Secrets in Your Food

Even if some Americans are getting wiser about GM foods, they're certainly having a tougher time avoiding them at their neighborhood grocery store.

When 75 percent of all processed foods manufactured in America have ingredients originating from GM crops, and those foods are not labeled as such, avoiding GM foods becomes a tricky business indeed.

The fact of the matter is, GM crops have not been proven safe, no matter what their proponents say. The regulatory framework governing them was designed to expedite product approval at the expense of safety considerations.

The regulations use a principal called 'substantial equivalence,' which is intentionally vague and ill-defined. It essentially gives companies complete license to claim that transgenic products are 'substantially equivalent' to non-transgenic products, and hence 'safe.'

There have been very few credible studies on GM food safety. And what findings there are already give cause for concern. In one of the few systematic investigations on GM food ever carried out, 'growth factor-like' effects were found in the stomach and small intestine of young rats that ate GM plants. And there have been other studies that also raised serious safety concerns.

GM foods are basically a non-voluntary experiment on the earth's biosphere and the whole of the human race. If, like me, you don't particularly want to find out what the effects may be on your body, here's a list of quick tips to help you steer clear of GM products for good:

• Examine produce stickers on the fruits and vegetables you buy. The PLU code for conventionally grown fruit consists of four numbers, organically grown fruit has five numbers prefaced by the number nine, and GM fruit has five numbers prefaced by the number eight.

• Buy organic produce as often as you can. By definition, food that is certified organic must be free from all GM organisms.

• Don't be concerned whole foods are more expensive than processed foods, because they aren't.

• Stay away from processed foods.