Question:  Does organic mean GMO free?

I’ve been re-evaluating my food choices over the last year for these reasons:

1. I wanted to lose 70 lbs.  I still want to lose weight but it is coming off more slowly the closer to 50 I get!  I’ve had some success but not nearly as much as I would like.  I met with several nutritionist who had different views with one common theme–I needed a cleaner diet.  
2. I’ve had a food aversion to eating meat.  This isn’t a new phenomenon for me–with each pregnancy I opted not to eat meat with a bone, read meat, cured meat, or meat in any type of sauce.  These aversions were very surprising because I love meat–I love preparing meat–or at least I did.  So when this new food aversion began about a year ago–I laughed it off and thought I was going through a phase–NOT.
3. Self love and honoring myself was not something that I really ever did–but now I’m learning that I am not my past or my future–I am now, and what I eat in this moment matters.
4. Each morning I wake up and look at my kids.  I am reminded that I need to be responsible for what they eat and help them make good choices–I need to model those choices.
5. My daughter decided that she did not want to eat dead animals.  “I do not want to harm any living thing.” So I honor that.  But it really challenged how I looked at food.
6. I joined a CSA, planted my own garden and found a chicken farmer who loves his hens!
7. Let’s be honest–I’m going through my second puberty and I’m just questioning everything that everyone has ever told me.  I want to make my own choices about what is safe and good for me.

But I wondered . . . does organic mean GMO-free?  I wrote here about GMO’s and how they may not be a healthy food choice but I’ll like to offer this video trailer as well–can’t wait for the movie.

Answer:  The easiest way is to avoid GMOs is to buy organic produce, avoid processed foods, avoid foods and ingredients on the Non-GMO Project’s high-risk list and look for products with the Non-GMO Product seal.

This article states:  It’s hard enough to find time to grocery shop and put food on the table, let alone become an expert in the details of food labels. 

I can totally do that!

What I have discovered is a series of loopholes in the wording.  I’ll be writing about that soon–but this is more great information on “organic” and “gmo”.

History of GMO standards in U.S. organic agriculture

• In 1997, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its draft National Organic Program rule. At this time, they proposed that organic allow the use of GMOs. This proposal was unacceptable to consumers, manufacturers, retailers, farmers, and basically anyone who had anything to do with organic.
• The organic community united to “Save our Organic Standards” and deluged the USDA with comments. After receiving more than 275,000 comments from the public opposing the use of GMOs in organic, the final USDA organic rule, which went into effect in October 2002, prohibited the use of GMOs in the production and handling of organic products.
• The final rule outlines that an organic operation has to document that it has not used GMOs and takes reasonable steps to avoid contact with GMOs. Whether a product is labeled “100% organic,” “certified organic” (with an allowance of 5% non-organic ingredients) or “made with organic” (a minimum of 70% organic ingredients), none of the ingredients are permitted to use genetic engineering.That means in a “made with organic” cereal containing 70 percent organic ingredients, the remaining 30 percent non-organic ingredients cannot be produced from genetic engineering. Providers of non-organic ingredients being used in organic products, must also be able to provide proof that their ingredients are non-GMO.
• An organic certifier may require testing when there is reason to believe that an organic product has come in contact with GMOs.

Be Blessed as you make mindful choices for your mind, body and spirit.

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