Tag Archives: safe

GMOs in Food

Leave a reply

Are GMOs in American foods now?

Yes, currently, most of the field corn (hard kernels) and soybeans grown in the US are genetically modified. The traits commonly used are resistance to herbicides, such as Roundup and resistance to insect pests, through incorporation of the Bt trait. These crops are typically found in processed and packaged foods (phys.org). When you see dextrose, soy lecithin, or high fructose corn syrup on a package of non-organic food, the food probably contains GMOs. In addition, cows and pigs are typically fed GM corn and soybeans, so our meat contains processed GMOs.

Phys.org GMO corn, soybeans dominate US market

http://phys.org/news/2013-06-gmo-corn-soybeans-dominate.html

Do GMOs taste different?

No. GMO plants have been generated from conventional cultivars so they don’t taste any different. Unless you eat only organic food, you have probably already eaten GMOs.

Are GMOs more nutritious? Is Organic more nutritious?

There is no significant difference between the nutritional of Organic and GMO crops.  Studies have shown that organic crops are not  more nutritious than conventional crops with the exception of vitamin C content in organically grown blueberries which was slightly higher than conventionally grown blueberries (Journal of Food Research). Since genetically modified crops are grown in conventional cropping systems, it is hard to draw this direct comparison. However, in some studies growing crops organically has been shown to produce more nutritious crops than growing them in conventional systems (Food Chemistry). On the other hand, Golden Rice is genetically modified to contain higher levels of beta-carotene, also known as pro-Vitamin A( Golden Rice Project). In this case, the genetically modified variety would have higher nutritional value no matter which system it was grown in! Anthocyanin enhanced tomatoes are another example of a genetically modified crop that has had a nutritional compound added by genetic modification. Go check it out on our news page!

Journal of Food Research, A Comparison of Antioxidant Properties in Organic and Conventional Blueberries

Bohn et al. Compositional differences in soybeans on the market: Glyphosate accumulates in Roundup Ready GM soybeans, Food Chemistry, Volume 153, 2014 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814613019201

Golden Rice Project

http://www.goldenrice.org/

Why aren’t GMOs labeled?

In this US, GMOs were originally treated under the substantial equivalence principle. This means that they were approved as being equivalent to current crops being grown. Both regulators and companies considered GM plants to not be a risk, and as such, there was no need to label them. After concerns about GMOs were raised in Europe, and by environmentalists in the US, a push for GMO labeling in the US began. There are several arguments for and against GMO labeling. Labeling proponents state that people have right to know what they are eating, but those against labeling warn that, since many people don’t actually know what they are eating( i.e. don’t know what a GMO actually is), labeling is worthless fear mongering. Those against labeling also point to massive costs to establish completely separate production systems for GMO and non-GMO foods (Colorado State Extension).  A measure to label GMOs was narrowly defeated in California Prop 37(Huffington Post). Currently, Vermont is the only state with regulations stating that GMOs must be labeled (Burlington Press).  Foods with GM products are often labeled as such, and no organic products can contain GMOs.

Colorado State Extension

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09371.html

Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/07/prop-37-defeated-californ_n_2088402.html

Burlington Free Press

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/politics/2014/04/27/gmo-labeling-came-pass-vermont/8166519/

Why are GMOs labeled in Europe?

Soon after GMOs were introduced in Europe, several scares concerning GMOs were widely reported. This was quickly followed by the Mad Cow Disease outbreak in the UK. These factors led to great insecurity among the public in Europe over GMOs. The governments of Europe addressed this by mandating the labeling of all GMO food. This was also easier to do in Europe, as GMO crops were not widely grown there, as they were in the US. (Council on Foreign Relations)

Council on Foreign Relations

http://www.cfr.org/agricultural-policy/regulation-gmos-europe-united-states-case-study-contemporary-european-regulatory-politics/p8688

GMO Safety

Leave a reply

Are GMOs safe to eat?

There is no solid answer to this question because no irrefutable evidence has been presented that proves GM food crops are any less safe to consume than non-GM foods. The fact is that GM crops have not been in commercial production for an extensive period of time, therefore the health benefits/risks have not been researched to a point where a conclusive decision on their safety can be determined.

Source:  Slater, Adrian, Nigel W. Scott, and Mark R. Fowler. “Chapter 12: Science and Society: Public Acceptance of Genetically Modified Crops.” Plant Biotechnology: The Genetic Manipulation of Plants. Second ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. 316-42. Print.

Can the pollen from a GMO plant infect a non-GMO plant?

Yes, as long as the plant is related to the genetically modified plant and sexually compatible. To have a gene transferred to the non-GM plant the inserted gene must be present in the pollen. This has driven biotechnologists to take an alternative approach by engineering chloroplast genomes because, as is the case in many plants, chloroplasts are inherited maternally, not through the pollen.

Source: Slater, Adrian, Nigel W. Scott, and Mark R. Fowler. “Chapter 12: Science and Society: Public Acceptance of Genetically Modified Crops.” Plant Biotechnology: The Genetic Manipulation of Plants. Second ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. 316-42. Print.

Do GMOs have potential to create ‘super-weeds’?

Since there is public concern about the use of antibiotic resistance genes as selectable markers, geneticists have turned to using herbicide resistance genes as a selectable marker. This creates the potential for herbicide resistant “super-weeds” that are not able to be controlled by the traditional herbicides farmers may use. This gene transfer is possible if pollen from the transformed plant fertilizes the sexually compatible (non-GM) weedy relative, but this gene escape may be side-stepped by engineering chloroplast genomes that have potential to prevent gene transfer through pollen.
Source: Slater, Adrian, Nigel W. Scott, and Mark R. Fowler. “Chapter 12: Science and Society: Public Acceptance of Genetically Modified Crops.” Plant Biotechnology: The Genetic Manipulation of Plants. Second ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. 316-42. Print.

Do GMOs cause antibiotic resistance?

GMO crops can be engineered with antibiotic resistance properties which are useful when screening for transformed plants, although many scientists believe that it is highly unlikely that the genes inserted to the transformed gene will escape to bacteria (although not impossible). There is public concern that the gut bacteria of humans may take up these inserted genes, just like what happens in nature, but there is no solid evidence behind this theory and many scientists believe this to be highly unlikely to occur.

Source: Slater, Adrian, Nigel W. Scott, and Mark R. Fowler. “Chapter 12: Science and Society: Public Acceptance of Genetically Modified Crops.” Plant Biotechnology: The Genetic Manipulation of Plants. Second ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. 316-42. Print.

 Do GMOs cause allergies?

Once again, the fear of allergens in GM food crops is a main concern of the public that has not been supported by irrefutable scientific facts. A proposed allergic reaction to (insect resistant) Bt corn was said to have occurred in the Philippines by the villagers that consumed it, but this was not proven to be true and the sickness was speculated to have been caused by a virus. People interested in this topic should read peer-reviewed scholarly articles to determine the possibilities of allergic reactions due to genetically modified food crops.

Source: Slater, Adrian, Nigel W. Scott, and Mark R. Fowler. “Chapter 12: Science and Society: Public Acceptance of Genetically Modified Crops.” Plant Biotechnology: The Genetic Manipulation of Plants. Second ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. 316-42. Print.

How are GMOs regulated?

The main government agencies involved in overseeing and determining the regulation of GM crops in the United States are the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS); the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also plays a role in overseeing safety regarding pesticides. There are 6 criteria to meet before notifying APHIS of environmental release of a GM crop.

  1. The plant species must be determined. Example: Maize, cotton, potato, soybean, tobacco, tomato, etc.
  2. The transgenes must be stably integrated.
  3. The function of the transgene(s) must be known and expression must not be detrimental to plant health.
  4. The transgene does not result in the production of an “infectious entity” like a virus. The transgene also must not encode for substances known, or likely to be, toxic to non-target organisms likely to feed or live on the plant.
  5. Introduced sequences that are derived from plant viruses must not pose the risk of the creation of new plant viruses.
  6. The plant must not contain certain genetic material derived from an animal or human pathogen.

Source: Slater, Adrian, Nigel W. Scott, and Mark R. Fowler. “Chapter 12: Science and Society: Public Acceptance of Genetically Modified Crops.” Plant Biotechnology: The Genetic Manipulation of Plants. Second ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. 338-339. Print.

Why is it different in Europe?

Countries that make up the European Union (EU) have been much slower to accept the implementation and commercialization of genetically modified crops compared to the United States.

After an Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) has been performed the researchers must submit a detailed dossier to the Joint Regulatory Authority (JRA), the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE), and relevant ministers to get approval for a research trial. If approved by these authorities, then the scale of the release of the GM crop can be increased.

To approve marketing releases of a GM crop, the crop approved for research trial must have another dossier written up and submitted to its Member State. If all requirements are met and the potential risks are mentioned as well as all aspects of the research trial, the dossier is forwarded to the European Commission for consideration by the Member States.

A test that has been proven difficult to pass is the farm-scale evaluations. These evaluations of GMOs monitor the growth and risks of cultivating the GM crop on multiple small-scale farms before the implementation into commercial sized fields. This is the step at which many GM crops do not meet approval for various reasons.

Although the United States has implemented many criteria to meet prior to commercialization of GM crops, it seems that the EU has always been more reluctant in allowing widespread cultivation. Eventually population increases may require genetically modified crops to be implemented into European farming but for now it remains on a smaller scale than the United States.

Source: Slater, Adrian, Nigel W. Scott, and Mark R. Fowler. “Chapter 12: Science and Society: Public Acceptance of Genetically Modified Crops.” Plant Biotechnology: The Genetic Manipulation of Plants. Second ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. 331-338. Print.