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Genetically modified foods, otherwise known as GMO, genetically modified organisms, genetically engineered foods, GM foods, Pharmacrops and Frankenfoods are seeds that are genetically altered. There is an ongoing debate whether or not these genetically modified foods are dangerous to our health. There are also debates if these actually help farmers grow more and better food.
The benefits of the genetically modified food seeds are that they are supposed to produce better drought, disease and weed resistant plants. The dangers might be nothing or everything, it depends on whom you read and talk to.
One of the most popular genetically modified plants is corn. These GMO plants produce their own pesticide in the form of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Farmers have been using this as a form of pesticide for many years. The difference is that in the GMO plants the Bt is designed to be more toxic and unlike the spray, cannot be washed off the plants.1
At the grocery store you see signs that say “no pesticide residue”. The pesticide isn’t on the outside of the plant or food; it is on the inside of the food. This doesn’t mean that genetically modified food crops aren’t also sprayed with pesticide and herbicides, in fact they are. So now we get pesticide and herbicides on the food and in the food.
Testing and planting of these new seeds started in the late 1980s. Between 1996 and 2004 worldwide GMO crop planting expanded to 167 million acres, which is 25% of the farmable land. The first genetically modified foods came on shelves in 1997.
The biggest name in this field is Monsanto, which not only makes and sells chemicals of all kinds but also sells genetically modified food seeds. They make a product called Roundup; many of us might have used it at one time. It kills weeds, grass and anything you spray it on. It is good for killing weeds in the cracks of a driveway for example. And it does this job very well. This product also is used to destroy drug crops in Colombia and is of course harmful to animals and humans. In 1995, Monsanto came up with what they called Roundup Ready (RR) soybeans, special gene inserted bacterium that allows these soybeans plants to survive after being sprayed with Roundup. Monsanto comes up with the poison and the anti-poison seeds. It appears 85% of these genetically modified foods are designed to survive heavy and more toxic pesticide and herbicide spraying.
For centuries in Iraq, farmers would use, reuse and trade seeds every season. In 2004 before leaving, Iraq Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) administrator L. Paul Bremer III enacted numerous new laws, one of which is called Order 81. Order 81 states “Farmers shall be prohibited from reusing seeds of protected varieties or any variety”.2 What this says is that farmers cannot reuse seeds from any new plant varieties registered under this law.3 Who owns the seeds to the new plants, Monsanto, Syngenta, Bayer and Dow Chemical do. They would have to buy new seeds from these seed sellers. The law further states that any seeds that are used have to meet requirements under UPOV laws, which means their saved seeds might not be legal to use, so they have to buy these new ones.4 These genetically modified seeds are also copyrighted under intellectual property laws so the GMO seed companies get royalties as well.
They also have what are called “terminator seeds”. That means they render sterile seeds after the initial planting, they cannot be used again since the plants new seeds are sterile. The farmer has to buy new seeds for next years crop. No more saving of seeds like farmers have been doing for centuries.
Do these genetically modified plants work like they are supposed to? An April 2006 report from the USDA says that GMO crops do not increase the yield and may even decrease 5. Several studies have shown that the RR soybeans yields were lower. In five different studies of RR soybeans it was found that the plants were unable to uptake nutrients in the soil, leading to increased disease susceptibility 6. It’s not only soybeans but studies with maize and cotton are not working every year. The yields are down and the disease resistance wasn’t there. The 2008 United Nations’ assessment of world agriculture concludes that genetically modified crops have very little potential to alleviate the world’s poverty and hunger problems.
Photo credit AZRainman
The fears are that no one really the dangers of GMO foods are harmful since long-term testing was never done and they haven’t been on the market long enough. Using genetics to make weed and disease resistant plants could cause weeds and plant diseases to become resistant to our current herbicides and pesticides much like the overuse of antibiotics has caused penicillin resistant super-bugs to appear.
There is a growing concern that the rapid increase in asthma, inflammation and food related allergies in children could be caused by these new genetically modified foods. If you put a gene of something someone is allergic to into a simple plant like a tomato, will that person become allergic to tomatoes as well. Soybeans are the number one GMO crop, and there is some type of soy or soybean oil in many foods.
Those against genetically modified foods site numerous studies showing that genetically modified foods are harmful to rats, mice and people. Toxicity studies show these genetically modified foods toxically affect several organs and systems 7. I did not include the studies and the findings because the citations were lacking. Scientist Arpad Pusztai’s 8 was fired from the Rowatt Institute after publishing a study using genetically engineered potatoes, where he found precancerous growths in the digestive track, retarded growth and immune system defects in rats and mice. Interestingly, after his studies were completed, these GMO potatoes never went on the market.
The information and misinformation about genetically altered foods is a real media war, which is unfortunate for us consumers and humans who have to eat the food. Some countries and US counties are now outlawing GMO foods.
Americans are denied the right to know which foods we buy are GMO. Most Americans wanted these foods labeled and the past three presidents denied us that. Currently President Obama says that he does want these foods to be labeled. When the subject of having manufacturers to label their food as containing genetically altered foods in them, the industry was of course against this. Their reason was “because no one would buy those foods”. If they are so safe then why are they so against the labels. Some sort of labeling is needed, in 2006 a bioengineering company reported to the FDA that they have detected bioengineered rice may have entered the feed and food supply of the United States 9.
I don’t know if GMO food is safe or not because I don’t know who to believe. I am concerned by the way farmers are forced to use and reuse the genetically modified seeds. I am concerned about these companies basically taking over our food supply. I am concerned about the conflict of interest with so many former Monsanto employees becoming employed by the various US government entities that are supposed to be watching our food and how many of the former FDA and EPA and other important government agency employees go and work for Monsanto and the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). And the US is pushing this on other countries in the guise of foreign aid for food with the Global Food Security Act of 2009 (S. 384 sec. 202) that mandates genetically modified food research while more farmers around the planet are starting to reject genetically modified foods altogether. 10 11
I find it hard to believe anything Monsanto claims as to the safety of our food considering it was they who gave us Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) in our milk and said it was safe along with the EPA, USDA and FDA. And plant food is just the beginning, genetically modified bugs, omega-3 fatty acid producing pigs and vaccines in a banana could be next.
What happens if GMO food is found to be harmful, then what. The seeds and cross- pollination already has occurred, how will anyone know what is in our foods. I believe in research and science, but my gut feeling tells me something is wrong about this. I don’t believe its any coincidence that ever since chemical farming has become so widespread that the nutritional value of our foods has dropped dramatically. And now they use chemicals in a different form that makes a need for more chemicals. That is a business model for profits, not health.
I urge you to do your own reading and get better informed on the subject of GMO and where our food comes and its safety.
© 2009 Sam Montana
Sources
Seeds of Destruction: The hidden agenda of genetic manipulation by F William Engdahl ISBN: 9780973714722 0973714727
Soilassociation.org
American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM)
Institute for Responsible Technology
Released FDA memos about GMO testing
1 See for example, A. Dutton, H. Klein, J. Romeis, and F. Bigler, “Uptake of Bt-toxin by herbivores feeding on transgenic maize and consequences for the predator Chrysoperia carnea,” Ecological Entomology 27 (2002): 441–7; and J. Romeis, A. Dutton, and F. Bigler, “Bacillus thuringiensis toxin (Cry1Ab) has no direct effect on larvae of the green lacewing Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae),” Journal of Insect Physiology 50, no. 2–3 (2004): 175–183.
2 http://www.grain.org/articles/?id=6#_1
3 Iraq Coalition Provisional Authority Order #81 66) Chapter threequarter article 15
4 http://www.upov.org/en/publications/
5 Fernandez-Cornejo, J. and Caswell, 2006
6 Motavalli, et al., 2004; Neumann et al., 2006; King, et al.,2001; Bernards,M.L, 2005; Gordon, B., 2007
7 Soil Association dangers of GMO
8 Scientist Arpad Pusztai web site
9 http://www.fda.gov/Food/Biotechnology/Announcements/ucm109411.htm
10 Global Food Security Act of 2009
11 http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/6050
Sam, Good Article. Your gut instinct is right. There have been studies in gm canola and its effects on bees, giving them unheard of colon cancer. The gut of the bee actualy looks the same as colon cancer in humans. There has been a rise of 1000 fold increase in colon cancer in the past 10 years. This study is ongoing to show the correlation. Seeing Canola oil is used in most if not all fast food outlets and in other places as well, it makes it very hard indeed for the innocent consumer. It is true this is purely power and profit driven, monsanto states that quite categorically it is there intention to control the entire food in the world. The gm corn that they began with was dumped on third world countries totally destroyong there economies, then into biofuels with this corn that no one wanted, where last year we saw many countries unable to feed themselves, millions died. Due to lack of available food. Where as in reality if these companies were not interfering there would be ample food for all.
The honeybee problem is real and if it is actually found that GM crops have to do with the loss of bee colonies, I think it will be covered up. Though today with so much information that might be hard to cover up. Unfortunately too many times scientists are told to keep findings quiet. We are all eating this food unless you watch very carefully. Eating the most organic and least processed food is the best way to avoid it. People forget soft drinks, which has corn syrup in it as well. I do believe that the increase in allergies and asthma is because of the genetically altered foods. I hate to see farmers wiped out and the situation in India is not good, but in a sense it’s good news when these GM crops fail.
On the point of the Gm crops failing, we can do much especially the beekeepers. This last honey season showed our beekeepers through our work of showing them where these crops were managed to avoid them. Leaving very poor seed set which is what they produce the oil from in the first place. With very low yields most growers do not wish to resow. We hope they do not. I and others have told these farmers of the dangers the implications of going down the gm path. Unfortunately they will have to learn the hard way, them losing out one season is not so much a loss as the greater losses that would occur if they continued down the gm path. Hard lesson , but what can one do. I know that Australia provided most of the queen bees to restock the US honey bees with many beekeepers staying away now from these crops. There is clear evidence from Germany & France that it is the gm and herbicides & pesticides especially those made by Bayer are responsible. It would be good to see the American farmers listening & learning and get back to growing real chemical free food. Biodynamics is the way to go really. They should check out all the biodynamic associations and begin to learn the truth of soils food and their responsibilty towards their fellow man and listen to their inner wisdom, this would be the best way to stop Monsanto, Bayer, Syngenta Dow Dupont and the others who have now been swallowed up by these four. They are now all infighting to become the so called Supreme Master of Poison Food. Hopefully they will destroy each other in doing so.
Thank you Clairsie. This is really just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more and it is hard to distinguish between the fact and the fear mongering on the Internet and in congress. But this is wrong and dangerous. The terminator seeds are worrisome, they are of course totally unnatural and I see no reason for them except to make a lot of money for the global seed companies. Not to mention the cross pollination from a terminator seed plant to a normal plant, I am guessing this could cause major worldwide problems some day. If it is true we are what we eat, then I suppose in a generation of eating genetically modified foods from sterile plants, people will start being born sterile.