This disclaimer might invoke mechanical and maniacal images of a red-eyed robot sending food strategically down a conveyor belt, injecting your favorite snack with mysterious chemical rays. 
 
Fear not foodies! 

“It’s funny how everyone avoids Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in foods - but nobody knows about them or understands what they are!” said Sylvia E. Klinger, DBA, MS, RDN, CPT, President and founder of Hispanic Food Communications, Inc. “I learned about this process first-hand from the people who are making these foods - the farm-to-table aspect -  so I can instruct consumers and lower the fear they have of foods that are actually really good for them.” 
  Klinger revealed to Preferred Health Magazine that GMOs were developed - and have been available to consumers since the early 1990s - to help the environment, to help farmers produce a better/larger yield of crops, produce a better appearance in foods, assist with longer storage life, the use of less water during the growing process and to keep stocks healthy. 

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“Many do not understand the entire concept,” she said. “And to be honest, ‘bioengineered’ is a horrible marketing word! For the average consumer who’s now looking for natural ingredients - this is not their cup of tea.” 
  What goes into producing GMOs? According to the expert, up to 10 crops of plants are genetically modified with a mutated gene. The benefit is that these crops have less density and use less water than if they were grown in soil. This natural process (which has been used for thousands of years) is safely facilitated and has been monitored by both the FDA and USDA. 
  Food manufacturers have historically opposed the labeling of genetically modified foods, arguing that it misleads consumers into thinking that these foods are unsafe. However, numerous studies conducted by the USDA and the World Health Organization have concluded that consuming genetically modified foods does not pose any health risks. 
  Some of the commonly bioengineered foods are corn, canola, soybeans, and sugar beets. Most GMO crops are primarily used for animal feed, as stated by the Food and Drug Administration. However, they are also used to make ingredients that are commonly found in human diets, such as cornstarch, corn syrup, canola oil, and granulated sugar. Additionally, certain types of eggplant, potatoes, and apples are also included on the USDA’s list of bioengineered foods. 
A more shocking fact for label-lovers? 
  “It might surprise you  - but 90 % of the food supply on the market doesn’t even have GMOs naturally. Tomatoes are not GMO and neither are most potatoes,” Klinger said. “Similarly, manufacturers are putting ‘gluten-free’ on foods that never contained gluten to begin with, so the consumer just thinks they are eating something better or healthier. Do your research as a consumer and you’ll find that there are a lot of marketing phrases that don’t need to be used to generate food fear.” 

    Klinger further learned through her research about the excessive amount of food waste in America due to the growing population who now prefer ‘organics’ over GMOs. 
  “Think about it: you buy organic bread or produce and you have to consume it within a day or two or it goes bad and you throw it out… or the suppliers have to throw it all out because it’s not fresh anymore,” she said.  “There’s so much food that goes to waste because people are told that it’s ‘better to eat organic’ and they spend hundreds more on basic foods.”