Caption : Sunflower
Photographer : Steve Erat |
What are GM foods?Genetically Modified (GM) foods are crops or animals that have been manipulated at the genetic level. Scientists take genes from one specimen and place them in another. This science was developed about twenty years ago but has only recently taken off.
A people dividedThe world is pretty much split about GM food. A survey carried out in 2000 found 50% of Australians and Americans, 60% of people in the UK and 70% of French people are opposed to the production of GM foods. Many people believe that playing nature’s role and modifying animals and plants on a genetic level is not something to mess around with. However, others think this is perfectly acceptable and holds limitless potential.
BenefitsGM is faster and more efficient than conservative methods. It can benefit producers, consumers and the environment.
Producers
- In the past, food producers relied on a process called selective breeding to create more sustainable and efficient crops. This process takes generations, whereas GM can work overnight!
- Selective breeding can only alter genes that already exist in a species, but GM makes it possible for the genes of other species to be used as well, greatly broadening the potential of this science.
- GM crops require a lot less labour—farmers no longer need to till the soil, which in turn reduces soil erosion.
- Due to their quality, GM crops need less processing and fewer additives.
- Crops can be equipped with ‘long lasting’ genes, preventing waste. For example a slow softening tomato has been produced that lasts longer!
- GM crops use less pesticide, need less fertilizer and require less energy to process. A major player in the GM foods field, Monsanto, makes a potato whose genetically modified resistance to a local beetle supposedly saves 2,000 tonnes of pesticides, 180,000 containers and 150,000 gallons of fuel!
- Main developments so far include crops that are pest, insect and disease resistant and that help to control weeds.
- Planned future developments include crops that are drought resistant, salt tolerant and protect themselves from frost damage.
Consumers
- Foods with higher protein, vitamins and minerals, less fat and cholesterol, and that last longer can be created.
- Crops, such as peanuts, can be produced so they don’t contain the protein that many people are allergic to.
- Some fruits can be manipulated to contain vaccines for diseases such as cholera and hepatitis.
Environment
- Currently, about a quarter of the world’s crops are lost each year due to insects. GM can produce pest resistant crops, which reduce the use of harmful pesticides.
- Plants that are more efficient at absorbing metals and radioactive elements can be developed to clean contaminated soil.
- A plant in the mustard family has been modified to remove arsenic from soil. Potentially, it could help more than one million people who suffer from arsenic poisoning due to drinking contaminated water.
ConcernsAlthough there are many positive factors to support the production of GM foods, their implementation can affect our lives and the environment in negative ways too.
Health
- Scientists still don’t know a lot about GM organisms. Who knows what the effects could be? Human consumption of GM foods hasn’t been happening for very long, so while now everything seems fine, in the future it could have bad effects.
- Some of the newly developed modified genes are resistant to antibiotics, if these are introduced to food, and we eat them, then we could become resistant to certain antibiotics.
- New allergies could develop. Also, if a gene is transferred from one organism to another then people allergic to that gene could react to any specimen carrying that gene as well. For example: when a gene from the brazil nut was transferred into a soybean, people allergic to brazil nuts had a reaction to the soy bean.
- When testing the foods for safety, only the portion that has been changed is tested, instead of the food as a whole.
Environmental
- GM crops can accidentally spread to neighbouring fields, spreading the GM traits and ruining the purity of organic crops.
- GM crops with a ‘built in’ resistance to herbicides could spread the resistance to weeds, making them stronger and harder to get rid of. As a consequence, this would increase the use of herbicides and ground water contamination.
- Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a natural pesticide used by organic farmers. If GM crops are modified to produce Bt, the insects could adapt and become Bt resistant.
- Concerns have been raised about the affect GM has on biodiversity and nature’s balance. Examples include poisoning insects that are not harmful to crops and badly affecting birds and other prey that feed on those insects.
- If only a few GM species of major crops are grown, a disease could potentially wipe out a more significant portion of them, than if many varieties were planted.
Ethical
- Placing genes from animals into plants stirs ethical and religious concerns.
- Genetic modification in animals can sometimes cause them health problems.
- GM foods and animals are patented when created, so ultimately, life is being patented. Should that be allowed?
- Complete control of GM food production and marketing is in the hands of a few multinational corporations.
- Some people claim that we already have the resources and food production to tackle world hunger and what we need to work on is distribution.
Australian regulationGM foods have a direct impact on you and the environment, so it’s good idea to know what Australia is doing to monitor the industry. The Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) basically holds all responsibility for GM production and products in Australia and makes sure the GM foods in Australia are safe. To ensure safety, risks and benefits must be analysed and approved before a crop is grown and each product must be safety tested and appropriately labelled as a GM food product.
What about the future?
It is argued that GM holds great potential for our future. However, we are still far from knowing everything about it and its impact, both positive and negative.
Golden riceThe most promising crop so far is ‘golden rice’, which gets its name from the yellow tint it acquired from a gene derived from the daffodil. This substance, called beta-carotene, is converted to vitamin A in the human body. Around 700 million people suffer from vitamin A deficiency and approximately 2 million people die as a result each year. So, the development of the ‘golden rice’ is good news. Moreover, the rice holds a gene that allows the plant to increase the uptake of iron from the soil and in turn increase the absorption of iron into the human body. This could prove helpful to the 2 billion people suffering from iron deficiency.
Rich richer, poor poorerThink about what GM will do to countries and farmers who don’t have access to resources or that prefer to continue using traditional methods. A lot of money is invested in GM food production and it’s predicted to become prominent in society. We can only hope that this production results in food the world needs both in quantity and nutritional quality and does not put people in developing countries out of business. Failure to distribute surplus food to places in need could also make world hunger much, much worse. Nevertheless, whether or not GM proves to be a major player in overcoming world hunger remains to be seen. Soon we will find out—the second wave of GM foods is only now beginning.
What do you think about it?
How do I know this?Australian Consumer’s Association,
GM: Genetically modified foods,
http://www.choice.com.au/viewArticle.aspx?id=10025... Food Future,
http://www.foodfuture.org.uk/home.aspxHowstuffworks.com, Concern grows over genetically modified foods,
http://science.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent...Nutrition Australia,
GM Foods and Human Nutrition,
http://www.nutritionaustralia.org/Food_Facts/FAQ/g... 
