Let’s start with why you might want to avoid food that contains genetically modified ingredients. Basically, it’s simple, sensible caution. We don’t yet know how GMO foods will affect the health of person and planet – but we do know that agri-corporations that push GMO foods are desperate to avoid having them labeled. They are banned in Europe.

Now let’s look at how to avoid GMO. The easiest way is to choose organic foods as often as you can find and afford them. A new guide to avoiding GMO (the Center for Food Safety’s True Food Shopper’s Guide, available as a pdf or for mobile devices) has three more easy-to-remember tips: 1. Look at labels and buy foods that come right out and say “Non-GMO.”  2. Avoid ingredients that come from the most heavily modified crops (corn, soybeans, and canola). 3. Use the True Food Shopper’s Guide to identify the companies that do not use GMO.

Finally, there’s something you can do about this. In California, an initiative to require GMO food to be labeled has been submitted, and early next year you’ll be hearing more about it. The Organic Consumers’ Association has more on this. When the time comes, you can sign the petition to get the initiative on November’s ballot, and tell your friends.