What is Genetic Modification?
Genetic modification of crops is quite different from classical plant breeding where new characteristics are introduced by crossing varieties of the same species in order to select desirable qualities such as vigor and resistance to disease. In genetic modification, genes are taken from the same or different species and inserted into the plant cells, either by bacterial vectors or by being fired into the cells on coated microbullets (1). In order for these genes to be switched on in their new environment, they are usually combined with a promoter gene from a virus. Soybean plants have been modified by the introduction of a gene conferring resistance to Monsanto’s herbicide RoundUp. This means that the soybean plants will survive spraying with the herbicide while it obliterates any competing crops and weeds. Corn has been modified by introducing a pesticide-producing gene from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). The resulting pesticide is known as Bt toxin. The U.S. is the only country in the World where the genetic modification of its staple food, in this case corn, has been authorized.
Which Crops Are Genetically Modified (GM)?
There are presently eight crops commercially grown in the U.S. where some of the produce is GM and these are known as Genetically Modified Organisms or GMO’s. They are soybeans, corn, cottonseed, canola, sugar beet, Hawaiian papaya, yellow crookneck squash and zucchini. Over 90% of the U.S. soybean crop is now GM, resistant to the herbicide RoundUp, and contaminated with it as a result of the spraying. Approximately 68% of all GM crops are herbicide tolerant.
Another 19% of GM crops have the pesticide gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) inserted so that these crops now produce their own insecticide and in much higher concentrations than were previously used in spraying. The remaining 13% of GM crops produce both an insecticide and are herbicide tolerant.
The Dangers of Genetically Modified Crops
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has stated that it is not aware of any information showing that GM crops differ “in any meaningful or uniform way” from non-GM crops and yet internal FDA documents made public by a lawsuit revealed this to be completely false. The FDA’s own scientists had warned that consumption of GM foods might result in unpredictable and hard-to-detect allergens, toxins, new diseases and nutritional problems. However, the scientists’ efforts to persuade their superiors to approve long-term studies were ignored. A 2002 report issued by the prestigious British Royal Society stated that genetic modification “could lead to unpredicted harmful changes in the nutritional state of foods,” and recommended that the potential health effects of GM foods be rigorously researched before they were offered to pregnant or breast-feeding women, babies and children, the elderly and those suffering from chronic diseases. Animal studies published in peer-reviewed journals have shown that the consumption of GM produce can lead to the rapid development of precancerous lesions in the digestive tract, and also cause damage to the brain, liver, immune and reproductive systems (reviewed in references 2-4).
So How Can We Avoid GM Foods?
1) Buy produce that is certified 100% organic.
2) Purchase produce labeled “Non-GMO” or “Made without Genetically Modified Ingredients.” Be aware that such produce may still have been sprayed with herbicides, fungicides and pesticides unless otherwise stated.
3) Avoid the high-risk crops; soybeans, corn, cottonseed, canola and sugar beet, and products derived from them unless they specifically state that they are organic or non-GMO.
4) Purchase from vendors such as Trader Joe’s who guarantee that produce bearing their own label is non-GMO.
5) Download the free Non-GMO Shopping Guide from http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/SG/DownloadtheGuide/index.cfm
© Christopher J. Jones, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Adventist Health Ministry,
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677, USA
References
1) Lemaux, P. (2006) Introduction to Genetic Modification. ANR Publication 8178. http://ucanr.org/freepubs/docs/8178.pdf
2) Smith, J. M. (2009) Video: Everything You Have To Know About Dangerous Genetically Modified Foods. http://www.responsibletechnology.org/GMFree/Home/index.cfm
3) Smith, J. M. (2004) Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies about the Safety of Genetically Engineered Foods You’re Eating. Yes! Books, 289 pp.
4) Smith, J. M. (2007) Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods. Chelsea Green Publishing, 312 pp.
Related Information
1) The Dangers of Genetically-Modified Foods.
Video: https://www.healthyaddress.com/?p=699
2) The Genetically-Modified Food the Rats Rejected…… Video: https://www.healthyaddress.com/?p=750
3) No GMO’s with Trader Joe’s Label https://www.healthyaddress.com/?p=778
4) Why Are We Not Being Protected in the USA? https://www.healthyaddress.com/?p=942
Comments on this entry are closed.