Ways to Avoid GMO foods in South Africa

 

 

What is the best way to avoid GMO foods in South Africa?

The following guidelines may help you keep the GMOs in your diet to a minimum:

• Buy food that is labeled 100 percent organic. It has no GMOs.
• Choose whole foods that you can prepare yourself instead of processed or prepackaged foods. 
• Look for “non-GMO” or “GMO-free” labels.
• Purchase grass-fed beef. 
• Shop at local farmers markets. These are much less likely to carry genetically-altered foods.

 

How can GMOs be avoided?

The best way to avoid GMOs is to choose certified organic – food grown in tandem with nature, not against it. Certified organic products can’t contain genetically engineered ingredients, so certified organic farmers use certified organic seeds that haven’t been manipulated in a lab.

 

What foods are GMO in South Africa?

Three commercially grown GMO commodities have been established, namely cotton, maize (85%) and soya beans (95%). Cotton was the first genetically modified (GM) crop to be approved in South Africa and today 100% of locally cultivated cotton is GM approved.

 

How are GMO regulated in South Africa?

Under Regulation 7 of the CPA, only maize, soya, cotton and canola are approved for commercialization by the Council for Genetically Modified Organisms. This means that the commercialization of other GM crops for use and sale to be consumed by humans or animals in SA is prohibited.

 

Are potatoes GMO in South Africa?

None of the potatoes that you buy on the shelves in South Africa are Genetically Infected. All you need to worry about is choosing the correct potato for the dish you are preparing.

 

Is wheat GMO in South Africa?

However, wheat, which is another staple food in South Africa, is still non-GMO, so bread and wheat flour are free of GMOs. All the GMO maize and GMO soybeans in South Africa are known as Bt-crops, which contain the Bt protein that is produced by a bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis.

 

Is corn genetically modified in South Africa?

Currently, South Africa grows three commercial crops that have been genetically modified, mainly for herbicide and insect tolerance. The three crops are maize, cotton and soya.

 

Why is wheat important in South Africa?

In South Africa, the main uses of wheat are human consumption (especially for making flour for the bread industry), industrial (important sources of grain for alcoholic beverages, starch and straw), and animal feed (bran from flour milling as an important source of livestock feed, grain as animal feed).