“This chemical could literally burn my face off” my chemistry teacher told my
class while conducting a demonstration. The chemical in question, sulfuric acid, sounded
familiar but I didn’t know quite why until I reached for my can of Diet Coke and realized
that sulfuric acid is an ingredient in the soda that I frequently drink.

While the amounts in Diet Coke couldn’t literally burn my chemistry teacher’s face off, it unsettled me that there are ingredients in my food that are unbeknownst to me.

I blame the nursery rhyme “Old McDonald’s Farm” for permanently distorting
my image of farms. The idyllic vision that comes to mind when thinking of a farm
consists of Old McDonald surrounded by herds of friendly farm animals that I know will
someday become parts of food. The bleak truth is, on non-organic farms the animals are
typically infused with hormones, the fields are full of GMOs (genetically modified
organisms) and the air is thick with pesticides.

GMOs are banned in 60 countries including Japan, most of Europe and Australia,
but here in the United States nearly 80 percent of the processed food we consume has been infiltrated by these organisms. Studies have proven that ingesting GMOs can result in newfound allergic reactions, organ damage, cancer and other ailments.

While I was writing this article, a group of organic food companies including Ben
and Jerry’s Ice Cream, Stonyfield Farms and the Consumer Federation of America were
delivering a letter to President Barack Obama in attempt to make the presence of GMOs
known on the packaging of a product. As of now labeling GMOs is not required by the
law.

Before any laws get passed in regards to processed and modified foods, research
is the consumer’s best option for selecting what foods to buy. Shopping locally at
farmer’s markets mutually helps support local commerce and your own health.
Mashpee, Sandwich and Falmouth all have farmer’s markets that thrive during the winter.

By shopping locally, corporations such as Monsanto suffer. Monsanto was
previously a corporation that created and distributed chemicals. It is now an agricultural
company. I don’t know about you, but I think that seems suspicious. A common misconception is that GMO products yield a broader crop. This
statement is false and stated by corporations who want consumers to believe that these
new technologies will somehow solve world hunger in an attempt to redeem GMOs bad
reputation.

As the first generation that grew up with GMOs immersed in our diet, it is our job to deter any further damage that could have been caused by new agricultural technologies. We have the power to change the grim direction that food production is headed in. We need to hold some accountability for what we put in our own bodies and make the best and safest decisions available.