Why Avoid GM*
food? Does it Matter?
*Genetically
modified, genetically engineered, and transgenic are used interchangeably in
the literature.
That
depends how you see the question -- safe until proven harmful? Or risky until proven safe? Genetically modified
crops are widespread in the U.S.
and most of them are food crops. We have
all ingested some by now, as estimates say that at least 70% of all processed
food contains at least one GM ingredient – often from corn (45% of U.S. corn is
GM) or soy (85% is GM).
Why should we mind? Three main reasons:
(1)
Human health: long term results of this “new” food are not known and
could be harmful – we are the guinea pigs. Some GE food has proven allergenic for some
people.
(2)
Political health: The public has not been given a choice in the matter,
as GE food is not so labeled in the U.S. However, the organic label does imply
GE-free.
(3)
Environmental health: GM plants and fish have already adventitiously
either crossed with or shown signs of overwhelming existing species.
What
Does GM mean? Through DNA-splicing, scientists alter the genetic make-up of
an organism. The first successful lab experiments were in the early 70’s. The first commercial introduction was in the U.S. in the
early 90’s by Monsanto. In GM crops, the
alterations protect the plants either from herbicides or from pests. For example, Monsanto’s Roundup Ready seeds
produce plants which can withstand doses of Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup. This effectively knocks out competition from
weeds, at least initially. Bt corn, on the other hand, contains its own pesticide
designed to protect it from infestations.
What to Avoid
If
you want to avoid GM food and supplements, you’d do well to rely on the ORGANIC
label (5-digit PLU#starting with a 9) for the following, which might otherwise
be genetically modified:
Grains and Vegetables: canola, corn, soy
beans, yellow crookneck squash, zucchini
Fruit: papaya from Hawaii
Dairy and meat: GM feed is widely
used for livestock
Fish: farmed fish are fed GM
food and some have been genetically modified themselves, not yet approved as
food for humans: salmon and tilapia, among others.
Honey, especially if from
Canadian canola
Vitamins: A, B2, B6
, B12, C, E
All
processed food (i.e., if it comes in
a bottle or a can or a package) additives, bacteria, enzymes, fungi, and yeast
In the wings: cantaloupe, flax,
potatoes, radicchio, radish, rice, sugar beets, tomatoes
Useful websites:
www.centerforfoodsafety.org/ The
Center for Food Safety, a non-profit dedicated to protecting human health and
the environment, offers information on GM food among other issues and also
activist strategies.
www.fda.gov/cvm/transgen.htm The FDA answers questions about transgenic
fish and other animals, none of which are currently approved for human
consumption in the U.S.
www.foodstandards.gov.uk/ The British Food Standards Agency is “an
independent Government department set up by an Act of Parliament in 2000 to
protect the public's health and consumer interests in relation to food.”
Browsers can select “GM and Novel Foods” to read the digests of both completed
research and approved research proposals.
www.geo-pie.cornell.edu//gmo.html
the Cornell Cooperative Extension’s website doesn’t seem to have recent
material on it, but it does have teaching resources on various GM crops and
their safety issues.
www.responsibletechnology.org/GMFree/Home/index.cfm
Scroll down the home page of the Institute for Responsible Technology and click
on “useful links” to get a list of many other websites about GM food issues.
Further
reading:
·
Genetically Altered Foods and Your Health, Ken Roseboro, Basic
Health, 2004.
·
Genetically Engineered Food: A Self-Defense Guide for
Consumers,
Ronnie Cummins & Ben Lilliston, Marlowe & Co., 2000.
·
Gene Traders: Biotechnology, World Trade, and the
Globalization of Hunger, Brian Tokar, ed., Toward Freedom, 2004
·
Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically
Engineered Foods, Jeffrey M. Smith, Yes! Books, 2007
This article first appeared in Massachusetts 2008-2009 Organic Food Guide, published by the Massachusetts chapter of the Northeast Organic Farm Association, p. 15.
www.nofamass.org
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