What is a GMO?

1. Your logo and Information here!

2. A genetically modified organism is an organism whose
genetic make up has been altered using genetic
engineering techniques.
A GMO is a plant or animal that has been genetically
changed by scientists to improve its ability to grow in non-
native environments, resist pests, endure extreme weather
conditions, yield more food (like milk in cows), or display
other desired characteristics.
 GMO is a new version of a food, plant, or animal created
by scientists through genetic engineering (GE) techniques.

3. They were first introduced into the food supply in the
mid-1990s, GMO’s now exist in most processed foods
in the US.
They are banned as food ingredients in Europe and
elsewhere, the FDA does not even require the labeling
of GMOs in food ingredient lists!

4. Scientists use technology to create plants, animals, and bacteria
with biological characteristics that would never occur in the natural
world—some examples of this are: a tomato with an anti-freeze
“fish” gene designed to resist cold temperatures, or corn plants with
a “bacterial” gene that tolerates increased herbicide use.

5. Genetic engineering differs from traditional breeding,
which consist of techniques such as hybridization and
selective breeding.
An example of a hybrid plant is the boysenberry, a cross
between a raspberry, blackberry, and sometimes
loganberry.
Examples of selective breeding include mating only the
healthiest beef cattle or saving the seeds of only the most
delicious, most pest-resistant tomatoes for next year’s
crop.
For over 10,000 years, these traditional breeding methods
have been a significant part of agriculture and have been
used to domesticate and increase yields of nearly every
plant and animal used in agriculture today.

6. Many shoppers are wary of eating genetically engineered
products and are concerned that GMO’s are not in our
best interest.
Basic laws of nature prevent plants from breeding with
fish or bacteria. We have little to no experience or history
with these kinds of combinations.
The process of creating GMOs is highly unpredictable and
untested; it’s assumed that if the original food was safe,
the genetically modified version will be too.
As a result, new allergens may be introduced into common
foods, and long-term effects of eating GMOs remain
uncertain.

7. Genetically modified foods have been linked to toxic
and allergic reactions, sick, sterile, and dead livestock,
and damage to virtually every organ studied in lab
animals.
GMO crops such as Bt cotton produce pesticides
inside the plant. This kills or deters insects, saving the
farmer from having to spray pesticides.
The plants themselves are toxic, and not just to
insects. Farmers in India, who let their sheep graze on
Bt cotton plants after the harvest, saw thousands of
sheep die!

8. The effects on humans of consuming these new
combinations of proteins produced in GMOs are
unknown and have not been studied.
See more under GMO Health Risks.
Watch , What is a GMO:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPtLgtUnLhw

9. It’s not just direct consumption of GMO food that causes
concern.
GE technology in agriculture creates herbicide-resistant plants
that allow farmers to use more chemicals without killing the
crop.
The result has been a significant increase in the use of
herbicides and the rise of approximately 15 herbicide-resistant
weeds in the United States.
Farmers then have to use different or more chemicals then
usually would be needed to combat these weeds, leading to
what’s called an “herbicide treadmill. “When one chemical stops
working, another is used until it stops working, and then
another. This is a major environmental concern.
The threat of GMO contamination of crops is extremely
unsettling to organic farmers.

10. In nature, plants naturally distribute their pollen near
and far, which spreads their genes from one plant to
another.
In this way, GMO plant pollen can contaminate
organic plants. As a result, many organic farmers fear
for their livelihood and their ability to fill consumers’
desire for organic products.

11. Pollen from GM crops can contaminate nearby crops of
the same type, except for soy, which does not cross-
pollinate.
In fact, virtually all heritage varieties of corn in Mexico
(the origin of all corn) have been found to have some
contamination. Canola and cotton also cross-pollinate.
The long-term effects on the environment may prove
to be disastrous.

12. Over 80% of all GMOs grown worldwide are
engineered for herbicide tolerance.
As a result, use of toxic herbicides like Roundup has
increased 15 times since GMOs were introduced.
GMO crops are responsible for the emergence of “super
weeds” and “super bugs:’ which can only be killed with
ever more toxic poisons like 2,4-D (a major ingredient
in Agent Orange).
The long-term impacts of GMOs are unknown, and
once released into the environment these novel
organisms cannot be recalled.

14. Most developed nations do not consider GMOs to
be safe. In more than 60 countries around the world,
including Australia, Japan, and all of the countries in
the European Union, there are significant restrictions
or outright bans on the production and sale of GMOs.
In the U.S., the government has approved GMOs
based on studies conducted by the same corporations
that created them and profit from their sale.
Increasingly, Americans are taking matters into
their own hands and choosing to opt out of the GMO
experiment.

15. In the U.S., GMOs are in as much as 80% of
conventional processed food.
Click here for a current list of GMO risk crops.
List of companies using Monsanto GMO products:
http://thegoldenlightchannel.com/gmo-food-list-to-avoid-monsanto-companies-the-dangers-of-gmo-food/

17. The first genetically modified crops were corn,
soybeans, and cotton, which were engineered to
control the growth of weeds and resist insects.
Corn and soy are two of the most common
ingredients in processed food, these genetically
modified ingredients are on our market shelves!
But because there’s no regulated food label that
indicates whether a product contains GMOs, it’s hard
to tell what you’re getting.

18. Majority of Americans
want to know if the food
they’re purchasing
contains GMOs!
The powerful biotech
lobby has succeeded in
keeping this information
from the public.
Monsanto - Biggest
Company Creating
GMO’s

20. Studies show that more than 90% of Americans support
mandatory labeling of genetically engineered (GE) foods.
Yet for twenty years we have been denied that right.
While our reasons for wanting to know what’s in our food
may vary, what unifies us is the belief that it’s our right.
Without labeling of GE foods, we cannot make informed
choices about our food.
The Just Label It campaign was created to advocate for the
labeling of GE foods. - See more at: http://
justlabelit.org/right-toknow/#sthash.AVMbzu7f.dpuf

21. You can protect your family by looking for the USDA
Certified Organic seal.
According to USDA regulations, GMOs are prohibited
in organic agriculture production.
As a shopper, ask questions about where food comes
from and how it’s made.

22. Joint the NON-GMO Click and Send revolutionary Army:
http://action.responsibletechnology.org/p/salsa/web/common/public/signup?signup_page_KEY=7328

23. Because of the lack of mandatory labeling, the Non-
GMO Project was created to give consumers the
informed choice they deserve.
The Non-GMO Project is a non-profit organization
with a mission of protecting the non-GMO food
supply and giving consumers an informed choice.
http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/non-gmo-project-seal.html

25. The Non-GMO Project’s seal for verified products
will, for the first time, give the public an opportunity
to make an informed choice when it comes to GMOs.
A 2012 Mellman Group poll found that 91% of
American consumers wanted GMOs labeled.
A recent CBS/New York Times poll, 53% of consumers
said they would not buy food that has been
genetically modified.

26. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Teach your neighbors, family and friends!
Host a public showing of the block buster film:
“The World According to Monsanto”

27. Videos from, Just Label It:
We Have a Right to Know
http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ep4uxbhsvI#action=share
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVnCn3rDGP8
Just Label It!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TghIpBG5o3s

28. The Non GMO Project is North America’s ONLY third
party verification for products produced according to
rigorous best practices for GMO avoidance (for more
info, click here).
The Projects strategy is to empower consumers to
make change through the marketplace.
If people stop buying GMOs, companies will stop
using them and farmers will stop growing them.

29. Choose food and products that are Non-
GMO Project Verified!
Click here to see a complete list
Tip #1: Buy Organic Certified organic products cannot intentionally include any GMO
ingredients. Buy products labeled “100% organic,” “organic,” or “made with organic
ingredients.” You can be doubly sure if the product also has a Non-GMO Project Verified
Seal. Read more about organic standards...
Tip #2: Look for Non-GMO Project Seals Products that carry the Non-GMO Project
Seal are independently verified to be in compliance with North America’s only third party
standard for GMO avoidance, including testing of at-risk ingredients. The Non-GMO
Project is a non-profit organization committed to providing consumers with clearly labeled
and independently verified non-GMO choices. Look for dairy products labeled "No rBGH or
rBST,” or “artificial hormone-free.”
Tip #3: Avoid at-risk ingredients If it’s not labeled organic or verified non-GMO: Avoid
products made with ingredients that might be derived from GMOs (see list).

30. Tip #4: Download our Shopping Guides Use either IRT’s new Non-GMO Shopping
Tips brochure or redesigned Non-GMO Shopping Guide to help you identify and avoid
GM foods. We devote an entire page in each guide to help you uncover hidden GM
ingredients on food labels that often read more like a chemical periodic table. If you
have an iPhone, download our ShopNoGMO guide for free from the iTunes store.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE.
The eight GM food crops are Corn, Soybeans, Canola, Cottonseed, Sugar Beets,
Hawaiian Papaya (most) and a small amount of Zucchini and Yellow Squash.
Sugar If a non-organic product made in North American lists “sugar” as an ingredient
(and NOT pure cane sugar), then it is almost certainly a combination of sugar from both
sugar cane and GM sugar beets.
 Dairy Products may be from cows injected with GM bovine growth hormone. Look for
labels stating No rBGH, rBST, or artificial hormones.
 http://seedsofdeception.com/
 http://www.responsibletechnology.org/

31. 
*The American Academy of Environmental Medicine was founded
in 1965, and is an international association of physicians and
other professionals interested in the clinical aspects of humans
and their environment. AAEM provides research and education
in the recognition, treatment and prevention of illnesses induced
by exposures to biological and chemical agents encountered in
air, food and water.
**The AAEM paper further states, several animal studies indicate
serious health risks associated with GM food consumption
including infertility, immune dysregulation, accelerated aging,
dysregulation of genes associated with cholesterol synthesis,
insulin regulation, cell signaling, and protein formation, and
changes in the liver, kidney, spleen and gastrointestinal
system.***

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