The Return of the GMO

I just bit into an apple and it’s like I’m eating cardboard – there’s no apple taste.

It’s similar to the strawberries they sell at Safeway. You know the ones I’m talking about, the ones from California that look so big and juicy, you have to look twice to check if they're the fake ones they sell at IKEA. We did the whole u-pick thing out in Ladner a few weeks ago and I came home with a couple buckets full of tiny bright red berries that look like runts next to the Californian Safeway ones. You take a bite and the flavour is just incredible, oozing redness onto your tastebuds. The fake looking ones just can’t compare, they’re almost tasteless.

Is this the way produce is going? Big and beautiful to feed millions, and did we mention – your meal tastes like cardboard? Actually, I’m sure cardboard has a more earthy wood taste and has more flavour than a GMO strawberry.

This makes me angry because I’m not loaded with cash to afford organic Fair Trade groceries, it’s a barrier to my rights. The farmer markets are great, as are the health food stores, but let’s face it; when I go through the cash register with a small tray of blueberries, I have to consider taking out a personal loan for it.

A friend recalls going to India when she was little and that the food was packed with flavour. A few years ago, she went back and the food just doesn't taste the same. It’s happening all over the world.

If the slogan is “Go big or go home,” I think it’s time I jet. . .