GMOs
What are GMO's?
Genetic modification (GM) is the alteration of a living organism's genetic make-up by transferring one or more genes from one organism to another. These modifications are then passed on to the organism's descendants. This is also known as genetic engineering or gene splicing technology. An organism whose genes have been altered this way is called a "genetically modified organism" (GMO).
http://www.veganpeace.com/organic/
What is the difference between genetic engineering and other breeding methods that have been used by plant breeders and farmers for hundreds of years?
Unlike traditional breeding, genetic engineering creates new life forms that would never occur in nature, creating new and unpredictable health and environmental risks. Interspecies crossing rarely occurs in nature, and it never occurs between animals or bacteria and plants. To create GMO crops, genes from bacteria, viruses, plants, animals and even humans have been inserted into plants like soybeans, corn, canola, and cotton. However, this is not a precise science, and many failed attempts are made before the desired organism is created. These failed attempts in the past have included multiple plants with deformed/discolored fruits, deformed and/or discolored animals, and organisms unable to reproduce after the first generation.
www.truefoodnow.org/home_whatis.html
http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/asap/organics/Hot_Topics/gmos/gmo_main.htm
Why are GMOs controvertial?
Biological effects: Effects on the environment and human health cannot be reliably predicted and therefore the precautionary principal should be used. Many scientists and medical professionals caution that GMO foods should not be released into the environment or the food chain until further studies are conducted.
Monopolization of food production: The spread of genetic engineering coincides with widening legal possibilities to patent plants and their genes. Patents on food bear the intrinsic danger that a few transnational corporations obtain exclusive control over the whole chain of food production, from the gene to the dish.
nwrage.org/ http://www.veganpeace.com/organic/sources_and_resources.htm http://www.organicconsumers.org/supermarket/index.cfm http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/asap/organics/Hot_Topics/gmos/gmo_main.htm
Are GMOs safe?
The genetic engineering industry claims that eating GE foods has harmed no one. Without labeling of GE ingredients, however, there is no way to track any harm. Doctors and scientists warn that there is not enough evidence to insure that these foods are safe in the human diet. Medical experts, including over 2,000 doctors and health professionals in Germany and the British Medical Association, have questioned the safety of GE foods. In fact, there is ample evidence of risk:
*Allergies: By inserting foreign DNA into common foods, without adequate safety testing, the biotech industry is introducing possible new food allergens.*Antibiotic Resistance: The rise of diseases that are resistant to treatment with common antibiotics is already a serious medical concern. Doctors warn that the current use of antibiotic resistance genes in GE crops may add to this risk.
*There are many concerns regarding genetically engineered bovine growth hormone (rBGH), which is injected into cows in order to increase their milk production. Research has shown that drinking milk from rBGH treated cows cause an increased risk of cancers, the most notable being mammary cancer.http://http://www.truefoodnow.org/home_whatis.html
www.truefoodnow.org/home_whatis.html
www.aces.uiuc.edu/asap/organics/Hot_Topics/gmos/gmo_main.htm
What foods contain GMOs?
The most common foods that contain GMOs are corn, soybean, and canola products, milk and milk products (containing rBGH hormones), and processed foods. Soy ingredients like lecithin, soy oil, and soy protein are found in 60 to 70 percent of all processed foods. In the U.S., 80% of the Soy, 70% of the cotton, 60% of the canola, 30% of the corn, more than 50% of the Hawaiian papaya, and small amounts of zucchini, yellow squash, and tobacco (Quest® brand) are of GMO stock.
Other Sources of GMOs include food additives, enzymes, flavorings, and processing agents, including the sweetener aspartame (NutraSweet®) and rennet used to make hard cheeses, as well as meat, eggs, and dairy products from animals that have eaten GM feed. Furthermore, honey and bee pollen may contain GM sources of pollen.
Some ingredients that may be genetically modified include vegetable oil (soy, corn, cottonseed, or canola), margarines, soy flour, soy protein, soy lecithin, textured vegetable protein, cornmeal, corn syrup, dextrose, maltodextrin, fructose, citric acid, and lactic acid. Products that have been certified organic by law cannot contain GMOs.www.organicconsumers.org/
www.truefoodnow.org/index.htmlFor a more complete list of common foods that contain GMOs, please visit: www.seedsofdeception.com
Are there labels for foods with GMO ingredients?
GMO foods in the United States do not require labels.
Other countries in the world, including all of Europe, India, Japan, China, Australia, and New Zealand require the labeling of GMO foods, and therefore less are sold in those countries because of the opportunity consumers have to choose. In contrast, only a small percentage of Americans are even aware that GMO foods are in their supermarkets.For more information on Genetically Modified Organisms, please visit The Agroecology/Sustainable Agriculture Program at the University of Illinois website that explains GMO issues: http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/asap/organics/Hot_Topics/gmos/gmo_main.htm.
What Environmental Risks do GMOs pose to our world?
Biological Pollution: Unlike chemicals that are released into the environment, genetically engineered organisms are living things that will reproduce and spread uncontrollably and at will, with little possibility of containment or clean-up.
Increased Pesticide Use: Most GE crops have been designed to withstand herbicides. Studies show that farmers who grow GE soybeans use 2-5 times more herbicides than farmers who grow natural soy varieties.
Superweeds: Other studies have shown that GE crops can cross-pollinate with related weeds, resulting in "superweeds" that become difficult to control. Canadian canola growers have found weeds in their fields resistant to Round-Up and Liberty herbicides, forcing the growers to use more potent toxic herbicides.
Threats to organic farming: GE insect resistant crops could create superbugs that will build up a tolerance to a fundamental pest control tool used by organic farmers.
www.truefoodnow.org/home_whatis.html
www.organicconsumers.org/supermarket/index.cfm www.aces.uiuc.edu/asap/organics/Hot_Topics/gmos/gmo_main.htm
Can GMOs spread their genes to non-GMO plants?
Yes, they can and they do.
Most of the world's major crops naturally hybridize with wild relatives. A crop that has been genetically engineered to be herbicide-tolerant for instance could transfer these new genes to their wild relatives making them also more herbicide-tolerant. What makes the problem even worse is the fact that genetically-engineered crops have been found to be even more likely to interbreed with other plants than regular crops.
This is troubling from a biodiversity standpoint, as well as from a farmer's rights standpoint. Farmers who want to raise non-GMO crops and save seeds, can no longer be sure the seeds aren't contaminated by GMO genes. The corporations that manufacture the GMO crops have been allowed to patent the genes, and use the patent rights to sue farmers whose seed crops have been contaminated with their GMO genes.
www.veganpeace.com/organic/sources_and_resources.htm
www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/newsreleases/files/seedreport_fullreport.pdf
For more information about gene flow and genetic patents/property right problems, please visit http://www.percyschmeiser.com/. .
Are GMO crops economically advantageous to farmers?
Scientific studies, including an analysis of the 1998 to 2001 USDA crop costs and yields reports, have shown that farmers do not benefit economically by planting GMO crops. Farmers who plant GMO crops actually may have a more difficult time finding markets for their crops since they are banned for import by a number of European and other nations. In addition, their neighbors' GMO crops often negatively affect farmers who don't wish to plant GMO seeds when cross-pollination of GMO crops into non-GMO crops occurs. Seed corporations sue farmers who have saved and planted their own seeds for patent infringement if GMO crop genes have spread into the farmers' fields, despite the fact that the violation was unknowing and unwilling.
www.leopold.iastate.edu/pubs/nwl/2001/2001-4-leoletter.pdf
www.percyschmeiser.com/
