There’s a worldwide debate going on right now over Genetically Modified Organisms (more commonly called GMOs). It’s a complicated topic that affects the food we eat, our health, and the environment. GMOs are modified in a way that changes their genetic make-up. This could make a food resistant to pesticides or give it other desirable traits such as increased vitamins and minerals, or a longer “shelf life” (time before it spoils). Depending on who you talk to, this could be a good thing.

People in favor of GMOs say that it’s a safe way to grow large amounts of nutritious food to feed the world’s growing population. No studies have shown that eating foods with GMO ingredients causes side-effects or health problems. People against GMOs think that eating these foods could lead to more food allergies and that they could harm the environment. They also worry that no scientific studies have been done on how GMOs can affect the health of humans over the long term.

Many foods we eat may have GMO ingredients in them. Some of the most common GMO ingredients are soy and corn, which are found in many processed and packaged foods. For example, soy is often added to foods to boost protein content, and corn is used in tasty tortilla chips, high fructose corn syrup, and to feed animals that you might eat (such as chickens and cows).

What many people are fighting over at the moment is not whether or not GMOs should exist at all; it’s whether or not the companies who make food that contains GMOs should have to include this information on product labels. Many other countries around the world have mandated labeling, but it’s optional in the US and Canada. This “option” has enabled General Mills to proclaim its popular cereal Cheerios “GMO free” now that a tiny portion of GMO cornstarch has been removed.

Rachel Parent is a Canadian teenager who feels strongly that consumers should have the right to know whether a food product contains any GMOs so that they can make an informed decision about whether or not to buy it. She’s started a website called kidsrighttoknow.com and appeared on several popular news shows in Canada after challenging a media personality who referred to anyone against GMOs as “stupid.”

Want to learn more or get involved? Visit Rachel’s website, read more from the World Health Organization, or check out a new documentary called GMO OMG.

-Dietitian Katrina