What's Up with GMO Crops?

GMO is a hot topic filled with controversy for both farmers as well as consumers. It can be a technically challenging topic to understand, but the short definition of GMO is foods that have had a gene altered so that a desirable trait is now providing a benefit which would not have normally been there in the food. Depending on what side of the fence you're looking from will determine what you consider desirable and what is not.

The idea of genetically altering crop DNA originated to increase crop yield so that food could be produced more efficiently and less costly in order to feed the growing populations in third world countries. Because many of these "desirable" traits result in a more pest resistant crop, this often translates to a reduced need for herbicides and better weed control which, subsequently, often means less environmental impact on the soil. An extremely simplistic and narrow explanation of GMO agriculture, but it conveys the general idea.

On the flip side of this story, we find farmers, many of them organic farmers who do not wish to grow GMO crops, having their fields contaminated with GMO DNA because pollen and seeds float through air and land wherever they wish. Rules and regulations do not govern where GMO materials end up. This dilemma is enhanced, for the consumer, by the fact that current F.D.A guidelines do not require foods to be labeled as containing GMO's and if they do, those foods can still be labeled as "all natural." The gripe for most consumers opposing GMO's is that they at least would like to have tighter truth-in-labeling laws so they can make an informed decision in the supermarket.

While some states are tackling this labeling issue on their own and a consumer petition is headed to F.D.A to make the GMO labeling more transparent, there is already useful produce labeling information that already exists, if you know where to look for it.

An Easy Way to Tell if Produce is Genetically Modified

Mostly all produce these days comes with a label containing a barcode and another number. That other number tells the following story:

• Number has 5 digits & starts with an 8 = GMO
• Number has 4 digits = Conventionally Grown
• Number has 5 digits & starts with 9 = Organic

As an example, Brooks Caribbean Red Papaya label has 4 digits meaning it is conventionally grown and is not a GMO-grown crop. This important information is on practically every piece of fruit that is commercially sold and yet most consumers don't know how to interpret it.

While there is no easy answer to this debate, feel confident that the tropical produce coming to you from Brooks Tropicals is properly labeled for making smart consumer choices.