. Noah was not punished, but was saved by his faith. For years, Noah preached to the people. He called out their sinful ways and told them to repent. He did not just build the ark.
I don’t want to sit here on my one acre farm toiling away and not bringing up hot topics like what is happening to the food here in America. Information is key to bringing about change. I hope that the United States will change the way that they eat. I would prefer that this began with families and spread up to the corporations instead of coming down from the government. However, I am not in charge.
I personally think that trying to improve upon God’s creation is wrong. I do feel that individuals need to live responsibly and in gratitude for what God has blessed us with. I hope that we are like the citizens of Nineveh, who repent and are saved from destruction.
I encourage this discussion so please let me know if you have any other points on which you would like my opinion. Thank you for your comment, Autumn.
Lara
Lara,
After watching The Future of Food I see GM food very much as a social justice issue as well as a health and food saftey issue. Once seed is GM it is patented by the large corporation. The large corporation then can come in and tell farmers how and when to use the seed that has the patent. This limits the farmers freedom to control their own product. If the seed has a patenet their are multipule ways we become the slave and captives of the corporation.
Christine,
Thank you for making such a great point. I really appreciate you taking the time to join the conversation.
Lara