GMOs

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Genetically Modified Foods (GM Foods) History

The history of producing genetically modified food can be traced back to mid-19th century with Gregor Mendel who is considered to be the founder of science of genetics today.  

Mendel's observations paved way for the development of first genetically modified plant, a tobacco plant resistant to an antibiotic. It was created in 1983. But a tomato paste which was modified, was sold on supermarkets of the United Kingdom in 1996.

 

 The European Union approved the importation and use of a kind of soya for people and feed for animals in 1996.

What followed was a series of controversies associated with consumption of genetically engineered food products, which made the masses believe that humans were reduced to mere guinea pigs for this new technology.

Genetic research continued, and eventually many other food crops were genetically modified to suit human requirements.

The total surface area of land cultivated to grow genetically modified crops increased from 4.2 million acres in 1997 to 331 million acres in 2009. 
 

 

The controversial history of this practice has kept it in spotlight over the last fifteen years. It is mainly because of the conflicting research on their benefits and dangers. It is wise to evaluate the pros and cons of these food products and opt for a safe way out, even if it means abstaining from their consumption.

GMOs: What is genetic modification?  

Genetically modified foods are food products which are obtained from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) - both plants as well as animals. In this process, the said organisms are subjected to modification by making specific changes to their DNA by means of genetic engineering. This involves either insertion or deletion of genes. Genetic engineering has been one of the major achievements in the field of biology, and the use of same for production of food is no doubt tempting. 

 

 

A YOU TUBE VIDEO: GMO A GO GO

This new animated cartoon covers all the basics on why GMOs can be dangerous.

 

Agriculture faces serious challenges in the years ahead

From a rapidly growing global population that will put increasing strain on the world’s food supply, to climate change and its effect on water availability and arable land, to concerns about the environment and biodiversity.

 

Europe can help the world face these challenges. How?

 

Europe can help by using less water, increasing our land’s productivity to help fight global food insecurity, exploiting less land in other countries for our food needs, and addressing the effects of climate change.

But this can happen only if policymakers give farmers the tools they need to compete and survive in a changing world. The technologies offered by crop science and genetic engineering have a long history of improving agriculture and play a critical role in addressing the challenges of today and tomorrow. GM crops are not the only answer, but their environmental benefits and higher yields make them an option that farmers should have the freedom to choose.

Concerns about possible negative effects on health and the environment have proven to be unfounded. Around the world, 15.4 million farmers are planting GM crops on 148 million hectares. But Europe has been slow to embrace the technology. 

 

Time and technology are moving on – is Europe ready to move with them?

 

Agricultural Science

Plants have been genetically modified in order to increase crop yields and decrease susceptibility to pests. By far the most common genetic modification to these plants is the addition of a gene that codes for a pesticide. Pesticides kill microbes and insects by inhibiting their living enzymes. Apparently our government believes that pesticides won't affect our enzymes or that we can wash off the pesticides from the plant foods that contain them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When it comes to genetic modification, this is one thing that cannot be washed off because the insecticides are already inside the cells of the plants.

 

Watch a YOU TUBE video to see what it is.

"Genetic engineering: The world's greatest scam?"

 

 

"Genetic engineering" is a threat to food security, especially in a changing climate. The introduction of genetically manipulated organisms by choice or by accident grossly undermines sustainable agriculture and in so doing, severely limits the choice of food we can eat.

Once GE plants are released into the environment, they are out of control. If anything goes wrong - they are impossible to recall.

GE contamination threatens biodiversity respected as the global heritage of humankind, and one of our world's fundamental keys to survival.

 

 

Which GM Crops are grown around the world?

The main GM crops in terms of hectarage are soya, maize, cotton and oilseed rape (canola). Other GM crops that have been approved around the world include sugarbeet, alfalfa, papaya, squash, poplar, tomato, banana, sweet pepper, potato, rice and various ornamental flowers.

 

 

GM worldwide

How many farmers plant GM worldwide?

A record 15.4 million farmers grew GM crops in 2010, up from 14 million farmers in 2009. Worldwide, 148 million hectares were planted with GM crops in 29 countries – an 87-fold increase since they were introduced in 1996. This is about the same size as the territories of Spain, Germany and France combined.
In millions of ha.

 

Estimate of future numbers of GM crops worldwide

Current numbers and estimations of future numbers of GM crops

 

 

GM corn grown in Spain

 

Planting statistics for EU countries

In 2010, eight European countries planted GM crops on a total of 91,438 ha.

 

Spain	76,575 hectares Bt MAIZE
Portugal	4,868 hectares Bt MAIZE
Poland	3,000 hectares Bt MAIZE
Slovakia	1,248 hectares Bt MAIZE
Romania	822 hectares Bt MAIZE
Czech Republic	4,680 hectares Bt
Sweden	MAIZE 80 hectares GM    POTATO
Germany	15 hectares GM POTATO

 

Why do we need to "improve" plants? 

 

 

Genetic modification allows scientists to help farmers by adapting plants to certain specific conditions and improving yields.

 

Problems that the world faces: 
 

- water shortages and salination of existing water suplies

- climate change by developing crops that can resist floods or drought.  

- consumers’ Health by producing better cooking oils that don’t include trans fats and/or have higher levels of beneficial Omega-3 oils.

 

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Genetically Modified Food

The number of countries growing genetically modified crops has increased in recent years causing much debate over the safety of these products. Supporters claim it will feed the world and promote better health and ecological welfare. While others believe the food contains risks to human health.   
 

Genetically modified organisms (GMO) include crops, vegetables and fruit that have been created using genetic engineering methods. Scientists combine desirable genes from various species to create new genetically-altered crosses with enhanced nutritional, productive and ecological value. This differs from traditional breeding in that genetic transference between unrelated species does not occur biologically in nature.

The process of combining inter-species genes, which is called recombinant DNA technology, does not have the checks and balances that are imposed by nature in traditional breeding. Because of this there is a risk of genetic instability. This means that no one can make any accurate predictions about the long-term effects of GMOs on human beings and the environment.  

Food is an emotional topic. It matters a great deal to all of us. 

 

We are what we eat after all

  

Advantages of GMO

• Crops are more productive and have a larger yield
• Offer more nutritional value and better flavour
• A possibility that they could eliminate allergy-causing properties in some foods
• Inbuilt resistance to pests, weeds and disease
• More capable of thriving in regions with poor soil or adverse climates
• More environment friendly as they require less herbicides and pesticides
• Foods are more resistant and stay ripe for longer so they can be shipped long distances or kept on shop shelves for longer periods
• As more GMO crops can be grown on relatively small parcels of land, they are an answer to feeding growing world populations

Corporations insist that:

•   Genetically modified foods are safe. Changing a few genes here and there does not make a crop toxic or dangerous.
•   Why shouldn't we alter nature to meet our needs? There are many natural organisms that human beings have transformed to serve their purpose.

Dangers of GMO 

1. Scientists can choose which genes to manipulate, but they don't yet know where in the DNA to precisely insert these genes and they have no way of controlling gene expression. Genes don't work in isolation, changing a few could change the whole picture, with unpredictable results.
2. The use of genetically modified food should not be encouraged without research into the risks.  
3. Not labelling is wrong and unfair to the consumers who should have the right to know what they are buying so they can decide for themselves whether they want to buy the food or not. Even if health safety factors are not an issue, some people might have moral or religious objections. They should not have to eat GMOs if they don't want to.
4. Genetically modified crops pose a risk to food diversity as the plants are much more dominant.  
5. Herbicide-resistant and pesticide-resistant crops could give rise to super-weeds and super-pests that would need newer, stronger chemicals to destroy them.  
6. GMO crops cross-pollinate with nearby non-GMO plants and could create ecological problems. If this were to happen with GMO foods containing vaccines, antibiotics, contraceptives and so on, it would very well turn into a human health nightmare.  
7. The claim of ending world hunger with GMOs is false. World hunger is not caused by a shortage of food production, but by sheer mismanagement, and lack of access to food brought about by various social, financial and political causes.
8. GMO technology companies patent their crops and also engineer crops so that harvested grain germs are incapable of developing. This is not empowering to impoverished Third World farmers, who cannot save seeds for replanting and have to buy expensive seeds from the companies every year. The new technology also interferes with traditional agricultural methods which may be more suited to local environments. 
9. GMOs are not the answer to world hunger and health. Instead we should focus on improving organic agricultural practices which are kinder to the earth and healthier for humans.

 


Why are GMOs Bad?
For Producer
 
Majority of the GM seeds are produced by private enterprises and thus are patented. A patent prevent producer from saving and exchanging seeds, therefore undermining the farmers’ right on seeds. The producer has to buy fresh seeds for every cultivation season. In effect, producer loses seed sovereignty and become dependent on Multinational Corporations. GM seeds also increase the cost of production. As patented seeds carry a considerable amount as royalty fees which increases the market price. Moreover, GM seeds requires chemical pesticides and fertilizers as suggested by the inventors to produce the desired yield- an factor which could further increases the cost of production.
 
For Consumers
GM crops can produce adverse health impact on both humans and livestock. The foreign gene in the GMO might behave differently in contexts other than the one they were taken from. This can give rise to severe allergic reactions. There were reports on adverse impact of Bt cotton on human health (skin and eye allergies) from Madhya Pradesh and on livestock (cattle deaths) from Andhra Pradesh in India. GM crops can contaminate non GM varieties through cross pollination. Thereby spreading their unknown side effects to nearby crop. Moreover, the health implications related to the long term consumption of GM foods remains largely unknown.
 

 

Warning!

 The transgenic or genetically modified food could be the most influential in allergic reactions and autoimmune diseases, which have increased alarmingly in recent years.

Medical specialists are concerned about the effects and consequences of using transgenic foods. Laboratory studies warn as dangerous transgenic foods and products.

 

 

 

 Other GM threats

Biofuels: bad science, bad maths, bad policy, bad ethics

Apparently overnight biofuels became a GM success story of sustainable, economical, clean, safe, environmentally friendly alternative to oil, providing the solution to our energy problems and global warming. What the biotech industry doesn't want to know is the uncomfortable conclusions scientists have come to about biofuels.

There are many more questions about genetically modified food that can only be answered through time, research and experience. 

What side of the argument do you fall on? 
  

 

Cartoon: How are GM crops made?

 

Are genetically modified food crops safe? 

 

These two rates are littermates, both 19 days old, the larger one fed standard rat chow, the smaller one also fed genetically modified soy.

H'mm - GM foods are safe?

A doctor says: "We now have an epidemic of chronic non-communicable diseases in the world. This includes diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease among others. As a medical doctor with a keen interest in nutrition it strikes me as quite a coincidence that this is occurring and escalating rapidly just a few decades after we began introducing, and widely distributing genetically modified foods into the diet of the world's people".  

Genetically Modified Food May Be Why You're Fat 

If you feed a rat a lot of modified corn, guess what happens? It gets a lot bigger than the rats that just eat regular corn. Do you want to be that fat rat?

In another study, researchers fed GM food to salmon and compared them to salmon that ate non-GM food. 
 

The result: the GM food-gobbling salmon got bigger, ate more, developed a different intestinal microstructure, lost some of their protein-digesting ability, and ended up with immune system changes.

Unfortunately, the production of GM food is growing by leaps and bounds throughout the world to match pace with the rising statistics of diseases plaguing the global population. It has even reached the baby food you have been gladly feeding your little ones.

 

Did you know GMOs are also used to manufacture shampoos, detergents, soaps and cosmetics?

 Ways to Avoid Eating Genetically Modified Foods

GMO does more harm than good to your body.

"ADOPT GREEN LIVING"

 

This can be easily done by paying attention  to food labels. Refrain from any unnecessary use of antibiotics by switching to alternate medicine for easily curable health ailments. Also, avoid consuming chewable vitamin tablets, specifically vitamin C. Cross out margarine from your grocery list entirely! Favour butter instead. Switch from cow milk to goat milk and its dairy products. You can even satisfy your cravings for corn by going for sweet corn as only 3% to 5% of it is genetically modified. You can now breathe a sigh of relief because your popcorn is also safe from GMOs. If any poultry products say "100% grass fed" on the label, it is a safe bet to buy them too.

 Avoid these 10 genetically modified foods:

 

   -  Soy and its derivates 

   -  Beet sugar 

   -  Papayas (from Hawaii)

   -  Canola

   -  Cotton

   -  Cow milk and its derivates

   -  Zucchini/Yellow Squash

   -  Conventional Meat

   -  Corn

   -  Margarine 

Substitute Sugar

Since sugar is derived from GM beets, it would be a wise decision for your health to substitute sugar with other natural sweeteners such as honey, maple syrup and molasses.

 

Make sure you get your hands only on organic honey. Avoid artificial sweeteners at all costs.

 

Diet foods, candies and pre-packaged desserts are also big culprits. 
There is nothing you would be losing out by substituting because it contains absolutely no nutrients.

 

Shop Smart 

Stop buying processed food which contains: 

·         Textured vegetable protein

·         Dextrose

·         Maltodextrin

·         Glucose, Fructose

·         GLUTEN

·         Citric acid

·         Lactic acid

This can be easily done by paying attention to food labels. Also, avoid consuming chewable vitamin tablets, specifically vitamin C.

This is a YOU TUBE video about how to know which foods are GMOs. 
 

 Ethical, moral and religious concerns about GMOs

 Altering the genetic material of animals raises a whole host of ethical, moral and religious questions. 

• Changing the genetic make-up of animals compromises their essential nature and fails to respect their unique identity.
• Deliberately designing animals to suffer, as disease models inevitably do, is morally repugnant.
• GM animals are more than likely to suffer in unexpected ways as well as in the ways intended by their manipulators. Altering animals' genes without knowing the consequent harm they will suffer raises fresh ethical problems.
• Because researchers want to protect their 'inventions', each of many thousands of GM animal strains are 'owned' by private patent-holders, who sell them as just so much laboratory equipment. The very idea of patenting life, particularly sentient life, is abhorrent to many.
• A moral dilemma that applies equally to all animal research is this: who are we to decide whether the potential benefits to mankind outweigh the costs to the animals? This 'dilemma' should be resolved, however, when policy-makers understand that the 'potential benefits' are much more usually potential harms to human beings themselves, from bogus and misleading animal results. As leading surgeon Moneim Fadali states, 'conclusions drawn from animal research are likely to delay progress, mislead and do harm to the patient'.

 Farming From the Farmers' Point of View       

 

Activists frequently say that everyone should be eating organic food because it is better for people's health and the environment. However, we wondered about organic farming from the farmers' point of view.

Gabriela, 4th generation farmer says “GM crops are a way to keep farmers on their land in Europe. If we don’t have more GM crops, we will become less competitive and have to import more food as well as use less sustainable farming practices.” 

Maotang, Cotton farmer says: “As more and more modern technology products are used by farmers and our income increased quite a lot, in my community, farmers do not lack food and clothes anymore. You cannot find a child who cannot afford their education anymore.” 

David says: “I think there is a big future with GM crops, but if we don’t get a move on, Europe risks denying European farmers access to the biggest environmental advance that we have seen in the last 20-30 years, and at a time when we really need it. I for one would like to grow GM crops again given the opportunity”. 

Karim says: “We experienced a parasite problem in 1987-1988. This was the year when people treated their crops with pesticides up to 18 times. And since that year, when you grow cotton, you put it in the ground and you are worried. You couldn’t even sleep when you plant cotton because you don’t know if you can cope with the parasites. But with GMOs, when you plant, now you can sleep.” 

Carlos says: “Biotechnology has delivered increased productivity, reduced costs and better soil management. GM seeds make soil management easier, they work well with the direct seeding technique and help to better control pests compared to conventional varieties.”

 

Why do 15.4 million farmers choose to plant these crops on 148 million hectares worldwide?

Farmers choose to plant these crops because they benefit from the technology.
 

 

Consumer Attitude towards Geneticlly Modified Foods:

How strongly, if at all, do you support or oppose GM foods?

 

 

Shopper beliefs about GM foods and health

 

 

Conclusion

The production gain and the reduced production cost have been proven many times through practical application. The implications of GM foods in economic improvement are quite impressive and encouraging. The concerns regarding the safety of these GM foods however are inconclusive in studies. So the benefits of these GMOs seem to be a welcome change to a struggling economy and defiantly deserve a chance to prove their worth. On the other hand the possible harmful effects are enough to unsettle ones nerves. But are as of now just that, possible but unproven.

 

 GM Regulations in EUROPE 

 

GMOs cannot be put on a market without prior EU approval. The EU approval system is recognized as one of the most stringent in the world.

 

What is the approval process of GMOs in the European Union?

1. Risk assessment.

2. When the European Food Safety Authority has completed the safety assessment, it's necessary to form the basis of a Draft Decision for approval by the European Commission.

3. Post-released monitoring, traceability and labeling.

4. Public information: throughout the approval process.

5. Subsidiarity.

6. Compliance with international trade rules.

 

How long do applications take and what do they cost?

It takes on average almost 4 years for a GM import approval to be completed in Europe. Costs for applicant companies arise mainly from the large number of studies required and vary from 7 million to 15 million per crop. 
 

Is there an impact on innovation?
 

It has been estimated that European farmers could increase their annual revenues by up to nearly 1 billion if they were allowed to cultivate GM crops, such as maize, cotton, soybeans, oilseed rape, and sugar beets. 
 

How is the safety of GM products assessed in the EU?
 

In the EU, this task is carried out by the EFSA, whose panel of independent scientific experts cooperates 35 closely with national authorities on food safety. Only products that have been deemed safe are allowed to reach the market.  
 

How is choice for consumers and farmers guaranteed?
 

For farmers, choice is guaranteed through coexistence measures for organic, GM and conventional crops. Across the EU, co-existence measures have been very successful.

Labelling is mandatory within the EU for all food and feed products consisting of, containing, or obtained from GM plants when this is above 0.9% of that ingredient. This allows consumers to make an informed choice.  

DID YOU KNOW...? 

If EU farmers were allowed to grow GM crops, Europe’s economy could be boosted by 443 and 929 million each year. 

 

WHICH  GMOs  CAN  BE  CULTIVATED  IN  EU? 

Just two GM CROPS can be cultivated in EU.  

 
• MON810: a type of maize that helps fight off pests.

 

• AMFLORA: several member states have issued bans on cultivation of one or both of these crops approved at EU level.

WHICH GMOs CAN BE IMPORTED INTO EU?  
 

A total of 36 GM crops were approved for imports and processing and for food and feed in Europe.  More than a half of these were of GM maize. Other includes:  

• Soybeens
• Rapessed
• Sugarbeet
• Cotton   

GMO-Free Crops in Spain

There are initiatives in Cataluña where several organizations are asking for a GMO-free Cataluña. In particular an important catalan farmers union, Unio de Pagesos, have asked the regional government on 9th March to declare Cataluña GMO-free.

 
 Enforcement in Scotland

Powers to regulate the deliberate release of GMOs of the Environmental Protection were devolved to the administration for Scotland in 1999.

In Scotland, three sets of domestic regulations implement the EU regulations, by granting powers to authorised officers for enforcement, and creating penalties for non compliance.

(SASA) Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture  is responsible for ensuring compliance with the regulations governing the deliberate release into the environment of GMOs in Scotland. This is what they do:

GMO-Free Areas in the EU September 2012

Great Sentences about GMO to be remembered.

 

Words related to GMOs:

antibiotics = medicine that is used to kill bacteria apply =here: to work with avoid = keep away from beetle =an insect with a round hard black back biodiversity = many plants and animals that live in a place bug =a small insect, like a beetle clover = a small plant with three or four leaves compost =a mixture of dead plants and leaves that are put on the soil to make it better conventional = a method that has been used for a long time crop = a plant like wheat or rice that we use as food crop rotation = you change the crops you grow every year to save the quality of the soil dairy products = products that come from a cow, like milk and butter enrich = to make better environment = the world around us fertilizer = material that is put into the ground to make plants grow forbid = not allow graze = to eat grass in a field growth hormone = a chemical that makes you grow herbicide = a chemical you use to kill unwanted plants in the long term = not in the next few days or weeks , but in the next years insecticide = a chemical that you kill insects with manure = waste materials from animals

marketing = advertising and selling of a product  monoculture = to grow the same plants every year nutrient =a chemical or food that gives us what we need to grow organic = made in a natural way , without chemicals organic farming = growing food without using chemicals organic matter = material that comes from living things pasture = field pest = a small animal or insect that destroys plants or crops pesticide = a chemical substance that you use to kill insects and small animals that destroy crops pollution =the situation of making air and water dirty preserve = save prevent = stop raise = to feed animals and sell them as food rely on =depend on, need residue = rest; what is left over row =in a line soil = the top layer of the earth on which plants grow starvation = hunger straw =dried stems of plants that are used for making baskets, hats and other things wasp = a black and yellow insect that can sting you weaken = to make weaker weed = wild plant that grows between other crops widespread = common