Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s) are now used throughout your food supply and in animal feed. These stealth ingredients are unlabeled, yet they are known to be dangerous to humans, animals, and the environment. As a conscious consumer, only YOU can stop the spread of GMO practices by choosing to say NO to GMO food.
What are Genetically Modified (GM) Foods? And why should you care?
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 desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. The enhancement of desired traits has traditionally been undertaken through breeding, but conventional plant breeding methods can be very time consuming and are often not very accurate. Genetic engineering, on the other hand, can create plants with the exact desired trait very rapidly and with great accuracy.
For example, plant geneticists can isolate a gene responsible for drought tolerance and insert that gene into a different plant. The new genetically-modified plant will gain drought tolerance as well. Not only can genes be transferred from one plant to another, but genes from non-plant organisms also can be used. The best known example of this is the use of B.t. genes in corn and other crops. B.t., or Bacillus thuringiensis, is a naturally occurring bacterium that produces crystal proteins that are lethal to insect larvae. B.t. crystal protein genes have been transferred into corn, enabling the corn to produce its own pesticides against insects such as the European corn borer. For two informative overviews of some of the techniques involved in creating GM foods, visit Biotech Basics (sponsored by Monsanto)
Combining genes from different organisms is known as recombinant DNA technology, and the resulting organism is said to be "genetically modified," "genetically engineered," or "transgenic." GM products (current or those in development) include medicines and vaccines, foods and food ingredients, feeds, and fibers.
In 2006, 252 million acres of transgenic crops were planted in 22 countries by 10.3 million farmers. The majority of these crops were herbicide- and insect-resistant soybeans, corn, cotton, canola, and alfalfa. Other crops grown commercially or field-tested are a sweet potato resistant to a virus that could decimate most of the African harvest, rice with increased iron and vitamins that may alleviate chronic malnutrition in Asian countries, and a variety of plants able to survive weather extremes.
On the horizon are bananas that produce human vaccines against infectious diseases such as hepatitis B; fish that mature more quickly; cows that are resistant to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease); fruit and nut trees that yield years earlier, and plants that produce new plastics with unique properties.
In 2006, countries that grew 97% of the global transgenic crops were the United States (53%), Argentina (17%), Brazil (11%), Canada (6%), India (4%), China (3%), Paraguay (2%) and South Africa (1%). Although growth is expected to plateau in industrialized nations, it is increasing in developing countries. The next decade will see exponential progress in GM product development as researchers gain increasing and unprecedented access to genomic resources that are applicable to organisms beyond the scope of individual projects.
Have you ever wondered just how many GMOs are out there? If not, you might be surprised to learn that 86% of corn and 93% of soybeans grown in the United States is genetically modified. In fact, according to California’s Department of Food and Agriculture, 70% of processed foods in American supermarkets now contain genetically engineered (GE) ingredients. You might also be surprised to learn that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has decided to allow the unrestricted use of another GE crop: alfalfa.
What is alfalfa, and what is it used for?
Alfalfa is a perennial legume that is widely grown throughout the United States. Although it can be used in human food (i.e.: alfalfa sprouts), its widely used as animal feed, particularly for dairy cows.
Alfalfa is a perennial legume that is widely grown throughout the United States. Although it can be used in human food (i.e.: alfalfa sprouts), its widely used as animal feed, particularly for dairy cows.
GE alfalfa, which is more commonly known as Roundup Ready alfalfa, is distinctive in that it has been genetically engineered to withstand direct application of glyphosate-based herbicides (Roundup) to kill nearby weeds.
What did USDA’s EIS reveal about the environmental impact of GE alfalfa?
USDA released a draft EIS on the potential impacts of deregulating genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa in December 2009, and a final version in December 2010. The EIS revealed that:*
• Genetically engineered alfalfa will increase the use of glyphosate
• Plants exposed to glyphosate “might experience impaired germination or growth characteristics”
• If GE alfalfa is deregulated, there is risk of contamination of non-GE crops
• There is no information available on the long-term allergenicity and toxicity impact of GE alfalfa on humans and animals
USDA released a draft EIS on the potential impacts of deregulating genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa in December 2009, and a final version in December 2010. The EIS revealed that:*
• Genetically engineered alfalfa will increase the use of glyphosate
• Plants exposed to glyphosate “might experience impaired germination or growth characteristics”
• If GE alfalfa is deregulated, there is risk of contamination of non-GE crops
• There is no information available on the long-term allergenicity and toxicity impact of GE alfalfa on humans and animals
Dangers or Just Controversies:
• Potential human health impacts, including allergens, transfer of antibiotic resistance markers, unknown effects
• Potential environmental impacts, including: unintended transfer of transgenes through cross-pollination, unknown effects on other organisms (e.g., soil microbes), and loss of flora and fauna biodiversity
• Domination of world food production by a few companies
• Increasing dependence on industrialized nations by developing countries
• Biopiracy, or foreign exploitation of natural resources
• Violation of natural organisms' intrinsic values
• Tampering with nature by mixing genes among species
• Objections to consuming animal genes in plants and vice versa
• Stress for animal
• Labeling is Not mandatory in the United States
• Mixing GM crops with non-GM products confounds labeling attempts
Diana :)
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