GMOs: what are they, and are they dangerous for your baby?

GMOs – or genetically modified organisms – are one of the most controversial aspects of modern farming and food production. 

There are so many conflicting messages around GMOs, and as a parent, it’s difficult to know exactly what information you can trust. In this article, we’ll talk about:

• What GMOs are

• Whether they’re healthy or not

• How you can make educated choices around GMOs and find GMO-free baby formula. 

What are GMOs – and are they unhealthy?

 

GMOs are crops whose genetic material has been altered using biotechnology. This means that they’ve been altered in a laboratory – mostly in order to help them grow faster or stronger.

In practice, this means things like modifying crops in order to resist pests or diseases, or to increase the yield (or the amount of crops that can be grown in any given area).  This sounds great – if a crop is modified to resist pests, then it can be grown with less need for pesticides. Genetic modification can also be used to make foods look or taste better, such as apples that don’t go brown when exposed to air. 

However, since GMOs change the natural structure of food at the molecular level, there are clear concerns about them and their safety. The problem is that there is still so much we don’t know about the long-term effects of GMOs on our bodies. 

GMOs started to be used in the 1990s, but didn’t become common until the early 2000s – which means we don’t yet have reliable studies on their impact over time. Some say that GMOs are healthy and beneficial, while others are concerned that they could damage our bodies. 

Concerns about GMOs include:

• The potential for them to trigger allergies. When genes from one crop are used in another, studies have found that this can lead to allergic reactions. However, safety testing processes should mean that when this is found to be the case, the GMO isn’t licensed. 

• Increased use of harmful herbicides. Most GMO crops are resistant to standard herbicides, meaning that farmers will often use glyphosate to deal with weeds in their fields. This very strong, harmful herbicide has been linked to diseases including cancer. 

• Potential antibiotic resistance. GMOs often include antibiotic-resistant genes, and there are concerns that these could be passed on to humans, making any antibiotics we need to take less effective. The science isn’t yet clear on this either way. 

What foods include GMOs?

 

The reality is that most of us eat GMOs on a regular basis. In the US, 90-95% of several common crops (including soy, corn, canola and sugar beet) are genetically modified. These crops are used in multiple common food products and are therefore hard to avoid. 

Canola oil, for example, is used in products like bread and other baked goods, mayonnaise and margarine. So even if you don’t cook with genetically-modified canola, you probably eat it (perhaps without realising). 

If you eat meat and dairy products, you’re also likely to be consuming GMOs, as GMO soy and corn are commonly used in animal feed. 

GMOs and baby formula

The fact that GMOs are so common in so many of our foods inevitably means that you’ll find GMO ingredients in most conventional, store-bought formulas. 

Look on the label, and you may well find GMO ingredients including:

• Corn syrup 

• Other sugars

• Soy protein

As well as this, the milk used to make baby formula is often from cows fed with GMO feed. 

Should you avoid GMOs in baby formula?

 

Whether or not you choose to avoid GMOs in your own diet, you might make a different decision when it comes to your baby. 

It’s important to remember that babies aren’t just small adults. Their bodies are more delicate, and rapidly developing, which means they’re very sensitive to potential toxins or allergens in their food. 

A baby’s digestive system, for example, might struggle to process ‘unnatural’ foods, and a baby’s immune system might react differently to these foods compared to an adult’s. The truth is that we just don’t know much for sure when it comes to babies and GMOs,  which is why many health experts believe it’s better to be cautious. 

3 reasons to be cautious about GMOs in formula

 

1. The link between GMOs and strong herbicides. While the science isn’t clear on many aspects of GMOs and health, we do know that herbicide residues can be harmful for anyone – especially babies. 

2. The fact that GMO ingredients are also often highly processed. For example, corn syrup is usually made from GMO crops – and even if research on GMOs ends up proving that they’re not harmful in themselves, we know that corn syrup is harmful. 

3. The lack of specific research on GMOs and babies. While there are studies that seem to show that GMOs are at least mostly safe for adults, we don’t know if this is also true for babies. There just aren’t enough independent studies specifically focused on the effects of GMOs in infants. So while health agencies generally deem GMOs as safe, they’re basing this on general population studies, not infant studies.

How to avoid GMOs in formula

 

We’ve already mentioned that GMOs are common (if not pretty much inevitable) in most conventional baby formula. In other words, if you pick a random can of formula off the shelf in your local store, it most likely contains GMOs. 

And you can’t rely on labeling to help you avoid GMOs in formula. All organic formula must be GMO-free. But other formulas don't always make it clear whether they contain GMOs or not. And, in the US, here’s no legal requirement for them to do so.

However, in the EU, baby formulas are GMO-free. 

GMO-free formula – which to choose?

 

EU regulations mean that GMO ingredients can’t be used in baby formula. Ingredients like corn syrup that commonly contain GMOs are also prohibited in European formula. And this applies not only to organic formulas, but to other baby formulas too. 

If you want to avoid GMOs, choose any formula in our store. Every one is clean, nutritious and good enough for us to feed our own babies with. 

 

A few favorites include:

Holle formulas. Made in Switzerland since 1934, and with a range that includes both cow’s and goat’s milk formulas. Holle meets not only the strict EU organic standard, but the even tougher Demeter standard for biodynamic agriculture. 

Hipp formulas. All organic, and made with milk from German family farms. HiPP’s range includes several specialist formulas for babies with allergies or reflux, as well as cow’s and goat’s milk formulas for all ages. 

Kendamil formulas. Made with rich, full cream milk from the English Lake District, Kendamil formulas are natural, gentle and as close to breastmilk as possible.