Listen up. I shouldn’t have to say this again, so pay attention this time.

There are no GMO peanuts.

That includes OLé, the new variety from USDA-ARS and Oklahoma State University. OLé is a high oleic Spanish variety released earlier this year. It’s not GMO. It was developed by USDA-ARS plant breeder Kelly Chamberlin at Stillwater who has released several other peanut varieties using traditional cross-breeding techniques to improve peanuts for producers and consumers.

She is not doing transgenic breeding. There are no GMO peanuts. Did I mention that already?

Apparently, some non-agricultural media writers assume that any new variety released to the market must be genetically modified. Or, more likely, they simply imply that such is the case so they can flog their favorite horse—the dangers of GM products.

Several took advantage of a news article put out by the American Society of Agronomy announcing release of OLé to take a dig at genetic modification in food products. Men’s Fitness, which, based on the issue containing the information about OLé, caters to young men who spend most of their time at the gym or planning their next romantic conquest. Okay it also has recipes. I found no mention of fly fishing so I’m not subscribing.

Except for the last paragraph the article did a fairly good job of extolling the benefits of OLé—high oil content, healthy fats, a monounsaturated omega-9 fat replacing a polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid, improved ability to recover from injuries, helps regulate blood pressure and cholesterol. All good stuff—it’s a good peanut. But it’s not GMO. I may have mentioned that.

Then the article adds: “If you’re concerned about eating GM food, you’ll need to be extra-aware when these changes come into affect (sic). Most peanut butter on the market now is made from natural Spanish peanuts, but research is ongoing for several new brands.”

Last time I checked peanut better was made mostly from runner peanuts. In fact, my sources inform me that Spanish peanuts are not used to manufacture peanut butter. And, once again, THERE ARE NO GMO PEANUTS.

Not that there is anything wrong with GMO products. As we’ve said before, over and over and over, some 2,000 studies conducted over the last 20 years show absolutely no ill effects from eating, wearing or feeding GMO products. Not a sniffle, not a pimple, not one ill effect has been attributed to GMO. The science is clear.

But science makes little difference to those who already have closed minds and that includes, sadly, some reporters who may be more interested in flash than fact. This seems to be such a case. The Men’s Fitness article reveals a glaring misunderstanding of the peanut industry and a penchant for irrelevant verbiage that does nothing more than create mistrust in a good product.

There are no GMO peanuts. I shouldn’t have to repeat that, but I probably will.