Chapter 8

In this final post I will be concluding and giving my final thoughts about genetically modified foods. In my opinion I believe that consuming GMOs is as safe as the food we eat that has not been genetically engineered. This statement comes from a lack of valid scientific evidence showing harmful side effects from GMOs. Also this belief is supported by animal feeding studies that don't show any significant changes in their health from pre to post GMO introduction. However, this is my opinion and in no way do I wish to force it on anyone. With that said I encourage everyone to make their own conclusions based on information provided from a reliable, scientific source.
 Unlike this one:

 The day your apple grows teeth and the capability to bite you is the day science has gone too far. It is important to know that this is NOT what scientists are doing to your food. 

These scientific advances in genetically modifying foods has provided us with crops that can survive even in the presence of herbicides or deadly pests, which would normally be of great harm. The ability to do this has led to an increase in crop production which allows us to sustain or country's nutritional needs as well as potentially assisting starving countries. Without GMOs we might have seen a dramatic decrease of papaya, making it a rare fruit. In Hawaii more than half of the crops were dying due to a pest infecting and killing the fruit. Now who wants a world without papaya?

In conclusion, when looking for information regarding genetically modified foods please go to sources that have accurate scientific evidence backing all of their claims. If you're reading something that has no support or seems sensationalist then you probably should not take that information as true. In previous posts I have listed some quality resources and I urge you to look at those when considering your stance on GMOs.

Thank you.

Chapter 7

As I've stated in previous posts, the abundance of misinformation available to the public through mainstream media articles about genetically modified foods is alarming. Just typing GMO into Google brings up an enormous amount of information that is either biased, unreliable, or just straight fiction. However, after sifting through the non-sense you can find articles from popular magazines or websites that have accurate scientific evidence supporting their claims. The article I will discuss in the post is from Forbes Magazine titled "The Debate About GMO Safety is Over, Thanks to a New Trillion-Meal Study" and is written by Jon Entine.

Jon Entine is an author and journalist who frequently writes about science related topics including environmental sustainability, public policy, and advocating for NGOs. He has written several books on different areas of science including genetics, chemicals, as well as risk assessment and sustainability. He is the executive director of a non-governmental organization called the Genetic Literacy Project. At the University of California-Davis he is also a senior fellow at the World's Food Center Institute for Food and Agriculture Literacy.

Jon Entine

Jon begins his article by discussing some anti-GMO views and statements. After recognizing these assertions he uses scientific evidence and even logic to discredit them. He then discusses a study done to show there are no harmful effects from ingesting GMOs. The study analyzed 29 years of livestock health both before and after GMO use was introduced in the 1990's. They found that GM animal feed is just as safe as non-GM animal feed. Also Jon said "there is zero extraordinary impact". Finally, he listed may reviews of the studies to ensure it's validity. 

I am a fan of this mainstream article. Not only does Jon support his statements with scientific evidence and common sense he also acknowledges opposing views and discredits them. Also although the study that is being reviewed was conducted on livestock it is still the first of many steps to look into the effects, if any, on humans. As discussed in previous posts it would be very difficult to conduct long term feeding studies on humans. It's articles like this that should be more readily available for the public, rather than non-sense false information.

Article:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonentine/2014/09/17/the-debate-about-gmo-safety-is-over-thanks-to-a-new-trillion-meal-study/

Resources:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonentine/

Chapter 6

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding GMOs 

1. What is a genetically modified organism? 

Genetically modified organisms, commonly referred to as GMOs, can be defined as an organism whose genetic material (DNA) has been altered by the use of genetic engineering.

2. What is the purpose behind genetically modifying crops?

Plants and crops are normally genetically modified for two reasons. The first is to be able to live in the presence of an herbicide, which is a chemical that kills unwanted vegetation. The second is for the ability of the plant to produce its own insecticide to protect it against harmful pests.

3. When were GMOs first introduced?

Genetic engineering was first done in the 1980's specifically on tobacco plants. In the mid to late 1990's is when genetic engineering was first used on crops for consumption. In this case it was tomatoes. Since then the government has stated GMOs do not pose an inherent risk and other crops began using genetic engineering technologies. 

4. Can this process occur naturally?

Although often compared to selective breeding and natural selection, the process of genetically engineering a plant is not natural and cannot be done without scientific intervention. 

5. What crops are commonly genetically modified?

The most popular GM crops are corn, soy, canola, cotton, alfalfa, sugar beets, and papaya. More than 85% of all the crops listed in the United States have been genetically modified.

6. Are GM products labeled?

In the United States there are no laws requiring companies to label if their products contain GMOs. An attempt to change this was seen in 2012 in California when Proposition 37 was added to the ballots. The proposition stated that all raw and processed foods would be required to label if GMOs were present and would prohibit them from being advertised as natural. 51.4% of the voters said NO, so the law was not passed. In order for a person to be sure they are not consuming GMOs the products must be distinctly labeled "organic".

7. Is consuming genetically modified organisms safe?

To date there have been no studies conducted that show consuming genetically modified foods is any less safe than eating organic foods. Many studies that have claimed to show this link have either been scientifically disproved or lack sufficient evidence.

8. What are some grocery store products that contain GMOs?

Canned soup, frozen foods, sweetened juices, cereal, soda, baby formula, tofu, as well as vegetable and canola oils. 

9. Where can I get more information about GMOs?

There are many websites out there advertising false information regarding genetically modified foods. If you wish to get accurate, unbiased, scientific information it is important to look at primary literature written by academic scientists. 

10. What are some reliable websites?

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002432.htm
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/science/gmfoods/
http://www.who.int/foodsafety/areas_work/food-technology/faq-genetically-modified-food/en/

Chapter 5

Labeling Laws

This chapter of the blog will focus on two different aspects of genetically modified foods. The first topic that will be discussed is labeling laws. Currently in the United States it is not mandatory for companies to label their genetically modified products. However, an attempt to change this was seen in 2012 when California added Proposition 37 to their ballots. This proposition stated that all raw and processed foods would be required to label if GMOs were present and would prohibit companies from advertising these products as natural. The results showed that 51.4% of the voters said NO, so the law was not passed. Many European countries have a ban on genetically modified foods so labeling laws are not necessary. However, the other countries that do allow the use of GMOs follow a similar system of that of the US. If a person is interested in consuming a GMO free diet the product must be specifically labeled "Organic". 

Image showing European countries stance on GMOs
Green- National Ban
Light Green- National Moratorium
Orange- No Ban

Common Products Containing GMOs

Many products that line the grocery store shelves contain some genetically modified foods. Here are the top 10:

•Canned soups

•Vegetable/Canola Oil

•Tofu

•Meat

•Milk

•Soda

•Frozen foods

•Baby formula

•Sweetened juices

•Cereals

Canned soup, frozen foods, sweetened juices, cereal, and soda all contain High Fructose Corn Syrup which is derived from corn crops. In the US 88% of all corn crops are genetically modified.

Baby formula and tofu both contain high percentages of soy beans which has a 94% frequency among soy crops in the United States.

Vegetable and canola oils are often produced using corn, canola, and soy beans.

Finally, with the idea of “you are what you eat” both meat and milk can contain GMOs if the animal is fed using genetically modified feed. 

References:

http://justlabelit.org/right-to-know/labeling-around-the-world

http://www.gmo-free-regions.org/gmo-free-regions.html

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/10-genetically-modified-food-products.htm

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/11/21/foods-give-up-avoid-eating-gmo/

Chapter 4

In my research I came across an article titled “GM Crops and Food: What do consumers want to know?” written by Alan McHughen. The author is an academic molecular geneticist at the University of California. He earned his doctorate at Oxford University and has previously worked at Yale University and the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. In addition to his academic experience he also served on the US National Academy of Sciences panels investigating the environmental effects of transgenic plants, the health effects of genetically modified foods, and helped review the sustainability and economic impacts of biotechnology on United States agriculture. 
 

Alan McHughen

This article addresses many questions and concerns the public has concerning genetically modified foods. One of the most popular questions he receives is, are GM foods as safe as the foods we were ingesting before the introduction of GMOs? In response McHughen states “Scientifically, we know that the process of rDNA does not inherently or invariably result in the production of unexpected or unintended products. Therefore, it is valid to conclude that the process of rDNA is at least as safe as other technologies used to breed crops or develop pharmaceuticals.” So essentially no studies have shown adverse side effects that come from GMOs that are any different than ones we would see from eating organic, or plants that have not been genetically engineered. The author also discusses how pharmaceutical companies have been using genetic engineering for decades and yet their safety has gone relatively unopposed.

McHughen also address the lack of long term effect studies done on humans. Stating that it would be nearly scientifically impossible to conduct such a study. In no way can we feed a human throughout their life only certain GM foods and know that any adverse side effects were a direct cause from the genetic engineering rather than some other factor. He also discusses and refutes many studies that have shown negative effects of GMOs. Many of the studies being scientifically inaccurate or lacking in concrete evidence. He brings up most of the benefits of using genetically modified crops, including the unintended benefit of increased crop yield.

The conclusion of this article is very strong. It accurately displays McHughen’s motives when writing the article. I’m going to post the conclusion here to reinforce his ideas of where the public should get their information regarding GMOs:

“Clearly, consumers raise many diverse questions about GMOs, which is not particularly surprising considering they are a diverse group of humans with varied interests and priorities. But when it comes to questions on safety, especially food safety, public scientists—especially academic scientists–are the appropriate expert source to provide balanced, unbiased information and, if necessary, referral. Not as advocates, but as educators seeking to help an often confused public learn more about agriculture and food, and especially how food is produced. Consumers do have a right to know their food is safe, but with so much misinformation so readily available, consumers are often denied access to the information they seek. Scientific experts need to share their knowledge to enable a more informed populace and a healthier society.”

This article is a good example of accurate, reliable, and unbiased information readily available to the public. Below I will post the link to the online version of the article. Please take a look at it to get a better understanding of the other points the author makes. 

Article:

https://www.landesbioscience.com/article/26532/full_text/#load/info/all