Is it Possible to Avoid Genetically Modified Food?

 

Written by Jenny Catton

 

Genetically modified food has divided experts for years. Some say that it is necessary to feed a growing global population whilst others object to GM food on the grounds that it is unethical and poses health risks for both humans and for the natural environment.

Although many consumers are wary about eating GM products, food producers have continued to seek new ways to increase profits and reduce wastage. As a result many everyday products now contain GM ingredients. And GM food may be more prevalent than you expect. In fact, around 90% of the corn grown in the US is genetically modified.

 

So what exactly does Genetically Modified mean?
Genetically modified foods are produced by making changes to the DNA structure of food crops to give specific benefits. Examples include apples that have been modified not to brown as quickly or potato crops that have been modified to be more resistant to viruses.

 

How to avoid GM ingredients
It can be difficult to spot which products have been genetically modified, particularly as a large amount of animal feed contains GM ingredients. Even though the eggs you eat might not have been modified themselves, the chicken that laid them may be eating genetically modified feed.

If you want to avoid GM ingredients, the best thing to do is look for labels that state that a product is ‘GM Free’. Alternatively, choose organic products that feature the Soil Association logo.

The Soil Association campaigns against the use of GM ingredients in both human food and animal feed. For more information about the Soil Association, visit: www.soilassociation.org

Categories: animal feed, avoid gm, Food, genetically modified, gm food, gm ingredients, modified, modified food, soil association

Your Health and Small Business: The Negative Impact of GMOs

Sometimes, eating food in its natural form is just easier. Instead of checking every label of processed and packaged food, you know you’re taking care of your wellbeing – and your family’s – if you opt for “real food”. After all, an apple is an apple, right? According to sports dietician and environmental wellness expert Heather Neal, maybe not.

 

‘As if we don’t have enough to worry about in our food, here’s one more thing to add to the list,’ says Neal. ‘Genetically modified organisms. If that sounds like a middle school science project, you’re not too far off. GMOs are plants and animals that have had their genes altered using DNA from bacteria, viruses, or other plants and animals. The genes are combined in experimental combinations that wouldn’t otherwise happen in nature. GMOs are used in a multitude of ways, such as medical research, pharmaceutical drugs, agriculture, and more. Maybe some of it is good – if gene therapy can lead to a cure for cancer or cystic fibrosis, then I might be all for it. But one place I don’t want to see humans messing with experimental DNA combinations is in my food.’

 

Neal warns, ‘Unfortunately, you’re probably consuming GMO in food on a daily basis and don’t even know it. GMOs are used in food in order to make crops resistant to herbicides and pests, to create new colors and crop variations, to increase shelf-life, and to increase tolerance to harsh environments. The controversy over genetically modified crops, also known as biotech crops, is multifaceted. It’s debated whether genetically modified food is safe for human consumption, whether modified crops are necessary to help with global food supply, and what role big business and intellectual property law should have in food production.’ But how do you go from talking about crops and science and then leap over to big business?

 

‘When you create something that didn’t already exist, you then have the ability to patent it; to claim it as your own,’ Neal explains. ‘Things you own can be sold and regulated. The biggest producer of genetically modified crops is the US-based company Monsanto. (Other companies include Syngenta, Bayer CropScience, and Du Pont, among others.) Since it’s founding in 1940, Monsanto has been a major producer of plastics, LEDs, and at one point, the toxic insecticide DDT, Agent Orange, and recombinant bovine somatotropin (an artificial growth hormone for cows). The company first genetically altered plants in 1983 and led the way in using biological patents and creating uniformity among plant breeders. Monsanto’s proposed practices directly conflicted with those of farmers, which was to save, reuse, and share plant varieties instead of owning them.’

 

She adds, ‘What used to be simple farming is now a potential lawsuit waiting to happen because Monsanto holds patents on many of these seeds. That means farmers cannot use these seeds without paying Monsanto…Small farms don’t stand a chance against multi-billion dollar companies. While the fate of small farms may seem inconsequential, their loss of business has a widespread effect.’ So GMOs may affect economic wellness, as well as your own health, but which foods should you watch out for? Here are the most common genetically modified crops:

 

1. Canola: ‘Approximately 90% of US crop,’ is genetically modified, Neal details.’

 

2. Cotton: Neal notes, ‘Approximately 90% of US crop in 2011,’ was genetically modified.

 

3. Soy Beans: ‘Approximately 94% of US crop in 2010,’ says Neal. ‘Also includes soybean oil, soy flour, soy protein isolates, and soy protein concentrates. These processed items are found in infant formula, non-dairy creamer, cheese, whipped topping, salad dressing, cereal, pasta, and more.

 

4. Corn: According to Neal, the genetic modification of corn accounts for ‘88% of US crop in 2011. Corn is also processed into grits, cornmeal, and flour. Corn products are found in baking mixes, packaged snacks, baby food, muffins, doughnuts, masa, tortillas, taco shells, English muffins, pizza, and more.’

Categories: Cotton, Food, genetically, genetically modified, GMOs, modified, modified crops, nbsp, neal, small business, small farms, Soy Protein

Could Genetically Modified Salmon Be on Menus Soon?

New reports claim that the U.S Food and Drug Administration could soon be approving genetically modified salmon for humans to eat, which is causing concern amongst consumer who consider this to be a threat to both our health and the environment. If the salmon is approved, it could make history as the first time that a genetically modified animal has been approved for consumption on the dinner plates and restaurant menus of America. It could open a can of worms which would result in numerous genetically engineered animals, such as pigs and other mammals. We don’t yet know if it is safe for human consumption, as the only research carried out was by the company who created it. The FDA is looking into the safety element to see if it contains any chemicals or toxins that could be dangerous. There have been reports of worry from groups such as the Food and Water Watch who said that the fish could introduce unknown allergens into the food supply.

 

AquaBounty created the salmon by taking a growth gene from a Chinook salmon and a gene from a ‘promoter’ from the ocean pout, which is another form of fish. The pout gene simply switches in the Chinook growth gene in the salmon, and isn’t actually active in the modified fish. The resulting fish is set to grow to market weight twice as fast as an ordinary fish, although they don’t get larger overall. It usually takes around three years for a regular salmon to get to market weight, whereas an AquaBounty will get there in around 18 months. In order to ensure that the environment stays safe, the eggs will be treated so that all fish will grow to be sterile females. This means that they won’t be able to reproduce nor will they come into contact with any males who could impregnate them. The genetically modified fish will be grown in land-based tanks as opposed to the farm-raised varieties we’re used to, so there will be a reduced risk of escape. There has been much research and planning to ensure that the fish are safe for humans as well as the environment.

The increase in genetically modified animals has been steadily on the rise since they were first created in the 1970s. However, up until now, there have never been any that were suitable for consumption. At the moment, only soybeans and corn which have been genetically modified are being sold to consumers. AquaBounty say that releasing these fish onto the market could take at least 18 months after approval from the FDA. Farmers who want to be able to grow and sell the fish will also need to seek the approval of the FDA before doing so. It’s thought that these fish could help to reduce the risk of pollution and disease, but it remains to be seen whether we will be eating such products. One question that many consumers have is whether or not specific packaging will be required in order to distinguish the modified salmon from the everyday varieties that we’re used to. This is something that the FDA have said they will consider when making their decisions. It begs the question of whether such measures are really necessary in the food industry, and how many consumers would actually purchase such food if it was made readily available. With so many risks of disease and contamination in regular farmed fish, it could be the safer option and put an end to allergens and chemicals in fish – but are they simply being replaced with a new set of problems?

Categories: Environmental Wellness, Fish, genetically, genetically modified, growth gene, market weight, modified, modified fish, modified salmon, salmon

Is Modified Food Modifying Us As Well?

How much do you really know about genetically modified (GM) food? If you’re like most people, your answer to that question is probably “not very much”, yet it seems that many people have strong opinion about the gene modification of the food that they eat, even if they don’t really know much about why they don’t like it or why whether it is safe and healthy or otherwise. In fact, in a recent study it was revealed that more than half of people in the US do not want to eat GM foods despite their lack of knowledge as to what it is and the benefits of it.

 

Nevertheless, people still appear to eat GM foods in large numbers and this apparent distrust of GM foods has not led to a significant rejection of them at store level. Still, there is a big push going on, organised by those people who disapprove of genetically modified organisms, to get them to be removed from foods and food production in the US.

 

But what do we mean when we talk about GM foods? Well, here is a breakdown of what typically is going on within the production of GM food. In the traditional cross-breeding process, you take two varieties of, for example, tomatoes and then cross them together to create a more robust fruit. However, there has been a recent trend using the modern technology to insert out-of-species genes, that are often from bacteria and viruses, into the gene structure of plants like corn, soybean and cotton, introducing genetic matter into the food that we eat that has never been there before. In effect, then, we are eating things that are bodies have never ingested before.

 

This process is quite controversial as it can even allow conventional growers to do use even larger amounts of poisonous herbicides onto the modified plants without killing the crop – the plants have been created to be more able to stand up to strong chemicals so they doused in pesticides to help stop them be eaten. Unfortunately this has a number of problems in the fact that it introduces more chemicals into the groundwater and waterways near the farms that grow these crops and, perhaps worse, it also increases the amount of chemical residue on the foods – those same foods that you eat every day. It is even true that some crops have been specifically modified so the plant produces its own pesticide.

 

In another twist it seems that GM foods are being blamed for an increased level of allergies, new toxins and other immune problems. For instance, it has been noted that soy allergies increased by 50 per cent in the United Kingdom after GM soy was introduced here. And in studies on animal, feeding mice GM foods has been shown to cause issues with digestion, smaller livers, reproductive problems and even an increased rate of infant mortality. We also know that livestock that have grazed on GM cotton fields have died abruptly, too. If pesticide genes are able to transfer into the bacteria in our gut—as the only human study on the subject suggests they can—we’re in for some serious changes in our stomachs.

 

All in all, its clear that far more research needs to be done into the effects of GM foods and whether it is only certain types of gene modification that causes problems or if it is a concept that needs to be abandoned altogether. After all there are so many potential benefits of gene modification, it seems a shame to throw it away on flimsy evidence that might prove to be irrelevant in the long term.

Categories: eat gm, Food, foods, gene modification, genetically modified, GM, gm food, gm foods, modified, people, Tomatoes