I know, it sounds confusing, but bear with me for a second.
I don’t agree with or support the practices of the GMO producing companies. I don’t like what they do to small farmers with their policies. I don’t like that they actively work against labeling laws with disingenuous arguments. I want to know what I’m eating, and I want to support the family farm.
On the other hand, I’ve long held that the GMO foods, themselves, aren’t the actual danger, at least not directly. There isn’t any actual evidence that they cause cancer or illness, and now the one study that the anti-GMO crowd held up as proof (even though it didn’t prove anything) has been retracted.
I’m not conflicted on the GMO issue, but…
I won’t live in fear of a GMO food
The practices of GMO companies are bad; for the family farm, the environment, and for our well being, even if not to our health directly. Still, their company guilt doesn’t mean their products are guilty of what they are accused. The GMO controversy is making people crazy!
- We have family and friends who live in fear of accidentally ingesting a GMO food.
- I got an email from someone who was unable to enjoy a family picnic because they served corn on the cob, and the grilled vegetables had bell peppers and summer squash in them.
- A client threw away a bag of perfectly natural Armenian cucumbers because “they were obviously GMO.”
- On facebook, someone asked for help identifying a pod that was star shaped when sliced crossways (it was an heirloom okra), and several of the responses were angry cries of ‘GMO!’
Look, don’t support the companies. Don’t buy their stuff when you can help it, but don’t live in fear of eating it.
Weird does not equal GMO
Big GMO won’t miss your dollar
It’s sad. Boycotts seem good, but they have a negative psychological effect on the people boycotting, and those big companies won’t feel anything when you don’t buy their food anyway.
That doesn’t mean to buy it, of course, instead I suggest that you reach out and actively support your local farmer.
To a local farmer, every dollar counts
I support actively seeking out local farms and farmers who do it right. Every dollar you spend with them means something to them. Every dollar increases the odds that they will grow another crop next year. They may grow and become more successful, spurring on others to follow suit.
I’m a firm believer that
our emotional health is critical to our physical health
…and the stress of not eating the food at a family picnic is more damaging than any GMO corn could be.