Consumer's Guide to Genetically Altered Foods

[Guest guest]

Consumer’s Guide to Genetically Altered Food

JoAnn Guest

Dec 01, 2004 08:33 PST

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Consumer’s Guide to Genetically Altered Food

Excerpt from the new book, " Imagine a World without Monarch Butterflies "

By Alex Jack

 

 

As we enter the 21st century, the world food supply is undergoing

rapidtransformation. For the first time, human beings are eating foods

that have not developed naturally—foods whose genetic structures have

been changed in waysthat millions of years of natural evolution could

never achieve.

 

Genetically altered foods (also known as genetically modified and

genetically engineered foods) have moved invisibly into the marketplace.

 

Today a majority of items in American supermarkets and restaurants—and

possibly even natural foods stores—include GA ingredients.

 

No long-term studies have been done on the impact of these new foods on

health and the environment.

 

No labeling is required by the U.S. government, and the ordinary

individual or family has no way of knowing what they are buying in the

store, eating at the restaurant, or even growing in their garden.

 

At the present time:

 

• An estimated 90 million acres in the U.S. are planted with GA

crops,constituting about one fourth of the total farmland

 

• This includes about 55% of soybeans, 35% of corn, 40% of cotton, and

5% of potatoes

 

• 30% of American dairy cows are in herds injected with a genetically

altered

growth hormone (BGH), which has been banned in Canada

 

• 50-60% of processed foods in the U.S. contain GA foods or

ingredients,especially soy and corn derivatives. This includes

margarine, mayonnaise, salad

dressing, shortening, bread, and baked goods

 

• Most meat, chicken, eggs, and other animal products are produced from

livestock fed genetically altered corn, soybeans, and cotton.

 

Modern science has contributed many benefits to society. New

technologies such as genetic engineering have several positive

dimensions.

 

For example, DNA screening is now widely used to analyze blood and

bodily fluids and has resulted in the release of scores of individuals

convicted of crimes they did not commit.

 

Similarly, paternity suits and ancestral bloodlines are now being

convincingly established on the basis of genetic testing. Anthropology,

archeology, and several other fields may benefit.

 

Applied to food production and agriculture, however, genetic engineering

is fraught with risks.

Because no long-term studies have been done, we have no way of gauging

their impact on personal health, social health, and planetary health.

 

Preliminary short-term studies suggest potentially serious consequences

to humans, plants, and animals. Unlike many consumer products, such as

automobiles,toasters, or even drugs and medications, genetically altered

crops cannot be recalled if they are found to be unsafe.

 

They are out there forever,multiplying, mutating, and spreading novel

genes, viruses, and toxins, and overturning 4 billion years of natural

evolution. Their effects are irreversible.

 

Most of the rest of the world, especially Europe, has begun to control

and limit this new technology.

 

Sensitized by the epidemic of mad cow disease, the British Medical

Association called for a moratorium on the introduction of GA crops and

foods, pending comprehensive studies of their impact on health and the

environment.

 

The Sierra Club, National Wildlife Federation, Consumer’s Union,

and other groups have also called for a halt. Scientists are warning

about an increase in allergies, immune-deficiency diseases, cancer, and

other disorders, as well as peril to insects, birds, and mammals.

 

Virtually alone among nations, America has ignored the warnings and

forged recklessly ahead to redesign the world’s flora and fauna.

 

But that changed almost overnight when Cornell University researchers

reported that the pollen from GA corn could migrate to adjacent milkweed

plants and kill the larvae of Monarch butterflies.

 

The peril to the majestic orange and black creatures—a symbol of beauty,

perseverance, and hope and widely regarded as America’s national

insect—served as a wake up call to the nation.

 

CBS News produced a two-part documentary on “Amber Waves of Altered

Grains,” sensibly asking why this potentially dangerous new technology

was not labeled and went virtually unregulated.

 

The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, New York Times, and other

mainstream publications also began more serious, in-depth coverage of

the subject, especially the looming trade war between America and the

European Union over this issue.

 

Since 1992, when the FDA declared that engineered foods would be

regulated no differently from regular foods, the biofoods industry has

transformed American agriculture with virtually no regulation,

oversight, or public awareness of the hazards involved.

 

The “don’t know, don’t test” mindset that prevailed through

most of the 1990s has now peaked. As public health, scientific,

environmental,and religious organizations in the U.S. weigh in on this

issue, fueled by grassroots activists, organic farmers, and natural

foods consumers, the biotech industry is in full retreat.

 

In this rapidly changing social, economic, and political climate, some

form of consumer labeling in the U.S. is inevitable.

 

Ultimately, GA food makes for bad science, bad business, and bad eating.

 

Over the last generation, our country has undergone a tremendous health

revolution. The importance of a balanced diet based on whole grains,

vegetables, and other fresh foods has been widely recognized.

 

It will take dramatic, concerted action to protect freedom of choice,

end the war on nature, and ensure the health of America and the planet

as a whole.

 

Countries with Genetically Altered Foods

 

Scores of genetically altered foods and products have been introduced

around the world. Those currently available include:

 

• United States (50+ foods in total)

 

• Canada (30 foods)

 

• Japan (22 varieties of 6 crops, including soy)

 

• European Union(9 foods)

 

• Argentina (3 foods)

 

• Mexico (3 foods)

 

• Australia (2 crops—cotton, carnations)

 

• Brazil (1 food)

 

• South Africa (1 food)

 

• China (1 crop—cotton)

 

Selected U.S. Companies Using GA Foods

 

• Crisco (shortening)

 

• Frito, Dorito, Tostito (corn chips)

 

• Green Giant (harvest burger)

 

• Isomil and ProSobee (soy formula)

 

• Kellogg’s (corn flakes)

 

• Kraft (salad dressings)

 

• McDonald’s (french fries)

 

• Nabicso (sundry)

 

• Nestle (chocolate)

 

• Old El Paso (taco shells)

 

• Ovaltine (malt beverage)

 

• Parkey (margarine)

 

• Pillsbury (sundry)

 

• Procter & Gamble (sundry)

 

• Quaker Mills (sundry)

 

• Wesson (vegetable oils)

 

Sources: Consumer Reports, September 1999, pp. 41-46; New York Times,

September 8, 1999; and other published reports.

 

Corn and Other Grain Products

 

Corn is the only genetically altered grain currently on the American

market. An estimated 35% of the U.S. corn crop, including corn for both

animal feed and human consumption, is now engineered.

 

GA corn contains Bt, a bacteria that releases a toxic protein that is

designed to kill the corn borer and other organisms that can damage the

crop, but the plant’s pollen can migrate to

adjacent milkweed plants and kill the larvae of Monarch butterflies.

 

Many processed food products in the supermarket and natural foods store

contain corn syrup, cornstarch, corn dextrose, corn oil, corn flour, or

other corn product that may be genetically altered.

 

In Japan, scientists announced that they have produced an altered form

of rice that contains three times more dietary iron than conventional

rice.

 

The high-iron rice is made using by inserting a soybean gene that

produces a protein called ferritin into the rice plant DNA.

Meanwhile, Swiss and German researchersare developing a rice engineered

to have a vitamin A derivative with genes spliced from a daffodil and

from a bacterium.

 

 

 

Genetically Altered Corn

 

Products

 

• Corn on the Cob

 

• Popcorn

 

• Corn Tortillas

 

• Grits

 

• Polenta

 

• Corn Syrup

 

• Corn Fructose

 

• Corn Starch

 

• Corn Dextrose

 

• Corn Oil

 

• Corn Flour

 

• Other Corn Products

 

 

 

Genetically Altered Processed Foods

 

and Products with Corn Ingredients

 

• Corn Chips

 

• Cookies

 

• Candies and Gum

 

• Bread

 

• Cereals

 

• Pickles

 

• Margarine

 

• Alcohol

 

• Enriched Flours and Pastas

 

• Salad Dressings

 

• Vanilla

 

Genetically Altered Grain

 

Products in Development

 

• Rice

 

• Wheat

 

• Barley

 

 

Soybeans and Soy Products

 

Soybeans are the only altered beans currently available in the U.S. and

commonly are spliced with genes that help make them resistant to

herbicides or alter their oil content.

 

The Journal of Medicinal Foods reported the results of an

independent study showing that GA soybeans have from 12 to 14% less

phytoestrogens than normal.

 

These are naturally occurring substances that help protect against

cancer and heart disease.

 

About 50% of the American soybean crop is genetically engineered.

 

GA soybeans,like most GA foods in the U.S., are produced by Monsanto, a

large biotech company headquartered in St. Louis.

 

They are sold commercially as Roundup Ready Soybeans because they are

designed to withstand the application of Roundup, the

herbicide which Monsanto also manufactures and sells to farmers.

 

Since Japan imports 86% of its soybeans from America, many processed

soy foods sent back to the U.S. may contain GA soy.

 

In one independent spot test conducted by the New York Times, a

majority of soy products tested positive for GA ingredients.

 

Soybean oil constitutes 80% of the vegetable oil consumed in America and

is used

in margarine, salad dressings, mayonnaise, shortening, and other common

foods.

 

Many other foods and products contain soy products or derivatives such

as

lecithin, soy protein, and soy flour.

 

Genetically Altered

 

Soy Products

 

• Soybeans

 

• Tofu

 

• Tempeh

 

• Soymilk

 

• Miso

 

• Shoyu

 

• Tamari

 

• Lecithin

 

• Soybean Oil

 

• Soy Flour

 

• Soy Protein

 

• Soy Isolates

 

• Genistein

 

• Other Soy Products and

 

Derivatives

 

 

Processed Foods and Products

 

with Genetically Altered Soy

 

 

Ingredients

 

• Soy hotdogs

 

• Soy burgers

 

• Soy cheese

 

• Soy yogurt

 

• Dairy Ice Cream

 

• Frozen Yogurt

 

• Sauces and Dressings

 

• Candies, Cookies, Chocolate

 

• Bread and Baked Goods

 

• Breakfast Cereals

 

• Peanut Butter

 

• Protein Powder

 

• Infant Formula

 

• Shampoo

 

• Cosmetics

 

• Other Foods and Products

 

 

Potatoes, Tomatoes, and Other Vegetables

 

GA potatoes (such as the Burbank Russet) commonly have built in

pesticides andare used to make french fries, mashed potatoes, baked

potatoes, potato chips,and other products.

 

They are also used to make potato starch and potato flour

which is found in many processed foods.

 

In laboratory studies in Scotland, GA potatoes fed to rats resulted in

stunted growth and damage to major organs,including kidney, spleen,

thymus, and stomach.

To its credit, McCain Foods USA, the world’s largest potato company,

has not embraced the new technology and requires farmers to declare if

they are using GA potatoes.

 

Several varieties of tomatoes on the market are altered and include

spliced organisms that may withstand herbicide applications.

 

One variety of engineered squash is also now available, with many others

vegetables expected to be introduced in the next few

years.

 

Genetically Altered Vegetables

 

• Potatoes

 

• Tomatoes (regular and cherry)

 

• Yellow Squash

 

• Red-Headed Chicory

 

(Radicchio)

 

 

Genetically Altered Processed Foods Containing Potato or Tomato

 

Ingredients

 

• French Fries

 

• Mashed Potatoes

 

• Baked Potatoes

 

• Potato Chips

 

• Potato Soup

 

• Tomato Sauce

 

• Tomato Soup

 

• Tomato Purée

 

• Lasagna

 

• Pizza

 

• Italian Foods

 

• Mexican Foods

 

• Other Foods and Products

 

 

 

Genetically Altered

 

Vegetables in Development

 

• Peppers

 

• Cucumber

 

• Peas

 

• Broccoli

 

• Carrots

 

• Cauliflower

 

• Lettuce

 

• Sweet Potatoes

 

• Beets

 

• Other Vegetables

 

 

Milk and Dairy Products

 

An estimated 30% of the cows in the U.S. are in herds given Bovine

GrowthHormone (BGH), a genetically engineered growth hormone that

increases yields.

 

In medical studies BGH has been linked with cancer and it increases

mastitis andother diseases in dairy cows.

 

The European Union and most recently Canada have banned the use of BGH.

 

Genetically engineered enzymes are also used in cheese

production, and Consumers Union reported that 60% of all hard cheese

products on American shelves are made with an engineered form of rennet.

 

Animal feed

(including corn, soybeans, and cotton) commonly includes GA ingredients,

so that

almost all non-organic dairy and meat products includes engineered

components.

 

 

 

Genetically Altered Dairy

 

• Milk

 

• Butter

 

• Cream

 

• Sour Cream

 

• Whey

 

• Buttermilk

 

• Ice Cream

 

• Yogurt

 

• Dairy or Soy Cheese made

 

with Chymosis or Chymax,

 

(GA Rennet)

 

 

 

Processed Foods Containing

 

Genetically Altered Dairy Ingredients

 

• Whipped Cream

 

• Cottage Cheese

 

• Milk Shakes

 

• Cocoa

 

• Candies

 

• Cookies

 

• Bread

 

• Cake Mixes

 

• Sauces and Dressings

 

• Soups

 

• Other Products with Dairy

 

Meat, Poultry, Fish, and Other

 

Animal Foods

 

Both genetically engineered and cloned cattle, sheep, chickens, and fish

are indevelopment but their meat, milk, eggs, or other products have not

yet been approved for human consumption.

 

However, with the exception of animal food produced from organically

grown grains or other natural foods, almost all meat,

diary, poultry, and factory-bred (farmed) fish in the United States are

raised on feed that is genetically altered or contains GA ingredients.

 

Up to 90% of America’s total corn and soybean production goes to feed

livestock, and from one third to one half of these crops are genetically

altered.

 

Moreover, 90 to 95% of soy meal, including the outer hulls of the beans,

used in human foods are recycled in animal feed.

 

Cottonseed oil and cotton byproducts are also added to silage,

up to 50% in some cases, and fed to livestock. About 40% of the cotton

grown inthe U.S. is genetically engineered.

 

 

 

Animal Foods Commonly Made with Altered Feed

 

(Corn, Soy, and Cotton)

 

• Beef, including Hamburger, Steak, etc.

 

• Pork, Ham, Hot Dogs

 

• Lamb

 

• Chicken, Eggs, Turkey, and Other Poultry

 

• Factory-fed Trout, Salmon, and Other Fish

 

 

 

Genetically Altered Fish and Seafood in Development

 

• Abalone

 

• Atlantic Salmon

 

• Catfish

 

• Prawns

 

• Trout

 

 

Fruits and Juices

 

Papayas are the only fruit currently engineered, but bananas, grapes,

strawberries, and many others are expected to appear in the next few

years.

 

Fruit drinks at the present time may contain GA corn syrup and corn

dextrose.

 

Dried fruit is commonly sprayed with an oil derived from soybeans that

may be GA.

 

This includes raisins, sultanas, currants, dates, and dried fruit in

breakfast cereal.

 

 

 

Gentically Altered Fruits

 

• Papaya

 

 

 

Genetically Altered Fruits in Development

 

• Apples

 

• Grapes

 

• Strawberries

 

• Pineapples

 

• Bananas

 

• Melons

 

• Other Fruits

 

Canola, Cotton, Peanut, and Other Oils,

 

Seeds, and Nuts

 

About 60% of the canola oil produced and sold in North America is GA.

 

Canola is an increasingly popular oil in restaurants and institutional

cooking because of its polyunsaturated quality, light texture, and mild

taste.

 

It is widely used in processed foods and products. Along with soybeans,

corn, and canola oil, cotton is one of the four major engineered crops

in America. An estimated 50% of all cotton grown in the US is GA.

 

In addition to clothing, linens, and other fabric,its derivatives,

especially cottonseed oil,

are used in manufacturing chips,peanut butter, cookies, crackers, and

other processed foods.

 

GA peanuts just entered the market and are used in peanut oil for

cooking and peanut butter.

 

 

 

Genetically Altered Oils, Seeds,

 

and Nuts

 

• Canola Oil

 

• Cottonseed Oil

 

• Peanuts and Peanut Oil

 

 

 

Processed Foods and Products

 

Containing Genetically Altered

 

Oils or Cotton

 

• Chips

 

• Cookies

 

• Crackers

 

• Margarine

 

• Fried Foods

 

• Sauces and Dressings

 

• Soups

 

• Baked Goods

 

• Peanut Butter

 

• Soaps

 

• Detergents

 

• Cottons (Jeans, T-Shirts, etc.)

 

• Linens

 

• Other Fabrics

 

• Other Products Containing

 

Canola, Cotton, or Peanuts

 

 

 

Genetically Altered Oils, Seeds,

 

and Nuts in Development

 

• Chestnuts

 

• Sunflower Seeds

 

• Walnuts

 

• Other Oils, Seeds, and

 

Nuts

 

Vitamins and Supplements

 

Several vitamin supplements especially vitamin C, is made with corn

fructose which may be genetically altered.

 

 

 

Genetically Altered Supplements

 

• Vitamin C

 

Enzymes

 

Enzymes are proteins that accelerate biological processes. They are used

widely in the food industry to make beer, bread and baked goods, sugar,

dairy foods,and other products. Because they are not considered foods,

enzymes are not required to be labeled on products.

 

Now new genetically engineered enzymes has been introduced. They also

are unlabeled, and the government does not require

that manufacturers notify the FDA. The following GA enzymes are known to

have been introduced:

 

 

 

Genetically Altered Enzymes

 

• Ampha Amylase (White Sugar, Corn Syrup, Honey)

 

• Aspartic (Cheese)

 

• Chymosis (Cheese)

 

• Novamyl (Bread and Baked Goods)

 

• Pullulanase (High Fructose Corn Syrup)

 

 

 

Foods Commonly Made with Enzymes

 

• Bread and Baked Goods

 

• Beer and Wine

 

• Dairy Products

 

• Fruit Juices

 

• Oils

 

• Sugar

 

How Can You Tell What Foods Are Safe?

 

In the absence of mandatory labeling, there is no way to know whether a

food contains GA ingredients without testing it in a genetic laboratory.

 

GA foods tend to be more uniform, bigger, and more blemish free than

usual foods, and in some cases GA perishable foods are reported to last

for months without spoiling.

 

As a general rule, smaller, irregular, less shiny, and faster ripening

and faster spoiling foods contain a better balance of nutrients and

energy and are safer to eat, even though they may not win a beauty

contest.

 

Safety Issues Related to Organic Foods

 

Whole unprocessed foods that are organically certified are generally

grown from natural seed and do not contain genetically altered

ingredients.

 

Processed or packaged organic foods can in some states contain up to 5%

non-organic ingredients, which could be GA. The biotech industry lobbied

extensively for its GA seeds to be considered organic, but after

opposition by the organic farming community and the natural foods

movement USDA Secretary Dan Glickman pledged that new national organic

standards soon scheduled to be released will, by

definition, not include GA components.

 

Unfortunately, this does not mean that organic food is necessarily GA

free. Some organic fields, for example, those growing organic corn, have

become

contaminated by “genetic drift,” pollen blown by the wind from nearby

genetically altered corn fields. A major organic farm in Britain was

reportedly decertified as organic because of such contamination.

 

Another major concern is that GA corn, cotton, and other crops will

produce new strains of Bt-resistant organisms that will spread to

organic farms.

 

Naturally occurring Bt—a much less toxic variety than engineered Bt—is

the most widely used pesticide on organic farms. The organic foods

community is worried that its

industry could be destroyed if natural Bt is rendered ineffective as a

result of GA Bt.

 

Commenting on the drift of GA modified corn and contamination of organic

fertilizer, Gary Anson, an organic farmer in Calhoun, Missouri,

commented, “It’s coming at me from every direction. I’ve got nowhere to

hide.”

 

Geneticist Bill Beavis, a researcher at the National Center for Genome

Resources and a supporter of genetic engineering, conceded that he is

worried about the

health effects of GA crops and the risks of introducing them into the

environment.

 

He said that the challenge of keeping them separate from organic

crops is baffling because organic crops could still be contaminated in a

cooperative’s grain elevator or mill.

 

“It’s just virtually impossible to segregate. We’d have to change our

whole agricultural system to do that [and] it

would interfere with the freedom of farmers to do as they please.”

 

Margit Kaltenekker, a certifier for the Organic Crop Improvement

Association,reported that many organic farmers are spending hundreds of

dollars per field for genetic tests to prove their crops are not

contaminated. “It’s tough for

them,” she said. “They can do everything right and still be ruined by

the guy a mile away.”

 

Chicken feed, commonly used as fertilizer on organic food, may also

contain remnants of feed made from gene-spliced corn.

 

Meanwhile, in Europe regulators for the European Union are discussing

whether to set permissible limits for genetic contamination on non-GA

foods, including

organic food, because they question whether genetic pollution can be

controlled.

 

An allowable threshold of up to 1/2 to 1 percent GA material has been

proposed to protect organic and sustainable farmers whose crops may

unintentionally contain minute amounts of altered ingredients.

 

Sources: Mothers for Natural Law; Scot Canon, “Missouri Organic Farmers

Struggle to Keep Crops Chemical-Free,” Kansas City Star, August 24,

1999; and Ronnie Cummins, “Hazards of Genetically Engineered Foods and

Crops,” Campaign for Food Safety, August 1999.

 

Consumer Group Calls for Organic Standards and Crop Liability

 

In autumn 1999, Consumers Union called for national standards that

prohibited GA foods or ingredients from being labeled organic.

 

It also called on the U.S.government to required a comprehensive review

of the safety of altered foods before they are marketed, a policy to

hold the biotech industry liable for economic or health damages

resulting from GA crops, and mandatory labeling.

 

“Consumers have a fundamental right to know what they eat,” the nation’s

largest consumer organization stated.

 

Source: Consumer Reports

http://www.cybermacro.com/articles15.html

_________________

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

DietaryTi-

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Genes

 

 

 

 

 

AIM Barleygreen

" Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future "

 

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