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Companies like Monsanto have been selling the idea of super food crops like GMO corn, soy and wheat for years, yet concerns about health and environmental safety remain.
Genetically Modified Organisms (“GMOs”) are present in almost every prepared food in supermarkets today. Unless the package says “organic” or “non-GMO,” you can be reasonably sure that any soy, corn, or wheat in most commercial foods have been genetically modified. For a food source that has become so common, it’s almost shocking how little we actually know about the long-term safety implications – and how little the general public knows about GMO foods at all.
Why Genetically Modified Foods May Be Good
The ideal food crop is one that grows easily in several soil and climate conditions; does not require expensive, toxic chemicals to act as pesticides or otherwise aid or protect the plants’ growth; and has a nutritious, tasty edible yield. Genetically modified organisms can supply many of these needs that “natural” crops do not.
- By manipulating the genetic code of a crop in the lab, it is possible to create a strain of corn, for example, that is hardier and will survive a wider range of climates than ordinary corn.
- Some GMO foods are designed to produce chemicals that will repel insects and other pests, making hazardous pesticides unnecessary.
- Others are modified to boost their nutritional value or to appeal to shoppers by changing the colour or size of fruits or veggies.
Some argue that humans have been eating modified food crops since the beginning of agriculture; that by choosing particular strains of food crops to plant, harvest, and breed, we have intentionally altered the gene pool for as long as farming has existed. Yet there is, arguably, a difference between designing a plant or animal’s genes naturally, through selective breeding, and artificially creating new genes in a lab.
Why Genetically Modified Foods Are Potentially Dangerous
Although designer crops that require less pesticides and produce more food may sound like an ideal combination, the reality is that the safety of GMO food crops has not yet been established conclusively.
- Organizations such as Greenpeace question the impact of a plant “super strain” on natural local flora. Genetically modified food crops can easily spread out of the field and into the environment, choking out wild plants.
- The digestibility and health impact of GMO foods can by no means be taken for granted. We simply do not know the long term effect of eating modified foods. They may prove to be more nutritious… or they may be carcinogenic. At present, no one knows.
How to Avoid GMO Foods
- Buy organic. Certified organic foods do not contain genetically modified ingredients.
- Read labels closely on anything containing soy, corn, potatoes, or wheat, the most common transgenic crops. If it doesn’t say organic or non-GMO, these foods are almost always modified.
Case Study: GMO Pigs Excrete Less Phosphorus
One of the biggest problems in pork production is the amount of phosphorus excreted by the pigs. Pig manure used as fertilizer tends to pollute environments and waterways with toxic amounts of phosphorus because the pig digestive system needs a particular kind of phosphorus and no other kind can be absorbed.
Transgenic pigs or “Enviropigs” (TM) developed at the University of Guelph are able to absorb 60% more phosphorus from their diet - nicely solving the problem of phosphorus pollution while saving farmers money on supplements.
The downside? The gene used to modify these pigs comes from the bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli).
The long-term health impact of eating pork from these genetically modified pigs is not yet known.
The copyright of the article The GMO Food Debate in Natural Medicine is owned by Victoria Anisman-Reiner. Permission to republish The GMO Food Debate in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Comments
Mar 12, 2009 2:18 PM
Guest :
I for one appreciate farmers using GMO's. As the general population gets
further removed from the farm I don't believe they understand or appreciate
what has to go into feeding this great nation in excess. None of us
understand the devistating effects of droubt, disease ridden harvest, or a
cold front destroying the food we had planned on eating the long winter
months. This nation is used to advancing our technology at amazing speeds.
Why not let our farmers use technology too. It makes our food more
abundant and less expensive. I realize that there may be some unknowns out
there, but immagine the good that can come of this. We could produce
veggies that are higher in say calcium or vitamins. My kids would love to
get more value out of less spinich. = 0) We are very prosperous in this
nation. I don't believe the millions of people in Africa would complain
about eating wheat that was grown using GMO's. They would be grateful.
Let us be grateful that we are leaders in this amazing technology!
Apr 7, 2009 2:28 PM
Guest :
i dont like the idea of G.M.O
Jul 22, 2009 10:27 AM
Guest :
Actually, many parts of Africa and Asia, as well as Australia, New Zeland,
and most of Europe have banned GMO foods. Having to spray
"roundup" on a crop to make it grow hardly qualifies as
"good food". Farming is a tricky business, yes. We all need to
eat local when we can, protect our farmland, give aid to farmers to
diversify, clean up the soil and water, and eat less. We can demand
legislation to label GMO as such, and to boycott it. If we all were to do
this, GMO would be unesscessary. The only "good" GMO does is line
the pockets of already rich CEOs...
Aug 16, 2009 5:10 PM
Guest :
Which E. Coli? the article says that GMO pigs use phosphorus up to 60%
better with a gene modification from E. Coli bacteria, but there are
hundreds of strains of it. The one that was made famous by killing a
4-year-old whose hamburger was pink was 0157-H7. We can't assume that it
was the strain which supplied this pig gene enhancement. I am not afraid
of GMO foods, I read the voices of concern and I see no validity to the
arguments, and great benefit on the other side of the issue.
Sep 6, 2009 8:14 PM
Guest :
GMO farming does not help the poor. GMO farming helps the rich. Google
Monsanto.
Oct 19, 2009 9:31 AM
Guest :
This is hardly what you would call an objective article. While all the
supposed "threats" of GMO's you mention are potential dangers
(that after over TWO DECADES of testing by scientists all over the world)
hold no scientific claims, no where in this article did I read about the
many other GMO's that are irrefutably beneficial to society. What about
golden rice that aids in the struggle against vitamin A deficiency in
Africa and South East Asia (VAD is responsible for 1–2 million deaths,
500,000 cases of irreversible blindness and millions of cases of
xerophthalmia annually)? What about the medical advancements in the
production of Human Growth Hormone in GM animals, that previously had to be
extracted form cadavers. Europe has banned GMO's because they don't have
the starving population and ravishing poverty our countries have. It's very
easy to advise people to ban GMO's and buy organic, when you don't children
starving to death on your way to work everyday. It's up to the next
generation to feed and increasingly growing population with less land, less
water and less energy. Biotechnology can help us achieve that. Don't
believe everything you read, especially when it's written by activists and
lobbyists, who last time I checked, didn't hold any kind of scientific
degree.
Oct 20, 2009 9:48 AM
Guest :
To the previous poster: Do you know for a fact that the lobbyists and
activists don't hold scientific degrees? None of them? (And if you answered
yes, are you serious? You do realize that GMOs are still being debated
precisely because no one can conclusively prove much of anything with
regard to their safety, right?
You didn't mention - what's your
science degree in? Oh, you don't have one?
Yes, this article is
biased, but it speaks for safety rather than boldly rushing in to
technologies that may prove dangerous... in twenty, or thirty, or a hundred
years. Remember when people thought smoking was good for you? How about
HRT?
Oct 28, 2009 9:33 AM
Guest :
And you think you need a scientific degree to form educated opinions? Not
all of what is taught in University can be applied or be correct. Man tries
to play god quite often. We may think GMO's are better for us because of
the chemically enhanced vitamins...why should we enhance it?
As for
Africa and them being grateful for GMO's, no. It would harm them more
because it is unnatural and it would change the way we live.
Our
society is becoming out of hand with trying to become an 'advanced' people.
It's not always about getting more and more technology and engineering.
8 Comments
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