MichaelMoore.com

When you walk into the grocery store and buy a bag of chips, do you ever think about the ingredients used in the making of the food? Maybe the processes the food went through before arriving at the grocery store, neatly sealed in the plastic bag? For most people, thoughts of these factors don't cross their minds before delving into that bag of potato chips. And though it is unknown, there is good deal more going on behind the fine print on the package. It is a fact that more than 70% of foods found in grocery stores contain genetically modified ingredients. On top of the amount of genetically modified ingredients, the lack of knowledge in the general public about these ingredients is frighteningly low. Foods such as "StarLink" corn, corn that was never modified for human consumption, but for pig feed, have been found in stores. Also, with genetic engineering being a relatively new field, it is unclear as to what the long term effects of consuming genetically modified foods are because little testing has been done. Corporations, Monsanto for example, have been known to go to extreme measures to keep awareness of genetically modified foods quiet and have been known to only fund research on GM foods that gave positive results. Layers of corruption have rippled in and out of corporations such as Monsanto, going as far as intermingling former directors of Monsanto into government and vice versa. A good example of this is former Monsanto vice president of public policy Michael Taylor suddenly becoming the deputy commissioner of foods within the USDA and overseeing the creation of the current GMO laws, a possible reason why genetically modified foods have not been labeled in the US. This link shows a list of former Monsanto affiliates and their positions within Monsanto compared with their current federal positions: http://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/public/2012/january/study1-big.jpg. These ties between corporation and government lead to such extremities as Monsanto, with their fantastic and highly paid lawyers, suing small farmers for growing and selling seeds that have been genetically modified by scientists working with Monsanto. The problem is that the modification has been done to such an extent that seeds that have not been modified by companies such as Monsanto are hard to come by. On top of this, the USDA created a program in which companies such as Monsanto may conduct their own environmental and health related assessments. In order to avoid both consuming GM foods and supporting corporations such as Monsanto, one must be conscious of what is and isn't a genetically modified food. The easiest way to go is to stay as close as possible to 100% USDA organic foods, as these do not permit the use of GM ingredients. Also, avoid any processed products containing corn or soy that are not 100% organic.