Know your GMOs

GMOs, also known as genetically modified organisms, have been a hot topic among natural food advocates for years now.

But as consumers, it’s been hard to know if a product comes from GMO ingredients, unless the label specifically says, “Not made with GMOs.”

Thanks to today’s Ideal Bite tip, I’ve learned there’s an easy way to scrutinize at least our fruits and vegetables.

You know those little stickers on produce with four or five digits?

Well, those numbers can help you figure out if the food is conventionally grown or organic, and if it’s genetically modified, according to the Bite.

It goes like this:

A four-digit number means it’s conventionally grown.

A five-digit number beginning with 9 means it’s organic.

A five-digit number beginning with 8 means it’s genetically modified.

Will GMOs hurt you? Probably not.

But GMOs have been in stores only since the 1990s, “so we don’t know the long-term health risks, and in a 1998 EPA sampling, 29 percent of the foods tested contained detectable pesticides,” according to the Bite.

GMOs also aren’t the best way to promote biodiversity. You can read more about GMOs and the political stir they’ve caused here.

I’m going to check out those stickers from now on. If you do, too, let me know what you find.