If GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) are a concern to you, you may want to pay attention. Major producers of starch and sugar products in Korea, which account for some 90% of the market, are set to start importing GM corn from the US in May, reports the Chosun Ilbo. These starches and sweetners are common in beverages, ice cream and confectionaries. Of course, industry spokespeople say there’s no cause for alarm as US and Korean officials have guaranteed their safety. I tend to be a little cynical about trusting industry spokespeople, however, because of their vested interest and government agencies because of their recent track record (*cough* beef *cough* leadpaintintoys *cough* beef *cough*). As it turns out, however, this use of GM products in Korean food isn’t new. GM soybeans from the US are already being used in Korean cooking oil.
GMO does not refer to the standard cross-breeding of similar plants and animals to gain new strains such as different varieties of apples, but happens at the molecular level taking elements of one species and putting it into another. This can be as wide-ranging as from animal to plant and vice-versa, but it isn’t always. This has had some benefit to better food production (such as insect-resistant grains, or ones that don’t keel over to pesticides used to kill weeds), but the long-term situation is not yet known- for good or bad. I haven’t heard and horror stories yet and we’ve been likely eating GMO wheat for near on 20 years, so that’s a good sign.
For those with concerns about eating GMO and feeding it to their families, your choices are not, perhaps, as good as you expect. For those who eat organic* food out of health concern, doing it in Korea may simply be a waste of money. According to a study by the Korea Food Research Institute (of whom I know nothing- from who backs them to their track record, so take it with a grain of salt), 88% of food labeled organic in Korea is fake (Korea Beat).
So here’s the thing- does eating GMO food bother you? Do you try to eat organic or think of it as healthier? Do you even care, as long as you enjoy the taste? Was G.I. Joe right- is knowing half the battle?
*I realise that organic does not refer to non-GMO foods, but to foods grown without pesticides. It is, however, often purchased out of a concern for health, a common reason for resisting GMO foods.
