"A new scientific breakthrough in meat may change the way people classify their eating habits. Scientists have figured out how to produce animal flesh in a lab, and will soon be marketing it for consumption. This man-made meat has huge implications for the future of food, as it is entirely different from the current vegetarian tofu-based substitutes."

"Globally there are about thirty projects in development to create more of these meat cultures, which NASA scientists have already proved to be possible. The demand for research in this area is very high, as companies are very interested in investing in these products. If successful, man-made meat can largely replace traditional meat simply because it was created without any cruelty to animals and produced in a sustainable manner." - dailyfoodtoeat.com

Next time you stop by your favorite restaurant, the daily special could be grilled tenderloin (grown extra tender in the lab) and a side of genetically modified corn and mashed potatoes. Doesn't it make your mouth water? In case you didn't know, the corn you eat is most likely already genetically modified (most of it is in the US). At least you could count on your meat coming from an animal before.

Whether this meat is healthy or not, it will likely follow the same path that genetically modified foods have in the United States:

1. The FDA will be aggressively lobbied by the companies that produce lab meat to avoid any regulation, leaving that up the the companies themselves.
2. The companies will report some short term animal studies they ran to show the meat is safe for human consumption.
3. Despite the concerns of researchers, the FDA will determine no independent long term studies need to be performed.
4. The FDA will state lab meat is essentially the same as animal meat; therefor it is approved for human consumption in the US and does not require any labeling.

At the very least, these foods should be clearly labeled so consumers can make a choice. We recommend consumers avoid these unnatural foods until long term independent research has been performed to determine whether they are safe for human consumption. Research demonstrating it's healthy would be even better.

If you are what you eat (which you are), then YES. You are genetically modified. Most Americans are. Very few of us know which foods are genetically modified and even fewer are able to avoid them. It's hard to avoid them because they are in most of what we eat and no labels are required.

We're not talking about the old fashioned cross-breeding of two plants. We're talking about genetically inserting DNA from a virus into corn to make it produce a pesticide in its cells or to make it survive heavy doses of herbicides that kill competing weeds. So let's take a look at genetically modified (GM) foods you may be eating...

The following crops grown & consumed in America are GM:
Soy - 91% grown in the US is GM                                Corn - 85%
Sugar Beets - 90% (all that sugar isn't from cane)           Canola - 88%
Cotton - 71%                                                                Hawaiian papaya - more than 50%
Zucchini and Yellow Squash - small amount                   

If you are like most Americans, you eat these foods or food additives made from them multiple times each day (soy protein, corn starch, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, dextrose, vegetable oil, margarine, aspartame, modified food starch, soy lecithin, etc.). Most packaged food sold in stores or food prepared in restaurants uses corn or soy ingredients.

What about meat, dairy, and eggs? Guess what most cows, chickens, and pigs are being fed? Corn & soy. It's cheap and fattens them up quickly. That means the meat, dairy, and eggs you buy in the store are also made using GM foods. Additionally, many cows are injected with the GM hormone rbGH to increase milk production.

How can you avoid GM foods? Again, GM foods don't have to be labeled in the US so they are not easy to avoid, but here are five helpful tips:

1. Avoid the foods listed above - none of the foods above are needed for good health
   
2. Eat grass-fed beef and pasture-raised chicken & eggs - you'll still have to ask if they use supplemental feed
3. Eat local - local farms are producing non-GM foods and you can go see how they are grown
   
4. Look for a Non-GMO Label - some products now voluntarily label their foods
5. Eat organic - these foods cannot contain GM ingredients

For more information about GM foods and their health risks go to the Institute for Responsible Technology