Fishy Corn

Natural Corn

Photo: Pratheepps

Corn, otherwise known as maize, is a large grain plant domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain the grain, which are seeds called kernels. The Olmec and Mayans cultivated it in numerous varieties throughout Mesoamerica, cooked, ground or processed through nixtamalization. Beginning about 2500 BC, the crop spread through much of the Americas. The region developed a trade network based on surplus and varieties of corn crops. After European contact with the Americas in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, explorers and traders carried corn back to Europe and introduced it to other countries. Corn spread to the rest of the world because of its ability to grow in diverse climates. Sugar-rich varieties called sweet corn are usually grown for human consumption, while field corn varieties are used for animal feed and as chemical feedstocks.

+ Read What the Non-GMO Protect has to say about Corn
+ Here is what the USDA says about Corn

GMO Corn

Unless you’re buying certified organic corn, most likely what you find on the shelf at the supermarket in genetically altered corn. GMO corn was developed in a lab and not through traditional breeding. While the food label might say the food is “natural,” it is not. It doesn’t matter if it’s yellow corn or sweet corn, there are over two dozen types of GMO corn legally being grown in the US. Most processed foods contain corn, corn sugar, and High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). In small quantities this syrup is likely harmless to eat, but because the American diet is full of processed foods rich in HFCS, we have high rates of diabetes. Think your pancake syrup is made from a maple tree? In the US it’s most likely corn syrup with artificial flavors. All this processed corn is making Americans obese and is not healthy for kids.

There are two varieties of genetically modified (GM) corn: varieties resistant to glyphosate herbicides and those that have been altered to express the bacterial Bt toxin, which is poisonous to certain insect pests such as the European corn borer. Beginning in 1996, Monsanto’s glyphosate resistant corn has been lurking in America’s food supply.