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The Truth About GMOs
People are freaking out! According to the mainstream media, and those who are so separated from agriculture to think that the media is the best place to learn about farming, GMOs are some bad fellas. “They intoxicate our bodies,” they claim, “They’re completely unnatural, are destroying our planet, and are snuck into our food supply by those greedy hooligans up at Monsanto to rip off the good ole family farmers just so the big boys at corporate can make a fast buck! It’s heartbreaking, really…” |
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Genetically Modified Organisms, better known as GMOs, are a category of biotechnology that’s used extensively in agriculture. They are exactly what the name implies: their genes have been manipulated so that the organism displays a different set of characteristics than it would under undisturbed conditions. For a more science-ish definition, I’ll quote the United Kingdom’s Health and Safety Executive:
“GM is the process of altering the genetic material of an organism by use of a method that does not occur in
nature. Often GM involves isolating and removing the DNA encoding a single gene from one organism,
manipulating it outside the cell (in a laboratory) and reinserting it into the same organism or into the genetic
material of another organism. The aim of GM is often to introduce a new or altered characteristic to the
target organism.”
Speaking about GM crops in specific, when scientists alter the genetic “code,” they can yield a better harvest. For example, a form of GM cotton has the ability to repel insects without any added pesticides, which decreases the amount of chemicals that need to be sprayed and saves fuel. A group of scientists figured out how to take “antifreeze” genes from fish that allow them to maintain a normal body temperature in frigid waters, and put those genes into plants allowing farmers to have extra harvests closer to the winter months. Other advancements have actually made crops healthier by either increasing their nutrient content or balancing their nutrient levels.
“GM is the process of altering the genetic material of an organism by use of a method that does not occur in
nature. Often GM involves isolating and removing the DNA encoding a single gene from one organism,
manipulating it outside the cell (in a laboratory) and reinserting it into the same organism or into the genetic
material of another organism. The aim of GM is often to introduce a new or altered characteristic to the
target organism.”
Speaking about GM crops in specific, when scientists alter the genetic “code,” they can yield a better harvest. For example, a form of GM cotton has the ability to repel insects without any added pesticides, which decreases the amount of chemicals that need to be sprayed and saves fuel. A group of scientists figured out how to take “antifreeze” genes from fish that allow them to maintain a normal body temperature in frigid waters, and put those genes into plants allowing farmers to have extra harvests closer to the winter months. Other advancements have actually made crops healthier by either increasing their nutrient content or balancing their nutrient levels.
The truth is that, by design, GMOs are actually supposed to be healthier and more sustainable.
But, here at Farming Truth, making claims that will seem ludicrous to such a large portion of the general public is not acceptable without studies to back them up. It’s true that there are researchers on both sides of the issue, but the most recent research suggests that GMOs are safe. The studies concluding otherwise are typically outdated, based on theories rather than real world measurements, or evaluate health effects over a limited amount of time. Here is only a portion of the science that’s found that GMOs are not a threat: |
Photo from knowgenetics.org/
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- “The study committee found no substantiated evidence of a difference in risks to human health between currently commercialized genetically engineered (GE) crops and conventionally bred crops, nor did it find conclusive cause-and-effect evidence of environmental problems from the GE crops.”
Engineering, and Medicine, May 2016. Web. 25 May 2017.
- “The GM foods have the potential to solve many of the world’s hunger and malnutrition problems, and to help protect and preserve the environment by increasing yield and reducing reliance upon synthetic pesticides and herbicides.”
Food Science and Technology. Springer India, Dec. 2013. Web. 25 May 2017.
- “The level of safety to consumers of current genetically engineered foods is likely to be equivalent to that of traditional foods. At present, no verifiable evidence of adverse health effects of BD foods has been reported….”
Press, 01 Jan. 2003. Web. 25 May 2017.
- “The human and environmental safety of Bt protected crops is further supported by the long history of safe use around the world.”
Control Insect Pests." Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology 32.2 (2000): 156-73. Raf The Beast Free. Academic Press,
2000. Web. 25 May 2017.
- “So long as the risks to human health from transgenic plants remain potential rather than actual, and, in any event, appear lower than those from traditional plant breeding, hazard assessment need not be extensive.”
and Increase Public Confidence?" Toxicological Sciences. Oxford University Press, 01 Oct. 2001. Web. 25 May 2017.
The greatest advocates of biotechnology are saying that the biggest draw for GMOs is their role in feeding a rapidly growing population. In my blog post about Food Insecurity, I discussed how the world is currently producing enough food for everyone (the problem of hunger being caused by unequal distribution, not inadequate agricultural methods), but acknowledged that this is not likely to be the case forever. Farmers have a duty to step up their game and GMOs, which, as I’ve already explained, allow farmers to make more food on less land using fewer inputs, seem to be the most promising solution.
Furthermore, you can't even buy biotech varieties of most products advertised as "Non-GMO." It’s important to know that there are only ten crops that have genetically-modified varieties approved for market in the U.S.
With all that said, consumers do have a right to question the safety of their food and be critical of farming methods. |
Photo from discover.monsanto.com/
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The main three concerns of GMO critics on grounds of sustainability (although these claims are specifically de-legitimized in the research linked above) are that the crops could spread beyond just the farmers’ field polluting other species, the crops may create resistant strains of insects and diseases, and that wildlife species who use the original form of the crops for food might be adversely affected. It’s not unreasonable to question whether or not tampering with genes will have unpredicted and dangerous effects on nature… after all, nature is designed in a very specific way to create balance; tampering with that balance may have horrific consequences.
And it’s certainly important to recognize that where shoppers put their dollar is their “vote” about which products or methods they deem most suitable. However, consumers are being scared into buying decisions based off of incorrect information and misleading labels (consider that a plug for my upcoming blog series about food labels, which will cover organics, cage free, free range, hormone free, and all those other really misunderstood phrases). Surveys show that only 37% of the general public trusts GE foods, while 88% of scientists believe they’re safe (this wide gap is believed to be the largest spread of any scientific issue, including climate change!). In the case of genetically modified foods, consumers are being told that they should avoid them to stay healthy and protect the Earth, which is ironically what GMOs inherently do! All of the problems people have with biotechnology are actually solved by GMOs.
Even More Sources:
Kenward, K. D., M. Altschuler, D. Hildebrand, and P. L. Davies. "Accumulation of Type I Fish Antifreeze Protein in Transgenic
Tobacco Is Cold-specific." Plant Molecular Biology. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Oct. 1993. Web. 25 May 2017.
Key, Suzie, Julian K-C Ma, and Pascal MW Drake. "Genetically Modified Plants and Human Health." Journal of the Royal Society of
Medicine. The Royal Society of Medicine, 01 June 2008. Web. 25 May 2017.
Lynas, Mark. "GMO Safety Debate Is over." Cornell Alliance for Science. The Cornell Alliance for Science, 24 May 2016. Web. 25
May 2017.
Newell-McGloughlin, Martina. "Nutritionally Improved Agricultural Crops." Plant Physiology. American Society of Plant
Biologists, July 2008. Web. 25 May 2017.
Perlak, Frederick J., Randy W. Deaton, Toni A. Armstrong, Roy L. Fuchs, Steven R. Sims, John T. Greenplate, and David A.
Fischhoff. "Insect Resistant Cotton Plants." Nature. Nature Biotechnology, 1990. Web. 25 May 2017.
"What Are GMOs?" What Are GMOs. HSE, n.d. Web. 25 May 2017.
And it’s certainly important to recognize that where shoppers put their dollar is their “vote” about which products or methods they deem most suitable. However, consumers are being scared into buying decisions based off of incorrect information and misleading labels (consider that a plug for my upcoming blog series about food labels, which will cover organics, cage free, free range, hormone free, and all those other really misunderstood phrases). Surveys show that only 37% of the general public trusts GE foods, while 88% of scientists believe they’re safe (this wide gap is believed to be the largest spread of any scientific issue, including climate change!). In the case of genetically modified foods, consumers are being told that they should avoid them to stay healthy and protect the Earth, which is ironically what GMOs inherently do! All of the problems people have with biotechnology are actually solved by GMOs.
Even More Sources:
Kenward, K. D., M. Altschuler, D. Hildebrand, and P. L. Davies. "Accumulation of Type I Fish Antifreeze Protein in Transgenic
Tobacco Is Cold-specific." Plant Molecular Biology. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Oct. 1993. Web. 25 May 2017.
Key, Suzie, Julian K-C Ma, and Pascal MW Drake. "Genetically Modified Plants and Human Health." Journal of the Royal Society of
Medicine. The Royal Society of Medicine, 01 June 2008. Web. 25 May 2017.
Lynas, Mark. "GMO Safety Debate Is over." Cornell Alliance for Science. The Cornell Alliance for Science, 24 May 2016. Web. 25
May 2017.
Newell-McGloughlin, Martina. "Nutritionally Improved Agricultural Crops." Plant Physiology. American Society of Plant
Biologists, July 2008. Web. 25 May 2017.
Perlak, Frederick J., Randy W. Deaton, Toni A. Armstrong, Roy L. Fuchs, Steven R. Sims, John T. Greenplate, and David A.
Fischhoff. "Insect Resistant Cotton Plants." Nature. Nature Biotechnology, 1990. Web. 25 May 2017.
"What Are GMOs?" What Are GMOs. HSE, n.d. Web. 25 May 2017.
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