16 Oct It’s Non-GMO Month: Part 1

October is Non-GMO Month! This event is North America’s largest non-GMO celebration. Every October, Basil Bandwagon collects donations in order to raise customer awareness and support Non-GMO Project Verified products.

What is the Non-GMO Project you may ask?

Well, the Non-GMO Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building and protecting a non-GMO food supply. They reach this mission through consumer education and outreach programs; marketing support provided to Non-GMO Project Verified brands; and training resources and merchandising materials that they provide to retailers. Around our Basil Bandwagon locations, you will find posters and butterflies that were supplied from the Non-GMO Project in order to spread more awareness.

What is a GMO and why are people so cautious about not consuming them?

Great question! A GMO is a genetically modified living organism whose DNA has been manipulated in a laboratory to create a crossbreed that does not occur naturally. Most GMOs are engineered to resist herbicides and/or produce an insecticide. Today, some technologies have been used to create new organisms and traits, for example, apples not browning.

Research shows that there is a growing amount of evidence that links consumption of GMOs to health problems, environmental damage, and violation of farmers’ and consumers’ rights. Due to the substantial amount of research, more than 60 countries around the world require GMOs to be labeled. With the ample amount of research against GMOs, companies and consumers are choosing to opt out of swallowing GMOs in a fight to live a longer life.

For more information about the Non-GMO Project and its efforts to decrease the amount of GMOs in the market, click here.