Bees are disappearing… In today's society, it is rather rare for a grocery store to carry purely organic foods, as almost 60-70% of all foods are processed contain genetically modified ingredients. . This would especially include anything containing the famous high fructose corn syrup, since corn is the most genetically modified product in the world. When corn or other products are genetically modified, they are declared GMO, which means "genetically modified organism." Some currently believe that GMO corn is directly linked to the death of nearly 37 million bees in Canada, after all of these insects perished following the planting of GMO corn fields. However, correlation does not equal causation. This GMO corn is sprayed with two common pesticides that are actually illegal in most of Europe, called imidacloprid and Clothianidin. Both of these are used to prevent crops from being damaged or eaten by insects, which could lead to massive losses for large companies and all their farmers. These insecticides are known to work their way into plant pollen and nectar, which can in turn affect beneficial insects, especially bees. Each team of journalists or environmental reporters tends to give their own take on what exactly is happening and who is to blame, but in reality, no one knows for sure. Articles suggest that there may be an unbroken link between GMO corn and the deaths of all bees, but contrary to these ideas, corn may actually be linked more indirectly to these deaths through the use of certain pesticides and insecticides on them. Say no. to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay There are various sources which, of course, claim that genetically modified foods are not harmful and are just as safe as traditional foods. cultivated products. Registered dietitian Katherine Tallmadge recently wrote an article for the website LiveScience.com that shares her views on GMO crops and products from several perspectives. The U.S. government treats products as if they were grown entirely organically and subjects them to the same testing regarding the short-term safety of consuming the products. She even provided a quote from the FDA saying that "the foods are generally as nutritious as foods grown from comparable traditionally grown plants... [They] have not been more likely to cause an allergic or toxic reaction than foods from traditionally grown plants. » She gives an overview of how the government perceives this new era of GMOs. However, there are certainly many opposing views as to how GMOs harm the environment and, in the long run, everyone who consumes such GMO-containing products. In recent years, soybeans and corn have become giant crops occupying a significant share of the world's cultivated area. the United States that moves the variety and diversity of the environment. According to Tallmadge, we need to design a different agricultural system, with a greater variety of plants and products, “one that uses fewer resources, is more sustainable in the long term and is healthier for the planet and people”. Soybean oil is the main reason why soybeans are in such high demand among farmers. There is hardly any kitchen in the world that you can go to that does not containanything with soybean oil, which is not a good thing because soybean oil contains omega-6 fatty acids. These fatty acids are essential to the human body, but soybean oil provides an immense amount of them that will cause more harm than good in the long run. So what does this have to do with being genetically modified? All this because as soy already grows quite quickly compared to most, with the help of genetic modification it grows even faster and in much larger masses, leading to overuse in foods. These two kings of crops are sprayed with pesticides and insecticides to protect the investments of farmers ordered by large corporations. Since these two species occupy a very large area in the United States, this increases the risk of bees coming into contact with pesticides, leading to their extinction. The fact that the product is genetically modified seems increasingly innocent as a direct suspect for what's killing the bees, but it might actually be doing it indirectly. Because these crops have many universal uses around the world, they have extremely high demand. In response, farmers across the United States are primarily growing these crops, leading them to use insecticides that may more likely be the real cause of their demise. bees. Other countries are realizing this and have taken action, as one of the Organic Health articles says: "After a record number of honey bee deaths in the UK, the European Union has banned several pesticides, including neonicotinoid pesticides. » But why isn't the United States doing the same? After all, "American scientists found 121 different pesticides in samples of bees, wax and pollen, lending credence to the idea that pesticides are a key problem." (OrganicHealth.co) This further proves that there are multiple factors that need to be considered before jumping to conclusions about what exactly caused the deaths of all those innocent bees. The 37 million bees in Canada recently died in October because of this. year were not the first to perish under the alleged suspicion of GMO crops and for this reason" The Ontario Beekeepers Association, which claims that Ontario has seen a 35% decrease in the number of bees melliferae over the past two years, recently launched a petition calling for a provincial ban on neonicotinoids. (Snopes.com) All of these recent and desired bans on insecticides support the argument of environmentalists and journalists, allowing them to avoid making many mistakes in their reporting. Some articles like the one published by OrganicHealth.co can be somewhat misleading because they initially claim in the title that the death of bees is to be blamed on these plants being genetically modified, but even in that article it highlights how a variety of pesticides and insecticides could be the cause. Many of these articles, however, use skeptical language with a rather curious juxtaposition when addressing their audience using words such as "seems" or "may", leaving wide latitude as to who the real culprit is. and it can be seen here: “What appears to be deadly to bees is that neonicotinoid pesticides coat corn seeds and, with the use of new air seeders, blow pesticide dust into the air when of the plantation. » (EatLocalGrown.com) So when the time comes and the theories finally turn to..