Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

Jun 14, 2011
Hiba Agha

Corn - Hiba Agha

This article is a continuation of the last article on Monsanto and GMO's. However, it looks at the issues surrounding GMO's, the risks and the debates.

What Are GMO’s ?

According to an article by Deborah B. Whitman, "the term GM foods or GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques. These plants have been modified in the laboratory to enhance the desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content.".

How Prevalent Are GMO’s?

According to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications, there has been an 87-fold increase in hectares of biotech crops. In other words, the fastest adopted crop technology in history. Some examples of these plants include tomatoes and cantaloupes that have modified ripening characteristics, soybeans and sugar beets that are resistant to herbicides, and corn and cotton plants with increased resistance to insect pests. The prevalence of GM foods in grocery stories is more widespread than is commonly thought. While there are very few genetically modified whole fruits and vegetables available on produce stands, highly processed foods, such as vegetable oils or breakfast cereals, most likely contain a tiny percentage of genetically modified ingredients because the raw ingredients have been pooled into one processing stream from many different sources. Also the ubiquity of soybean derivatives as food addictives in the modern diet virtually ensures that all consumers have been exposed to GM food products.

The number of countries planting biotech crops reached, 29 in 2010, up from 13 in 2000, with the US leading the way with 66.8 million hectares and Brazil behind it at 25.4 million hectares. Canada comes in fifth place at 8.8 million hectares. Three new countries (Pakistan, Myanmar and Sweden) approved biotech crops for the first time in 2010 and Germany resumed planting. Of the 29 biotech crop countries in 2010, 19 were developing countries compares with only 10 industrial countries. As this website notes, "biotech crops are here to stay."

Criticisms of GMO’s

Although there are some advantages to GMO’s such as pest resistance, herbicide tolerance, disease resistance, cold tolerance, and drought tolerance, environmental activists, public interest groups, professional associations and other scientists and government officials have raised concerns about GM foods and the lack of regulatory oversight.

Most concerns fall into three categories: environmental hazards, human health risks and economic concerns. For example, the pollen from B.t. corn causes high mortality rates in monarch butterfly caterpillars, which changes the balance of our delicate ecosystem. Some have even blamed the decline in the numbers of pollinating bees to GMO’s . As discussed above, pesticides over time have reduced effectiveness and can cause unintended consequences, gene transfers can occur to non-target species causing cross-breeding between GMO and non-GMO seeds, and finally the effects on human health is disputed and largely unknown, although there is a large body of literature attributing diseases such as cancer to GMO’s.

GM Food and Regulation

Governments around the world are trying to establish a regulatory process to monitor the effects of and approve new varieties of GM plants. Yet, different governments are responding in different ways.

Some countries like Japan, require the health testing of GM foods, other countries like Brazil, have tried to ban GM crops entirely but seen farmers smuggle in GM seeds to compete in the global marketplace and Europe requires mandatory food labeling of GM products in stores.

In some places like India, according to Food Freedom, the government has banned some GMO crops but there have been claims that GMO seeds have been planted illegally. There is concern that GMO seeds will contaminate non-GMO seeds and there are also concerns over food sovereignty.

Deborah B. Whitman explains that In the United States, the regulatory process is left up to three different government agencies that have jurisdiction over GM foods. To put it very simply, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) evaluates GM plants for environmental safety, the USDA evaluates whether the plant is safe to grow, and the FDA evaluates whether the plant is safe to eat.

The EPA is responsible for regulating substances such as pesticides or toxins that may cause harm to the environment but foods modified for their nutritional value does not fall under their jurisdiction. For example, consider B.t. corn. The EPA has not established limits on residue levels in B.t corn because the B.t. in the corn is not sprayed as a chemical pesticide but is a gene that is integrated into the genetic material of the corn itself.

The USDA is responsible for GM crops that do not fall under the umbrella of the EPA such as drought-tolerant or disease-tolerant crops, crops grown for animal feeds, or whole fruits, vegetables and grains for human consumption.

The FDA historically has been concerned with pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food products and additives, not whole foods. Under current guidelines, a genetically-modified ear of corn is not regulated by the FDA because it is a whole food, but a box of cereal is regulated because it is a food product. According to The Organic and Non-GMO Report the FDA announced new regulations last year requiring companies to consult with them at least 120 days before marketing foods. Previously such consultations were voluntary. Biotech companies are required to provide health safety data about the new GM foods to the FDA which is will make public. However, some groups still do not think this goes far enough in terms of labeling but those demands have been rejected.

How are GM Foods Labeled?

Labeling of GM foods and food products is also a contentious issue. On the whole, agribusiness industries believe that labeling should be voluntary and influenced by the demands of the free market.

Consumer interest groups, on the other hand, are demanding mandatory labeling. People have the right to know what they are eating, argue the interest groups, and historically industry has proven itself to be unreliable at self-compliance with existing safety regulations.

The FDA's current position on food labeling is governed by the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act which is only concerned with food additives, not whole foods or food products that are considered GRAS- generally recognized as safe. The FDA contends that GM foods are substantially equivalent to non-GM foods, and therefore not subject to more stringent labeling.

Food labels must be designed to clearly convey accurate information about the product in simple language that everyone can understand. This may be the greatest challenge faced be a new food labeling policy: how to educate and inform the public without damaging the public trust and causing alarm or fear of GM food products.