…you might find the following Eight Checkpoints very useful indeed:

q      EAT ORGANIC FOOD: Organic standards prohibit the use of GMO´s. Organic producers are regularly inspected by qualified inspectors and organic products carry certification logo.

q      CHECK THE FOOD LABEL:  If a food product imported from the EU-countries contains 0,9% or more GM ingredients the label will say ‘This product contains genetically modified organisms [or: name of organism(s)]’ or the like.

q      LOOK FOR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Some countries, such as the United States and Canada, do not require GM foods to be labelled. If the product is imported from those countries, then you should …

q       … INSPECT THE INGREDIENTS PANEL: If a food product imported from the United States or Canada contains soya, maize, cotton, oilseed rape or ingredients derived from these crops, it is highly probable it will be GM.

q      BE CAREFUL WHEN BUYING PROCESSED FOOD: Many processed foods – except organic ones – contain GM ingredients which do not have to be labelled, even in the EU. These appear in the form of food additives (like flavourings), vitamins (such as vitamin E or C) or processing aids (f.e. enzymes).

q      CHOOSE WHOLE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES: To date there are NO genetically modified fresh fruits or vegetable on the market in the EU/EEA. In the US market, however, there are three: GM Hawaian Papaya, GM Zucchini and GM Yellow Squash.

q      CHOOSE FRESH LIVESTOCK PRODUCTS: Breeding of GM livestock reared for food production – such as meat, poultry and dairy products – is prohibited by EU law. However, it is still possible that the livestock have consumed GM feed, and this information does not have to be disclosed on the label, and in that case you could …

q      … ASK YOUR SUPPLIER: More and more consumers are requesting that meat, poultry, egg and milk be sourced from farmers who can guarantee that livestock has not been reared on GM feed.

(See CONSUMERS AND MARKETS, Shopper´s Guide.)

to Avoid GM Products

q       Organic standards prohibit the use of GMOs

q       Organic producers are certified

q       Organic products carry certification symbol

The surest way to avoid eating any GM food is to eat organic food.  The standards to which organic food is produced prohibit any use of genetically modified inputs. Livestock cannot be fed GM feed, nor can GM seeds be used to produce organic food crops. Organic products are certified according to international organic standards, organic farmers and producers are inspected by independent inspectors, and all organic products carry a certification symbol which guarantees consumers that the product is made without the use of GMOs. Organic standards prohibit the use artificial (synthetic) fertilisers, fungicides, insecticides and herbicides and forbids routine use of antibiotics and growth promoters.

Consumers can eat a mainly organic diet without greatly increasing their overall food expenditure.  Many basic organic foods items like flour, pasta, rice, sugar (and other dry food staples) are nearly the same price as their conventional counterparts. Organic dairy products like milk, yogurt, butter, and cheese might be slightly more expensive than other dairy products, while organic meat, poultry and fresh fruit and vegetables carry a definite price premium.  Eating an all organic diet may encur extra cost, but the absence of chemical inputs in organic food brings increased health benefits - especially to infants and children whose immune systems are under developed and therefore vulnerable to contamination in foods.

Any cost comparison between organic food and conventional food needs to consider that organic agriculture does less damage to health and the environment than intensive agriculture. On these grounds it could be argued that organic food is cheaper than conventional food, because if the damage conventional crops cause to the environment and human health were calculated into the price of conventional food, it could well be MORE expensive than organic food.