2014: Year Of The Bionic Foods

With all the hubbub about genetically modified organisms (GMOs), it’s surprising how crazy food is getting.

Just look at the events of the past few weeks. A few weeks ago, McDonald’s went public with how their french fries were made. In an attempt to become more transparent to the consumer, they revealed that they use several “ingredients” that are in fact GMOs.

You would think this would cause people to start becoming anti-McDonald’s, instead however, the company is seeing science teachers teach their students how they can lose weight while eating only food from beneath the golden arches.

Okay, truth be told, the intended message was that for healthy living, people must make sound food choices. Even at McDonald’s.

There are a lot of dangers associated with forgiving fast food for America’s weight problems, and many are speaking out against this message, even when done responsibly. However, in an age of Twitter and Facebook being considered a news source, this is dangerous. Most people just read a headline and consider it true.

Don’t believe people think Facebook is news?

Try to give another explanation for how a story of a giant squid washing up upon the beaches of California was shared half a million times on Facebook.

via Lightly Braised Turnip

Although the picture was jaw-dropping, the name of the news publication, Lightly Braised Turnip, should make one wonder about its validity. Unfortunately, people are rarely reading these days, however I digress.

The biggest issue I had with the hoax of a story, is there was no talk of a Guinness World Record style calamari party.

Perhaps the reason this story is believable, is things like the glow-in-the-dark pigs being produced in China. While I am uncertain if the motivation for this endeavor was China’s Year of the Pig which starts in February, or a bunch of dyslexic Dr Seuss fans in a lab, I know this is creepy.

I am all for trying bizarre foods, but I don’t know if trying Green Ham and Eggs is on my bucket list.

So what else can we expect in 2014?

Well the USDA plans on defending corn and soybeans against Agent Orange. If you think about it, that makes a lot of sense. After all, there is no telling when a country may pull an American government move circa late 1960 something. I don’t anticipate anyone coming after our crops, but just in case, this is a fail safe move.

On the other hand, Cheerios will never taste the same.  As General Mills will officially remove GMOs from their original Cheerios product. However, Honey Nut Cheerios, and the many other varieties will remain untouched, thankfully.

It’s interesting to consider that Cheerios, a healthier cereal contains GMOs at all. But if you think about it so do “better for you” brands like Ben & Jerry’s and Chipotle. Makes you wonder how Chipotle got away with the Scarecrow advertisement?

Let’s face it people, we are living in a genetically modified world. Like it, or not.