Dr. Oz Advocates GMO-Labeling, Discusses Dangers of Genetically-Engineered Food

Nearly 70 percent of the food available for purchase at supermarkets contains GMOs (genetically modified organisms), which equates to about two million GMO food products for sale, according to the Dr. Oz Show.
The food industry claims these GMOs help create bigger, less expensive crops that are more immune to plant diseases, and the Food and Drug Administration and the Grocery Manufacturing Association have stated GMO foods are safe, said Oz.
However, millions of people disagree and are fighting for something the food industry is spending millions to prevent—the labeling of each and every GMO food product.
Sixty-four countries (about two-thirds of the world's population) have approved GMO labeling, and the Grocery Manufacturers Association is now working with Congress on a federal GMO-labeling solution.
Critics say consumers have the right to know which products contain GMOs since the pesticide-resistant crops that produce the food they buy have typically been doused and coated in hazardous, bug-killing chemicals.
Over time, insects have adapted to the pesticides, which have led to an exponential use of these chemicals that are known to cause brain, reproductive and hormonal complications.
“Over the last decade, the amount of pesticides that we have used has jumped from about one million pounds a year to close to 100 million pounds a year,” said Oz.
How to spot GMO foods
The best ways to avoid GMO foods is to buy organic and look for products that bear the "Non-GMO Project Verified seal."
The stickers found on fruits and vegetables can clarify whether or not the food has been genetically engineered. If the sticker contains a five-digit code starting with the number “9,” then it’s usually non-GMO, but if the label features a four-digit number, then it typically contains GMO, said Oz.
Also, it’s good to avoid questionable food products that contain corn, soy or papaya and their derivatives, said Scott Faber, a Dr. Oz Show guest and representative of the Environmental Working Group.
Visit EcoWatch’s FOOD and GMO pages for more related news on this topic.
At first glance, you wouldn't think avocados and almonds could harm bees; but a closer look at how these popular crops are produced reveals their potentially detrimental effect on pollinators.
Migratory beekeeping involves trucking millions of bees across the U.S. to pollinate different crops, including avocados and almonds. Timothy Paule II / Pexels / CC0
<p>According to <a href="https://www.fromthegrapevine.com/israeli-kitchen/beekeeping-how-to-keep-bees" target="_blank">From the Grapevine</a>, American avocados also fully depend on bees' pollination to produce fruit, so farmers have turned to migratory beekeeping as well to fill the void left by wild populations.</p><p>U.S. farmers have become reliant upon the practice, but migratory beekeeping has been called exploitative and harmful to bees. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/10/health/avocado-almond-vegan-partner/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported that commercial beekeeping may injure or kill bees and that transporting them to pollinate crops appears to negatively affect their health and lifespan. Because the honeybees are forced to gather pollen and nectar from a single, monoculture crop — the one they've been brought in to pollinate — they are deprived of their normal diet, which is more diverse and nourishing as it's comprised of a variety of pollens and nectars, Scientific American reported.</p><p>Scientific American added how getting shuttled from crop to crop and field to field across the country boomerangs the bees between feast and famine, especially once the blooms they were brought in to fertilize end.</p><p>Plus, the artificial mass influx of bees guarantees spreading viruses, mites and fungi between the insects as they collide in midair and crawl over each other in their hives, Scientific American reported. According to CNN, some researchers argue that this explains why so many bees die each winter, and even why entire hives suddenly die off in a phenomenon called colony collapse disorder.</p>Avocado and almond crops depend on bees for proper pollination. FRANK MERIÑO / Pexels / CC0
<p>Salazar and other Columbian beekeepers described "scooping up piles of dead bees" year after year since the avocado and citrus booms began, according to Phys.org. Many have opted to salvage what partial colonies survive and move away from agricultural areas.</p><p>The future of pollinators and the crops they help create is uncertain. According to the United Nations, nearly half of insect pollinators, particularly bees and butterflies, risk global extinction, Phys.org reported. Their decline already has cascading consequences for the economy and beyond. Roughly 1.4 billion jobs and three-quarters of all crops around the world depend on bees and other pollinators for free fertilization services worth billions of dollars, Phys.org noted. Losing wild and native bees could <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/wild-bees-crop-shortage-2646849232.html" target="_self">trigger food security issues</a>.</p><p>Salazar, the beekeeper, warned Phys.org, "The bee is a bioindicator. If bees are dying, what other insects beneficial to the environment... are dying?"</p>EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
Australia is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. It is home to more than 7% of all the world's plant and animal species, many of which are endemic. One such species, the Pharohylaeus lactiferus bee, was recently rediscovered after spending nearly 100 years out of sight from humans.
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