Food Concern: Genetically Modified Food

In the recent issue of Eating Well, my favorite food magazine, there was a short piece on GM Food. The article prompted me to blog about this issue as genetically modified food is something I am very concerned about and I feel that a lot of people are not well informed about.

A good definition of GMOs, from the World Health Organization: Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be defined as organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally.

Perhaps the most well known GM crops are Roundup Ready crops. Roundup is an herbicide primarily used to control the growth of weeds. In fact, Roundup is such an effective herbicide it will kill anything it is sprayed on, weeds and crops alike. The company that produces Roundup, Monsanto, created a genetically modified soybean in 1996 that is resistant to Roundup and it is marketed as one of their Roundup Ready crops. Other crops include corn, canola, and cotton. By planting these crops farmers are now able to use the herbicide Roundup without fear that their crops will be killed.

The story of Monsanto's success with Roundup Ready crops raises two concerns. The first one is the potential development of super weeds, weeds that are resistant to roundup. This can occur by cross pollination between Roundup Ready crops and other nearby plants. Conceivably a super weed would require the use of a more potent chemical to kill it. Certainly Monsanto will be able to counter that with another crop resistant to that chemical but one has to wonder when the cycle will stop. After all, the use of increasingly dangerous chemicals has very hazardous effects on the environment. Which brings me to my second concern: how safe is it for us to be eating crops that are heavily sprayed with herbicides? I feel the more we can reduce our exposure to dangerous chemicals (even in trace amounts) which have the ability to kill large plants, the better. My concern is compounded by this startling statistic: It is estimated that around 70% of processed food contains genetically modified ingredients. Read more information here and here and here.

Obviously super weeds and increased exposure to chemicals are only two of the many concerns brought about by GM foods. I recently saw a documentary about GM food and it showed how these foods are actually altered. I found this extremely interesting and thought provoking. The range of techniques used to transfer cells from one organism to another is discussed here. Of particular interest to me is the use of viruses. I guess it is common sense that if you want to invade a cell you would do so with a virus. It happens naturally everyday. With the creation of GM food, the desirable trait carrying DNA is inserted into a virus and the target cell is exposed to the virus. The virus invades the cell and replicates, leaving the specific DNA behind in doing so. Immediately upon viewing this I wondered the obvious - if we are eating food that has been exposed to a virus in an effort to transfer a specific genetic trait then aren't we also putting ourselves at risk for some part of that virus. I mean surely the sought after trait is not the only thing left behind by the virus. Disclaimer: I am not a scientist. These were just my thoughts immediately following the program and my further research on the topic has not answered this question. Maybe there is a way to extract all the viral remains from the cell and reproduce it with only the intended DNA strands involved. Is that what happens? I honestly don't know, but it is fodder for thought. I think this specific concern that I had while watching the documentary falls under the "unknown" category of concerns about GM food. The fact is that we simply do not know how the introduction of unnatural organisms (that is to say, organisms that would never have formed without the specific intervention of humans) will affect our health or the environment.

So why risk it? A quick overview of benefits and controversies can be found here. Some reasons supporters of GMOs give for using the technology include increased yields from crops and perhaps the introduction of more nutritious crops, especially in third world nations. However, I think it is clear that thus far the only benefits of GM crops has been one of financial gain for large corporations. As Lisa Weasel points out in the article that prompted this blog, "Between 1994 and 2005 there was a 15-fold increase in the use of Roundup..."

The issue of GM food is much deeper then what I have been able to write about here. Hopefully this is just enough to get you thinking, and questioning the food selections available at the supermarket. GM foods are outlawed in most European nations. Other countries have labeling laws regarding the use of GM ingredients. This seems to be a reasonable step we can take in the United States. I would like to know what I am eating so I have the ability to choose whether to eat it or not. If this is something that you are interested in, research it more and take appropriate steps by contacting your legislators and letting your opinion be heard.