The food that our grandparents ate as kids is no longer the same food that they eat today. We have turned to science to solve our production problems. Large businesses have taken over the food world by separating the consumer from the source of their food. How many of us can say what farm we buy our food from? Not very many of us. The food bought at grocery stores today is genetically modified. When a crop is genetically modified a part from the DNA of that crop is taken out and replaced with part of the DNA from a animal or bacteria. The DNA is changed to "better" the crop in some way according to the seed companies. I believe that GMO, or genetically modified organism, food should be labeled because they are not proven to be safe, they support big business, and consumers should know what is in their food.

A study was conducted in four European countries testing the sensory experience of tasting a GMO food. European countries label or ban GMO foods according to each countries laws. The participants tasted the GMO food and the results came back as the experimental group had a positive experience tasting the GMO food (Bech-Larson, Grunert, and Lahteenmaki 104). It can be argued that GMOs are fine because they have a good taste. This argument does not correlate with the argument that GMOs are not proven to be safe. These large corporations may say that GMO foods are not proven to be unsafe, but they are also not proven to be safe. It is too early to tell.

The large corporations just do what they need to do to make money. These companies may argue that labeling what their products are made with would create a change in tastes within the market. This causes the consumer to move to non GMO foods and the companies to lose money. Companies need to make a profit to survive, but I also think that each consumer has the right to know what they are putting into their body. 

The companies that create these GMO crops say that these are good because we can feed more people with less space, water, and pesticides. Sure we can give these seeds to third world countries that need the food, but most of the time the United States exports the crops. Famers are using more pesticides now than ever and it is costing them. Breeds of super bugs and super weeds are emerging that could wipe out all of our crops if we are not careful.

There are over 47,000 products in grocery stores today ( Food Inc.). Our grocery stores are packed full of products that contains either wheat, soybeans or corn. These crops are the ones that are genetically modified. There are no facts that prove that GMOs are safe for human consumption. "...the Food and Drug Administration did not do its own safety testing of GMOs before they were put into our food supply," (Bartolotto). Lets go back in history and look at another powerful industry: The tobacco industry. For years they marketed to the public how cool you would look smoking. The question of if it was safe was never considered by the consumer. History is repeating itself. We, the consumers are not told where they, the companies, are getting their food and the industry does not want us to see what is happening behind closed doors. In the film Food Inc. this issue is addressed, "The food has become much more dangerous in ways that are being hidden from us," (Food Inc.). These large companies keep their farmers from talking about the GMO crops from the consumer. There is so much that we do not know about our food today. How can we, as consumers, know what is safe for us when we have put our trust into this large industry and all they want to do is make money by selling us these GMO products? We have no idea, but like the tobacco industry we will find the truth.

Large food production supports large industry. Who do large industries support? "We have never had food companies this big and this powerful in our history," (Food Inc.). These food companies support candidates running for government offices and this gives them the advantage over the consumer in policy especially Monsanto. Who is Monsanto? Monsanto is a chemical company that produces DDT, Agent Orange, and RoundUp. In 1980, when a law was passed that you could paten life, a new opportunity rose. Later in 1996, Monsanto created a soybean resistant to the chemical RoundUp. They marketed it to farmers and by 2008, the patented soybean represents over ninety percent of the soybeans planted in the United States. As more people learn about this topic the more they are outraged. Outside of Monsanto world headquarters over five hundred non-GMO supporters marched on the opposite side of the street to protest the GMO crops Monsanto produces. A farmer that was present spoke up, "Organic farmer Mark Brown said Monsanto controls seed markets," (Leiser). He also offered seeds for any farmer that terminates their contract with Monsanto. They are also involved in the government. Monsanto supported the Bush administration and there are several former employees of Monsanto in our country's capitol. Even in the supreme court (Food Inc.).  This is how they prevent labeling of their products. What does this say about our nations leaders? 

The normal consumer will not know how to pronounce some of the ingredients on a label of a produced food. If you cannot pronounce the ingredient in the food that you are eating do you think that it is healthy for you? I say no. If you have no clue what any of the ingredients are in a food product you are buying, put it back on the shelf. Seventy-eight percent of the food in the grocery store have GMOs and much of the food contains GMO corn. "So much of our industrial food turns out to be clever rearrangements of corn," (Food Inc.). Our government pays farmers to produce as much corn as possible. With the abundance of corn we have chemically turned the crop into obscure ingredients in our food. Mark Lynas, who is an environmentalist and science writer, spoke at a food industry meeting about labeling GMO foods. "I'm here to challenge them and provoke them, which is why I told them today that they have to stop opposing GMO labeling. I believe people do have the right to know what's in their food, and they as an industry have a responsibility and a mandate to deliver on that," (Eng). Companies are spending millions of dollar to keep their food information from the consumers. As consumers we should demand to know what is on the food that we are buying. We are spending out hard earned money on food we think is safe for us. We are feeding our kids, the next generation, GMO foods that are potentially harmful. If we have no information on how safe our food is how can we trust these companies to tell us without proof?

Look at the ingredients of the food that you buy. It is so simple to check before you buy. You can change the market, make these companies label their GMO products. It is as simple as choosing your foods carefully. One less swipe at the grocery store by each of us can send the food industry the message. We can change the industry. Look at the tobacco industry and how as consumers we demanded to know the truth. We can overcome and discover the truth they are keeping from us.

