Many people don't realize that genetically modified food products are in the supermarket now. In fact, most processed food contains genetically modified ingredients. One of the reasons to eat organic food is to avoid these products.
If you buy your food at supermarkets or restaurants, you eat genetically engineered food. An estimated 70% of processed food sold in the United States contains genetically modified ingredients.
Genetically modified foods are not labeled. The only way to avoid them is to buy food labeled "100% USDA Organic" or to use the shopping guide linked below.
U.S. genetically modified crops currently sold are:
The Non-GMO Project:
What is GMO? Agricultural Crops That Have a Risk of Being GMO
The Institute of Responsible Technology: GMOs in Food
In the U.S., 88% of corn and 94% of soy is genetically modified (as of 2010). Because these are two of the most common ingredients in processed food, most processed food will contain one or both.
Soy appears in your food as soy flour, oil, protein, and dozens of additives; corn as cornmeal, oil, corn syrup (used almost universally in place of sugar, such as in soda pop), and dozens of additives.
In 2009, genetically modified sugar beets were introduced in the U.S. An estimated 95% of sugar beet farmers grew genetically modified sugar beets in 2009. Nearly all U.S. beet sugar is now from a genetically modified source.
Beet sugar makes up half of the refined sugar in the U.S. Like corn and soy, refined sugar is found in the majority of processed foods.
Wellness Resources: Monsanto's Toxic and Mutated World - Is Sugar Safe to Eat?
Many of the food additives used in processed food are from genetically modified sources, or even, like aspartame, produced by genetically modified bacteria.
None of these crops were engineered for better nutrition, taste, or yield. Almost all (99%) were created to tolerate herbicide--to survive a lethal dose of the seed manufacturer's proprietary herbicide, which the farmer is required to buy along with the seed--and/or to manufacture its own insecticide. (Less than 1% of GM crops--zucchini, squash, and papaya--are modified for virus resistance.)
The Institute for Responsible Technology: Health Risks
The Institute for Responsible Technology sponsors an excellent site that reviews brand name foods for genetically modified ingredients.
The Non-GMO Shopping Guide