Organic produce or GMOs?: Local experts weigh in on national conversation about which is better for you

Over the past several years, the organic food craze has definitely grown. But some people feel that genetically modified foods -- or GMOs as they are commonly known -- are just as good, if not better.

What are the pros and cons of each and which are truly better for you?

Tammy Rodriguez and her husband, Juan, started incorporating organic foods into their diet in 2005.

"It was a gradual process," Tammy Rodriguez said.

Now, almost everything they eat is organic.

"We eat locally-raised organic produce and meat [and we drink] raw milk from family-friendly farms, which is unpasteurized and comes from grass-fed cows," she said.

Rodriguez attributes their change in diet with dramatically improving their health. Both had been on several prescription medications and were overweight.

"Now, we're both off all our medications and I've lost around 100 pounds and my husband has lost around 80 pounds," Rodriguez said. "Before we started eating organic, we were both considered obese."

When asked about the cost of eating a mostly organic diet, Rodriguez said they save money by not going out to eat.

"I've become very particular about how my food is cooked and what utensils are used in preparing the food," she said. "We save the extra money we spend on organic food by not going out to restaurants to eat."

For a food to be considered organic, it must meet special criteria set by the federal government.

"For example, synthetic pesticides and fertilizers are prohibited," said Dr. Michael Aide, Agriculture Department chairman at Southeast Missouri State University.

On the other hand, GMO foods, which stands for genetically modified organisms, require far fewer pesticides to control disease and insects, Aide said.

GMOs, which are created by inserting genetic material from one plant or food into another, came about in the late 1980s.

"You can't grow certain foods organically because insect and disease pressure makes it nonproductive," he said.

The agriculture department at Southeast supports organic and GMO foods, as well as plants and foods that are in the middle ground.

"I see no intrinsic advantage to [eating one way or the other]," Aide said. "The different markets exist due to people's personal preference."

Becky Brown, who, along with her husband, Mike, owns Natural Health Organic Foods in Cape Girardeau, said all organic foods have to meet standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be considered organic.

"There are certain organic practices that must be followed," Becky Brown said. "They are very specific about what natural pesticides can be used, and the use has to be very limited with no harm to humans."

Even the land the food is grown on has to meet specific guidelines for a food to be considered organic.

"It has to have been at least three years with no synthetic herbicides or synthetic fertilizers or GMOs to be considered for organic growth," Brown said.

Brown said GMOs make up about 80 percent to 90 percent of a person's diet unless they are eating an organic diet.

But, Brown admits, it can get confusing.

"[A food product] can't be certified as organic if it is a GMO, but not all non-GMO food is organic," she said. "It could be a natural product but still won't be certified as organic."

The Natural Health Organic Foods store that Brown and her husband own and operate specializes in organic produce, vitamin and herb supplements, and even prepackaged organic foods.

"Every bit of our produce is organic," Brown said. "So you don't have to worry about it coming in contact with water that has touched nonorganic food."

Brown said she sees direct health benefits from her family eating an organic diet.

"Overall, our family is very healthy and we don't suffer from allergies," Brown said. "We seem to have strong immune systems."

As far as the extra cost of organic food goes, Brown balances it against their lower medical bills.

"What extra we spend on food, we don't spend at the doctor's office," she said.

Roger Little, a produce clerk at Schnucks in Cape Girardeau, has seen a big growth in the organic food market over the years.

"There has been a big surge in the last 10 years in organic foods," Little said. "Approximately 20 percent of the items in our produce department are now organic."

Those items include a variety of fruits and vegetables as well as fruit drinks.

Little said the product labels will tell a consumer which items are organic.

"All of our items are pre-labeled, but the packaging will say if the product is organic," Little said. "For example, the bands around leaf lettuce will say 'organic,' and all organic apples and citrus will start with the number '9' on their number codes."

While organic produce is still more expensive, Little has seen the price go down over time.

"It's still more expensive, but not as much as it used to be as more people are growing organic [produce], which has brought the price down."

Little also sees the value of GMOs.

"Some, like the genetically modified oranges, are more drought-resistant and more resistant to pests without changing the taste or texture."

Ross Peterson and his wife, Emily Scifers, are organic farmers who own and operate The Laughing Stalk Farmstead, which is eight miles north of Cape Girardeau.

They do a booming business at the Riverfront Market in downtown Cape Girardeau, and they also offer a delivery service for their organic vegetables.

"We grow about 40 different vegetables and about 120 varieties of those vegetables," Peterson said.

Like others who subscribe to an organic diet, Peterson sees eating organic as a way to better health.

"I look at it as a down payment on my health-care costs, which are only going up. If you can do things to stay healthy, you're better off in the long run."