5 Common Genetically Modified Foods Part 3

www.superfoodhealthyliving.com 2: Canola Oil Canola berries fall into the realm of common genetically modified foods. Canola oil, also known as rapeseed oil, is one of the most heavily used genetically modified crops. In Western Canada, 80 percent of canola crops are transgenic [source: Canola Council]. In this case, rapeseed is modified to be more resistant to certain herbicides. This results in easier weed control, lower pesticide use and larger crops. However, there are also concerns that GM rapeseed could transfer its resistance to the pests around it, which would result in the pesticides being useless. An interesting aspect of genetically modified rapeseed is that it produces one of the main pollens used to make honey. Scientists in Germany found that as much as one-third of the pollen in Canadian honey came from GM rapeseed, meaning that any honey coming out of Canada (unless labeled otherwise) could potentially qualify as a GM food [source: GMO Compass] 1: Aspartame Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that’s about 200 times as potent as sugar. Although it’s technically an artificial substance and doesn’t occur in nature, aspartame is the result of a combination of two natural amino acids. Two different species of bacteria produce these acids, and in some cases, one of the bacteria is modified in order to boost the yield. So is aspartame dangerous? If it is, it’s not because of genetic manipulation — aspartame itself contains no genetic material. However, debate …

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