So this blog post is going to be a bit different from my typical banter… And screen shots of my odd facial expressions… Because I need to address a topic that seems to be hotly debated everywhere on the Internet these days…

Genetically Modified Organisms or GMOs for short. 

If you don’t know… GMOs are plants (or organisms) in which their genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally. Please… Please… Don’t click the X on this window in your browser… Thinking “I’ve ALREADY made up my mind about GMOs” or “I really don’t care”…

Just hear me out for a minute, will you?

Okay, nope! It just wouldn’t be a GiGi Eats Celebrities without one of my weird facial expression. 

The reason I am writing about GMOs is to tell you that BIG companies are not giving us (you and me) a choice to decide for ourselves if we want GMOs in our foods. You see… Currently… The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require GMOs to be labeled. They have had a voluntary labeling system in place for the past 13 years that they feel is sufficient enough.

The problem is that under this system… Not a single company has disclosed the presence of GMO ingredients in their products. In fact, companies like PepsiCo, the parent company of Quaker Oats, has spent millions of dollars to lobby against mandatory GMO labeling. They are actually supporting a bill in congress that the “right to know” activists are calling the DARK ACT as an acronym for “Deny Americans the Right to Know”. 

Don’t you want to grab an economy bag of Lay’s Potato Chips and gulp down a 2-liter Pepsi Cola now? 

Yummy. Yummy. 

Any who… Why is this GMO talk even important?

Although many people cite the positives of GMOs… Such as, the great promise they have in helping to feed the world’s growing population by providing bigger crop yields and creating more efficient use of land, there are also negatives that seems to be swept under the rug. For instance… There is the possibility of increase in herbicide use as well possible allergic reactions (the protein of organisms that you are allergic to may be added to an organism that you were not originally allergic too).

I certainly don’t want to break out in hives again! 

For me… The most important concern I have about GMOs is that their safety is uncertain. GMOs are relatively new to the food supply (started in the mid 1990’s). There is no long-term data on how GMO foods affect human health. The clinical trials that have been done were on animals (do we have the same anatomy as a pig? Um. No…) and were of short duration… Revealing mixed outcomes. In fact… The World Health Organization recently labeled the main herbicide used on GMO crops as probably carcinogenic (carcinogens cause cancer!).

All I really want… Is the option to KNOW and not to be kept in the DARK about what is in my food. Once GMO labeling is mandated by the FDA, you and I will have the right to make up our own minds about what to eat and what not to eat. I just want the ability to choose wisely. This is why I am working with Just Label It … To HELP bring the Conceal or Reveal Campaign to companies around the country. This is a grass roots movement that desperately needs your voice! The first company this campaign is focusing on is the Quaker Company.

Please Sign The Petition asking Quaker to support mandatory FDA labeling of GMOs (and to stop funding anti-mandatory labeling efforts.

Also… Take a minute to check out and follow… 

The Just Label It Facebook Page

The Just Label It Twitter Feed

You can also show your support by tweeting, using the hashtag #ConcealOrReveal letting our government know how you feel about the DARK act and GMO labeling! I have your back… Here are some sample tweet:

• I’m joining @JustLabelIt’s effort asking companies to tell @WhiteHouse we need mandatory labeling for GMOs! http://www.justlabelit.org/action-center/take-action/
• DARK Act will keep us in the dark about our food. We need mandatory labeling of GMOs, @WhiteHouse! #JustLabelIt http://www.justlabelit.org/action-center/take-action-congress/
• I have a right to know what I feed my kids. @Quaker will you #ConcealOrReveal? Support mandatory GMO labeling! www.justlabelit.org/quaker
• Join me in telling @Quaker to #ConcealOrReveal & support mandatory GMO labeling! #JustLabelIt www.justlabelit.org/quaker

So Tell Me…

• Thoughts on GMOs?! For them or against them? 
• What celebrity looks a bit… Genetically Modified? 
• Are you guilty of chowing down on those Lay’s Potato Chips? 
• Pepsi or Coke? 
• What are your thoughts on the US Food System in general?
• If you’ve traveled outside of the country, in which country did you experience the most deliciously fresh foods? 
• Who else thinks the food in the US is pretty crappy?

This post was created as a part of the JUST LABEL IT campaign in which I am a finically Labeling Advocate. The opinions are my own and based on my own experience.