Keep GM food away from your table.

[Guest guest]

The Food Industry Versus Mother Nature

 

It's not nice to mess with Mother Nature. Such is the case with kudzu, the

" vine that ate the south, " which US gardeners brought over from Japan. One

hundred years later, this hardy perennial is invading the Everglades and

strangling native plants.

 

A similar but even more complex tangle is emerging today with genetically

modified organism (GMO) foods -- sometimes known as frankenfoods. These are

foods whose chromosomes have been mixed with those of other kinds of plants, or

even with other organisms entirely, in order to increase shelf life, reduce

spoilage, etc. In so doing, food producers have their eye on short-term profits

rather than the long-term health implications. Worse: This seismic sea change in

the way we eat is taking place under the radar, with little attention to its

impact on public health, notes Sheldon Krimsky, PhD, professor of Urban and

Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University in Boston, and coeditor of

Rights and Liberties in the Biotech Age: Why We Need a Genetic Bill of Rights

(Rowman and Littlefield).

 

A Vast, Unregulated Trial

In genetically modified foods, cells from one organism (a plant, animal or

microbe) are transferred into another. Genetic engineering permits scientists to

cross the species barrier, most commonly for agricultural purposes (such as

herbicide tolerance) and to a lesser extent to alter plants to produce

pharmaceuticals (such as vaccines) and industrial substances (such as adhesive).

As a result, you might find fish genes in tomatoes, viruses in fruit and human

genes in tobacco. Thus far, at least 35 varieties of genetically engineered

crops have been registered with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or the US Department of Agriculture

(USDA).

 

Although GMOs have only been around since the 1990s, they have already

penetrated the food supply to a significant extent... as much as two-thirds to

three-quarters of processed foods are thought to be manufactured with

genetically engineered ingredients. The bowl of corn flakes you ate this morning

probably contained corn that was genetically altered so that it would resist

parasites in the field and spoilage in the box, while the salad dressing you use

at dinner tonight may be made with oil from genetically modified canola or

soybeans that allowed the oil to resist consumption by bacteria (and

unfortunately, proper digestion by humans as well). Because there is no labeling

required, there's no way to tell.

 

As a result, American consumers shopping at their local grocery stores have

become unwitting participants in what amounts to a vast, unregulated clinical

trial of genetically modified foods.

 

NOT JUST A FAT-TRANS FAT GAME -- THE CONSEQUENCES OF GMOS

The long-term impact of this large-scale biotech transformation of the food

supply is not yet known... and it's not just a game, cautions Dr. Krimsky. Genes

interact with one another and the environment in ways that are impossible to

predict. Serious concerns include...

 

Food allergies. In one instance, genetically modified " StarLink " corn

intended for animal consumption made its way into the human food supply through

products such as Taco Bell's taco shells, causing allergic reactions in at least

44 people. Another worry: Nut allergies. A study in the New England Journal of

Medicine pointed out that people who were allergic to Brazil nuts were also

allergic to genetically engineered soybeans that contained Brazil nut genes.

Nutritional quality. Genetic engineering may render modified foods less

nutritious than their natural counterparts. In one study, scientists found that

genetically engineered soybeans contained fewer phytoestrogens than natural

soybeans.

Unintended side effects. According to the Council for Responsible Genetics,

splicing a gene for human growth hormone into mice correctly produced larger

mice, but splicing it into pigs resulted in skinny, arthritic pigs, and salmon

reacted by growing too big, too fast... and turning green.

A scary new fairy tale. In Ontario, scientists created the three little

" Enviropigs " -- named Wayne, Gordie and Jacques after three famous Canadian

hockey players -- who produce less smelly, environmentally damaging manure. In

order to do this, they modified the pigs' digestion by splicing mouse genes and

E. Coli bacteria genes into pig genes. However, the long-term health

consequences of ingesting mouse and E. coli genes with pork chops or ham remain

unknown.

WHY THE SECRECY?

One of the most frustrating issues is the lack of labeling. Unlike most other

industrialized nations -- including European Union countries, Australia, New

Zealand, Japan and China -- the US does not require labeling of genetically

modified foods. This puts consumers at a distinct disadvantage. Without this

basic information, there is simply no way to identify a genetically modified

food as a potential concern -- for example, for a person with nut allergies to

know when a processed food has been genetically modified with nut genes.

 

Much criticism has centered on the cozy relationship between the giant

agro-biotechnology industry and US regulatory agencies. Unlike genetically

engineered drugs, the FDA does not require genetically engineered foods to be

tested for safety. At the EPA, one of the agencies responsible for policing

genetically modified plants (which are by and large produced by Monsanto), the

second highest post is occupied by Monsanto's former top Washington lobbyist.

 

A SLOW BUT GROWING BACKLASH

While the federal government has been slow to intervene, several local

governments have taken action. Genetically modified crops have been banned in

Mendocino and Marin counties in California. In Vermont, the state senate

unanimously passed the Farmer Protection Act to hold biotech companies legally

responsible for contaminating other farmers' crops. In May 2004, in response to

worldwide objections to tinkering with a key food crop, Monsanto was forced to

abandon its plan to produce genetically engineered wheat.

 

Even the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), which originally gave genetically

engineered foods a free pass, has voiced serious concern about traits of

genetically modified organisms escaping into natural ecosystems. Last year, the

NAS urged greater " bioconfinement " strategies to prevent genetically engineered

plants and animals from breeding or competing with wild relatives, and to keep

biological techniques such as induced sterility from invading the natural world.

 

Some in the business community are also beginning to respond to consumer

concerns. Presumably in fear of a boycott, McDonald's squelched a plan to use

genetically engineered potatoes in its french fries, while Anheuser-Busch

objected to the cultivation of genetically modified pharmaceutical rice in the

same state in which it grew rice to make beer.

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Genetically modified foods are the product of a " brave-new-world " technology

that we still don't know enough about, and serious safety concerns remain

largely unaddressed and unresolved. At a minimum, why not require labeling? Let

consumers decide whether or not they're comfortable with genetically modified

food on the dinner table.

 

In the meantime, if you're concerned about the risks, keep in mind that the

usual healthful diet advice holds true here too -- eat a variety of whole foods

that are organically produced, and as much as possible steer clear of processed

and fast foods. These include " pre-cooked " or " heat-n-serve " products as well as

items where you add water and then heat. Besides the increased risk of

genetically modified ingredients, these products are generally very expensive

and full of fat, salt and/or sugar.

 

You also might want to drop a letter to Congress, encouraging your

representatives to address food safety issues sooner rather than later.

Otherwise, the genie may soon be out of the bottle, with GMOs growing and

multiplying everywhere, like kudzu.

 

From : The Daily Health News.

 

 

 

" Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest

of life by the power of the spirit. " - Aurobindo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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