Genetically modified foods refers only to the seed of the plant. The reason GMOs are used is to produce stronger plants that can withstand higher doses of herbicides and insecticides therefore producing a higher crop yield. Foods do not have to be labeled if they contain GMO seeds. A USDA organic seal on a food means that it does not contain a GMO seed. You will also find foods labeled as Non-GMO. This means the food does not have a GMO seed but does not mean anything about how the plant is cultivated (whether or not it is sprayed with herbicides and insecticides.)
The most common GMOs in our food supply are: corn, soy, canola, cottonseed oil, sugar cane, sugar beet and golden rice. If it is a USDA organic popcorn then it is not GMO. So why all the concern over GMOs? GMOs are commonly called pesticide plants because of the high herbicide and insecticide levels it can endure.
The most common herbicide is glyphosate or commonly known as roundup. Insecticides are also used on GMO plants. Herbicide and insecticide residues together during long-term cumulative exposure or during sensitive periods of life such as pregnancy, infancy, childhood and compromised health status has possible health effects. The herbicides are associated with possible hormonal, sexual and reproductive effects disorders. The combination of herbicide and insecticide residues together are associated with carcinogenesis, immune, nervous, genetic and metabolic defects.
As you can tell from the list sugar unless it is an organic sugar is all genetically modified. In a study as back as 3 years ago looked at the effects of ingesting GMOs and found that the stomach lining was inflamed after eating the GMO food.
You might be asking yourself, what’s golden rice? Golden rice has only been on the market a couple years and is modified to include beta-carotene (vitamin A), which gives it the golden color. It was developed for countries were beta-carotene is deficient in the food supply. Vitamin A deficiency is the most significant cause of blindness in the developing world with 250 million children at risk. Vitamin A deficiency is more common in developing countries, where it’s major source of blindness is among children. Vitamin A deficiency also leads to different birth defects and causes changes in the skin to produce follicular hyperkeratosis that produces ‘goose flesh’ or “toad skin” and the skin becomes dry, scaly and rough. This increases bacterial, virul and parasitic infections from open skin wounds. of course hitting children the hardest. Prior to golden rice single high doses of vitamin A have reduced child mortality by 35% to 70 %. This approach is very costly and therefore increasing vitamin A in the local food supply as a more sustainable approach to deficiency was sought.