People concerned about the harmful effects of genetically modified (GM) food will be marching throughout the U.S. this Sunday, World Food Day, urging the government to require food labels to specify which foods have been genetically modified. Because there are no such labeling laws, the only way you can know for sure that you are avoiding GM food is to grow your own or to buy only organically grown food.

But, depending on where you live, you probably will not be able to find all of the organically grown ingredients you seek, and not everyone can afford organically grown food. But even growing your own food may not protect you, because seeds from crops that contain genetically modified organisms (GMO) can travel and contaminate other crops.

Jeffrey Smith, writing on the Institute for Responsible Technology’s blog, says that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are unhealthy, cause dangerous side effects, cross-pollinate, contaminating other seeds and crops forever, increase herbicide use, harm the environment, and do not increase crop yields. “The very process of creating a GM plant can result in massive collateral damage that produces new toxins, allergens, carcinogens, and nutritional deficiencies,” he writes.

He also writes:

The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) urges doctors to prescribe non-GMO diets for all patients. They cite animal studies showing organ damage, gastrointestinal and immune system disorders, accelerated aging, and infertility. Human studies show how genetically modified (GM) food can leave material behind inside us, possibly causing long-term problems. Genes inserted into GM soy, for example, can transfer into the DNA of bacteria living inside us, and that the toxic insecticide produced by GM corn was found in the blood of pregnant women and their unborn fetuses.

Numerous health problems increased after GMOs were introduced in 1996. The percentage of Americans with three or more chronic illnesses jumped from 7% to 13% in just 9 years; food allergies skyrocketed, and disorders such as autism, reproductive disorders, digestive problems, and others are on the rise. Although there is not sufficient research to confirm that GMOs are a contributing factor, doctors groups such as the AAEM tell us not to wait before we start protecting ourselves, and especially our children who are most at risk.

The American Public Health Association and American Nurses Association are among many medical groups that condemn the use of GM bovine growth hormone, because the milk from treated cows has more of the hormone IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1)―which is linked to cancer.

Smith writes that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not required any safety studies and permits food companies to put their GM foods on the market without even notifying the FDA. He and others, such as The Center for Food Safety, according to Ari LeVaux, writing for AlterNet, say that although the FDA maintains that they have no proof that GM foods are harmful, secret agency memos uncovered by a lawsuit show that FDA’s own scientists overwhelmingly agree that GMOs can create “unpredictable, hard-to-detect side effects,” and urged long-term safety studies.

Smith writes that the White House told the FDA to promote biotechnology. The U.S. Food Safety Czar (deputy commissioner for foods at the FDA, and the first person to hold this position) is Michael R. Taylor, a former lawyer for Monsanto, a U.S.-based multinational biotechnology corporation that produces the technology that creates 90% of genetically engineered seeds used in the U.S.

AlterNet reports that for years, polls have shown that about 90% of Americans favor GMO labeling, and that an estimated 60 to 70% of processed foods contain GMOs. More than 50 other countries, including China and Russia, require labeling of GM foods.

Monica Eng reported in the Chicago Tribune back in May about “an unprecedented number of genetically modified crops being greenlighted by the Obama administration in recent months amid public debate — including ethanol corn, alfalfa and sugar beets under certain conditions.” Wikipedia lists soy, field corn, canola, and Hawaiian papaya as being among those foods most likely to contain GMOs.

To see if there is a Right2Know March (also being called Millions Against Monsanto), in your area, click here: http://organicconsumers.org/monsanto/index.cfm.

Image by MillionsAgainstMonsanto (Alexis Baden-Mayer), used under its Creative Commons license.