Did you know that you may be eating genetically modified food without realizing it?

Most of us have heard about genetically modified food, as there has been much discussion about its inclusion in the food chain. Today, these products have to be clearly labeled as “genetically modified” but, did you know that there are other ways they can sneak into your food?

Feeding stuffs

Monsanto, the powerful U.S. multinational and leader in the cultivation of GM crops, says that "nearly 100% of feeding stuffs contain GMOs". This is one way we can consume genetically modified organisms unknowingly.

If this is true, whenever we have chicken, veal or even farmed fish we may be eating GM food. Because these animals are fed with food stuffs made especially from GM soya and corn, once they have been consumed they enter the human food chain.

Processed food

Another common way in which GM food sneaks into our diet is through processed food. Some brands tend to use GM food in their pre-cooked meal recipes (from cereals to ready meals), and this must be mentioned on the label, so we should always check the label if we don't want to consume GM food.

Even so, ideally we should avoid these brands if we want to be sure that they are “100% GM-free” since “the presence of GM food only appears on the label when it accounts for more than 0.9% of the product”.

There are regularly updated “lists” we can check to determine the companies that use GM food in their recipes and those that don't.

How can we “get rid” of GM food?

The most effective way is to always select products labeled as "bio" or organic. This way we can make sure that there are no traces of GMO.

For example, these are products in which the animals have been fed naturally, with no chemicals or GMO. In fact, organic food producers are required to use only certain authorized agrochemicals and GM seeds or plants cannot be used in its production.

If you decide to eliminate all traces of GM food from your diet you need to check the label carefully, avoid brands that use it in their recipes and start eating meat, milk, eggs and other food categorized as organic or bio. In the case of fish, better wild than farmed (also checking the label to avoid destructive fishing methods).

Did you know that you may be eating genetically modified food without realizing it?