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Foods: Bigger Yes, But Better...?
What consumers should know about the Biotech Industry.
November 05, 2006
"f you live in the United States, chances are that you have eaten food that contains genetically modified organisms (GMO).
GMO (Genetically
Modified Organism)
The term GMO refers to an organism that has been genetically altered
using recombinant DNA technology. In the book Bitter Harvest,
by Ann Cooper with Lisa M. Holmes, they state, "The technology,
which is still on the uphill side of the learning curve, allows genes
from one plant or animal to be isolated and introduced to that of another."
DNA
Manipulation
In layman's terms, the DNA of a plant or animal is spliced with genes
of another plant or animal to produce an entirely different entity.
Examples of this can be seen in tomatoes that have a longer shelf life,
cotton and corn that repel against insects, and cows that produce more
milk.
Better
Foods?
Cooper and Holmes say, "From an agricultural standpoint, contemporary
biotechnology and bioengineering have been focused on producing 'better'
fruits and vegetables." They elaborate by saying, "Agribusiness
generally defines 'better' as a plant that requires less water to grow,
whose fruit is easily harvested, and which is adaptable to climate as
well as excessive chemical application."
Genetically
Modified Foods Are Becoming More Prevalent
These "better" food products are becoming increasingly more
abundant in the American food supply. According to data from the United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the acreage of soybeans, genetically
engineered (GE) to be herbicide tolerant (HT), expanded from 10% in
1997 to 89% of total soybean acreage in 2006. HT corn also reached acreage
of 36% this year.
Debate
As to the Safety of Genetically Engineered Foods
Tomatoes, wheat, potatoes, rice, dairy products, and many others have
also joined the list of GE foods. This increase in GE food products
has added more fire to the ongoing debate on whether or not this food
is safe for people, animals and the environment.
High
Tech Harvest
"Critics of genetic engineering used the introduction of these
foods as opportunities to make dire predictions of economic and environmental
disaster," says Elizabeth L Marshall, author of High-Tech Harvest:
A Look at Genetically Engineered Foods. She adds, "Champions
of the technology grabbed the same opportunities to argue that genetic
engineering would make our food healthier, less expensive, and more
abundant."
FDA’s
Checklist for Certifying Genetically Engineered Foods As Safe?
Brewster Kneen, author of Farmageddon: Food and the Culture of Biotechnology,
addresses the guidelines in which the FDA certifies GE foods as being
safe. He outlines a checklist that was used in the FDA's decision in
1994 to let the company Calgene commercially produce its Flavr Savr
tomatoes, which were said to increase shelf life. The checklist asked
four questions:
• Does the food have the same nutrients as other foods?• Is the food free of toxins?• Is the food free of proteins that cause allergies?• Is the food basically like other foods?
Insufficient
Safety Criteria
"The problem with criteria like these, of course, is that they
are very vague, and the answers to the questions depend very much on
what one is looking for," Kneen says. That is why he, along with
other opponents of this technology, believes that greater precautionary
measures must be adopted.
Marshall notes that "nowhere have the differing viewpoints on genetically engineered foods clashed more violently than on the subject of labeling."
Insufficient
Labeling for Making Food Choices
Martin Teitel, Ph-D., and Kimberly A. Wilson give their opinion on the
matter in their book Genetically Engineered Food: Changing
the Nature of Nature, by stating "Because genetically engineered
food is by definition changed in ways that are hidden, and because testing
for the presence of inserted genes is hardly practical for the average
shopper in a supermarket, we are at the mercy of labels if we want to
make choices about eating genfood (GE food)."
Resistance
to Labeling
Labeling genetically modified food could be the compromise that would
calm tension between the two sides. This, however, is not as easy as
it looks. Tietel and Wilson explain, "makers of genetically modified
food resist labeling of such food, claiming that information will just
provoke incorrect decisions based on ignorance or emotion."
Producers
of Genetically Modified Foods Worried About Labeling
Considering that the European Union, Japan and other major powers around
the world have openly spoken against GE foods, it is to be expected
that these companies are worried about the impact of labeling. Also,
consumers now eat genetically modified products every day without thinking
twice. Labels, at the very least, would give people a reason to think
twice.
Labeling
in United States not Mandatory
Labeling, however, has not yet been made mandatory in the United States.
The best way for someone to steer clear of these products is by eating
organic. "This option is not foolproof, however: even organic growers
can be duped into buying genetically engineered seeds because many seed
packages are not labeled either," say Teitel and Wilson. "Furthermore,
because of horizontal gene transfer, organic fields can become contaminated
by genetically engineered pollen from nearby fields," they add.
Genetically
Engineered Food Contamination
Just recently, the U.S. rice industry took a blow when a GE long-grain
rice crop created by the company Bayer, which is headquartered in Germany,
contaminated surrounding fields. The contamination has led to bans of
U.S. rice exports around the world.
Industry
Incapable of Controlling Genetically Modified Organisms
It has also made some environmental groups furious. Jeremy Tager, Greenpeace
International GM campaigner, told Lorraine Heller with Nutralngredients.com,
that "this latest contamination scandal once again shows that the
GE industry is utterly incapable of controlling GM organisms."
Pressure
is Being Exerted on the FDA for Increased Regulation
Much pressure is being put on the FDA and companies producing GE foods
to increase regulation of the industry. As with any controversial subject,
the right answer is never easy to find. Labels, however, would at least
give the consumer a choice in the matter. WF
References:
Bitter Harvest by Ann Cooper with Lisa M. Holmes
Farmageddon: Food and the Culture of Biotechnology by Brewster
Kneen
Genetically Engineered Food: Changing the Nature of Nature
by MartinTeitel, PhD.,
and Kimberly A. Wilson
High-Tech Harvest: A Look at Genetically Engineered Foods by
Elizabeth L. Marshall
Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops in the U.S., U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, 7/14/06
"GM Rice Contaminates U.S. Food Supply," by Lorraine Heller,
www.Nutralngredients.com, 8/21/06
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