GENETIC MODIFICATION IN

FOODSIN SUPPORT:: Suzanne Vasquez, Mark Fuller, Stephanie Camello, Nhan Truong, Mel Lagunzad, and Nhauyen Tran.

Background Info on GM Foods WHAT IS A GENETICALLY

MODIFIED FOOD? GM (genetic modification) is a

special set of technologies that alter the genetic makeup of organisms such as animals, plants, or bacteria. 

Combining genes from different organisms is known as recombinant DNA technology. The resulting organism is said to be “genetically modified”, “genetically engineered”, or transgenic”.

Therefore a GM food is one who’s genes have been altered by combining them with the genes from a different organism.

WHY PRODUCE THE CROP? As the world’s population

increases, a staggering amount of people are undernourished because they lack the resources to obtain the food they need. 

This shortage of food contributes not only to starvation, but also to disease and malnutrition. 

It is estimated that by 2015, 582 million people in the developing countries will be undernourished. This will lead to more diseases and ultimately more death.

By producing foods that are of better quality and have the capability of lasting fresher longer, millions of people would have access to the resources needed to sustain life. 

Examples of GM Foods

WHAT TYPES OF FOOD ARE GM? Rice: Genetically modified to contain high

amounts of Vitamin A. Tomatoes: Made for longer shelf life and to

prevent a substance that causes them to rot. Corn: Resistant to certain pesticides. Bananas: Currently being tested to produce

human vaccines against infectious diseases such as Hepatitis B.

Cows: Currently being tested to be resistant to Mad Cow Disease. 

Other GM foods include: Potatoes, papaya, squash, tobacco, sweet corn, and vegetable oil. 

Methods Genetic engineering involves “altering an organism’s genome to

create a new and useful result.” Plasmid Method, Vector Method: cut DNA pieces match with other pieces to

form beneficially selected genes to put into foods. Opponents might say it’s bad because it could cause prob’s if you mix these

bacteria with other bacteria. However, it’s good because it does not actually mix with other bacteria

outside a lab setting and can be used to clean up oil spills; will not mix with other foods, and will not make you sick.

Biolistics: Selected DNA is attached to metal and fired out like a gun into target cells with a burst of pressured gas. Opponents might say it’s bad because it is the main way of making GM

foods and therefore isn’t safe to eat. However, this is wrong because this method it is safe and done in a lab

setting. It makes creating GM foods an efficient process. Gene Silencing: “silence” a gene by selecting the undesirable trait and

attaching a 2nd copy the wrong way around – to make it inactive. Opposition might say it’s bad because it is seen as chopping and switching

genes, saying it’s unnatural and unhealthy to inject these genes into foods. However, this is completely incorrect because this method is extremely

beneficial (for example) in preventing peanuts and wheat from producing allergens that cause human allergies!

Technology

Gm involves inserting or deleting certain genes. All testing is safely performed in a lab setting. Expensive and easy only for trained scientists, but is

extremely beneficial in several ways Too expensive?

Actually, cost will pay off in future with excess food supply! Ineffective Methods?

Actually, these methods are safe and can improve crop output, produce medicines, and potentially improve nutritional value of foods.

Methods inadvertently introducing new food allergens? No, actually there is potential to improve food safety by

eliminating them. Ex: peanuts.

Allergic Reactions Do genetically engineered foods cause

allergic reactions? Individuals opposed to the genetic modification of

foods may say that it causes allergic reactions or create new unknown allergens but in actuality if a reaction were to occur it would only arise in susceptible individuals that already have a myriad of allergens they are sensitive to.

In addition to this examination of improbable health concerns those against GM might believe that there is no testing that’s gone under way to prevent possible allergens, but in reality many countries are now establishing regulatory procedures to observe these effects and approve on certain GM foods.

These procedures are what lead to the abandonment of incorporating many potential risks into our foods, or removing them when they are discovered like the case of StarLink corn that had a GM protein that posed a potential allergen risk.

Also the potential modification to eliminate many major allergens that individuals suffer from: Example: Peanuts, soy beans, etc…

Gene Mutation What are gene mutations and do

they affect genetically modified foods? Gene mutations occur when the involuntary

inclusion of a new gene is inserted in an entirely different gene; this may disrupt the genome of organism giving rise to a potential mutation or any possible anomalies that may be harmful or beneficial to our health. Helpful gene mutations:

Crop seeds able to withstand cold temperatures that would ordinarily not survive.

Enhance the nutritional value of foods in order to provide the necessary nutrition to impoverished areas of the world.

Antiobiotic Resistance

The opponent may say: GM foods contain resistance genes telling where the material was transferred. AND that GM foods could spread diseases.

 It is true, but it has been an out of date technology.

 Now, methods remove antibiotic resistance from the plant afterwards, or make GM so the antibiotic resistance not transferred to the plants.

 Marker genes less dangerous than antibiotic resistance genes have also been developed.

An overall ban can move the genetic engineering industry to stop using antibiotic resistance genes.

Nutrition

GE does not cause the loss of nutrition, but it can be used to increase amount of nutrition components of crops, and is beneficial to human health. Ex: GE develops crop varieties with increased amounts of essential

vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A and iron in rice.

The use of GE for the production and isolation of fructans results in a more efficient plant production system of fructans, and promote their use in human food.

Increasing the level of flavonoids (important components of a healthy diet) in tomato or increasing the level of essential amino acids (building block in protein) in potato. (Fructans: polymers of fructose and are naturally produced by 15% of flowering plant species, strengthen the immune system, support a healthy circulatory, shrank cancerous tumors and healed blood diseases caused by the Chernobyl nuclear accident)

Environment

There is a lot of argument that GE in foods can harm the environment. However, studies show it can help reduce pollution!

Tobacco, bad for human health. However, GE tobacco can clean the TNT in soil!

TNT is toxic for humans. However, studies show that bacteria can clean TNT

in soil. Researchers inserted a bacterial gene into tobacco

plants and the GM plants reduced the toxicity of the TNT soil!

Gene Pollution Although there are many concerns that GE foods

cause gene pollution, the advantages outweigh the costs.

EX: farmers use chemical pesticides on plants. Genetic engineering in crops produces pest resistant plants w/out using pesticides.

Moreover, there are many ways to prevent gene pollution.

Creating GM male plants which do not produce pollen.

Creating GM plants don’t have the introduced gene, therefore if useful insects eat pollen they’ll still survive!

Beneficial? Yes! How? Without GM foods most of us would probably be starving.

GM crops are made pest, herbicide, disease, cold, and drought resistant. Eating GM foods could modify your genes as well. FALSE!

GM trees are made for phytoremediation. The trees restore metal polluted soils so it may be usable again for growing crops.

There are also health benefits in having GM crops: Rice is a staple food source for some but it does not contain many

life sustaining nutrients. Some suffer blindness from a vitamin A deficiency. In order to prevent this, a strain of rice as been genetically modified to contain vitamin A.

Research is being done to modify potatoes and tomatoes to contain vaccines.

Therefore, the question is not whether GM foods are beneficial or not but rather if people arewilling to accept it.

NOTE:

Many people choose organic foods rather than GM foods mainly because of two reasons, ethics and safety. These are viable opinions which are hard to argue even with substantial evidence supporting GM foods. However, many of those who are against GMOs are usually uninformed about the possible benefits. If told that GM foods had the possibility to reduce world hunger (not totally solve) and to promote health in third world countries, would you deny its existence?

Statistics / Pros? Cons?PROS CONS

Crops are made for consumers so taste and quality are enhanced.

Crops are made hardier and can thrive in some harsh climates.

Crops are more nutritional and have more yield.

Animals are more resistant, reproductive, and yield more (eggs, milk, meat, etc).

Environment can be revitalized (pytoremediation).

Environment is less polluted (crops only need pesticide and herbicide once).

Population can be well fed.

Safety for human health may have potential health impacts.

Negative impacts of environments microculture.

Domination of food market by large corporations.

Violates the natural order in which organisms are subject to (“pretending to be God”)

Stressful for animals