Ever since my dad died from stomach cancer, I've become more aware of the food I eat and what I cook it in. Conventional non-stick pans are often coated in chemical polymers that can flake off during cooking, which is why I've been building my stash of cast iron cookware.

Cast iron cookware lasts a lifetime (and then some!) and doesn't flake toxic chemicals into food. Or so I thought. Lodge cast iron pans come pre-seasoned from the factory, meaning consumers avoid the process of seasoning the pans themselves using high heat and oil to create a non-stick surface.

Unfortunately, Lodge uses soybean oil to pre-season their pans. Almost all soy grown in the United States is GMO soy, unless specified as organic. Studies have shown that GMOs can cause a host of illnesses including infertility, birth defects, and cancer. Although Lodge claims that the seasoning process changes the oil so you don't actually injest any of the soy, GMOs and the company that creates them, Monsanto, are not good for the health of this nation.

Urge Lodge to pre-season their pans with a healthier, more environmentally friendly oil.