Corn was a tricky food item for me. On one hand, corn makes the Environmental Working Group's list for the 'Clean Fifteen'. However, corn is at the top of the list for genetically modified plants (GMO's).
So what does that mean?
Field corn is generally all produced with genetically modified seeds. Field corn is used to make tortillas, tortilla chips, corn syrup, animal feed, and biofuels. So I buy only organic tortilla chips. Organic tortilla chips are readily available at all grocery stores and even Target. Organic corn tortillas are harder for me to find, so I tend to buy conventional as we rarely eat then.
Sweet corn is generally produced from non-GMO seed. Sweet corn is what you find in your produce aisle and the frozen food section. However, in 2012 a large quantity of GMO sweet corn appeared on the market. In 2011, Monsanto announced plans to grow GMO sweet corn and may account for up to 40% of the sweet corn market. GMO sweet corn is genetically engineered to be herbicide resistant and produces its own insecticide (Bt toxin).
I am committed to buy non-GMO and organic produce when I can. When I buy sweet corn from my local farmer's market I do not bother to find out if it is organic or not. This summer I will start asking the farmer's if they use certified non-GMO seed. At the supermarket I always buy organic corn and organic frozen corn. Often the prices are very similar between organic and conventional corn. For example, organic corn at Trader Joe's is $1.79 for a 10oz bag. The same bag of conventional corn at Kroger is around $1.29.
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