LIFESTYLE

GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOODSPast, present, and future? i

what does the future of genetic engineering have in store forconsumers? It's been 15 years since the ñrst genetically engineeredcrop, a herbicide-tolerant canola, was approved in Canada. >

alive.com 91

CUKCUM LIFESTYLE

80022096

Since then, genetically engineered(GE, also called genetically modifiedor GM) corn, canola, and soyingredients—and now some GEsugar—have proliferated in processed,packaged foods across North America.

This year, however, for the firsttime since Canadians refused to allowGE potatoes and GE wheat onto themarket in 1999 and 2004 respectively,we are seeing a push to introduce newGE foods such as apples, salmon,and pork.

In this first of a two-part lookinto the current state of geneticallyengineered consumer products inCanada, we take a look at some of themost immediate threats to the future offood in our country.

IS ORGANICTHREATENED BY GE?Genetically engineered foods arestill hidden from us on grocery storeshelves because, under industrypressure, successive governmentshave refused to establish mandatorylabelling.

However, over the past 10 yearsorganic foods have become moreprominent and are a popular way toavoid genetic engineering. The rulesof organic farming prohibit the useof genetic engineering, and a newnational organic standard makescertified organic products morerecognizable.

Organic farmers do not plant GEseeds and do not feed GE grains totheir animals, but this also meansthat the prevalence of genetically

engineered crops in our environmentis a huge challenge to those farmers. Infact, the future of organic food is underdirect threat from genetic engineering,in particular from Monsanto's GEalfalfa.

GE ALFALFAPOSES THREATVery few of us think about alfalfaor know anything about it, but thishumble and tiny seed is critical toorganic farming across Canada and theUS. Even if we don't eat alfalfa sproutsin our salads or sandwiches, we couldstill be eating alfalfa all the time.

This is because bees make alfalfahoney, dairy cows and livestock eathigh-protein alfalfa hay, and farmersuse alfalfa in rotation with graincrops to help build soil nutrition.Many different types of farmers, bothorganic and conventional, use alfalfa,so the introduction of GE alfalfa couldhave a wide-ranging impact on ourentire food and farming system.

GE CAN CONTAMINATEORGANIC CROPSThe threat of contamination from GEalfalfa is very real. In fact, all of ourexperience with GE crops so far tellsus that this contamination is inevitable.This is especially true with alfalfa,because it is a perennial crop that ispollinated by bees and has seeds thatcan remain dormant for years beforegrowing back.

This is why the fight over GE alfalfahas been raging, particularly in theUS where organic farmers have been

"Over the past 10 years organic foods havebecome more prominent and are a popular

way to avoid genetic engineering."

www.AOR.ca

"The introductionof GE alfalfa could

have a wide-rangingimpact on our entire

food and farmingsystem."

able to use the courts to challengeMonsanto., the largest seed and biotechcompany in the world.

The US Department of Agriculture(USDA) has never conducted anenvironmental assessment of any GEcrop but has now been forced by thecourts to do this for both Monsanto'sGE alfalfa and their GE sugar beets.In late January the USDA finished an"Environmental Impact Statement" foralfalfa and decided to allow plantings.

ORGANIC FARMERSCHALLENGE MONSANTOMeanwhile, here in Canadaconventional and organic growershave been working hard to convinceprovincial and federal governments tostop GE alfalfa.

Our government approvedMonsanto's GE alfalfa for growing andeating in 2005, but it is not yet legalfor Monsanto to sell the GE seeds. Allof this is shaping up into a showdownbetween Monsanto and organicfarmers.

In a parallel case to GE alfalfa,organic farmers in the US alsosuccessfully challenged plantings ofGE sugar beet (white sugar beet forsugar processing). In 2010 a US courtruled that the beets were illegal toplant or sell until the USDA completeda full environmental assessment, andin November the judge ordered anyseedlings planted in September inOregon and Arizona be uprootedand destroyed.

«Ill fiÎ^PN: 8002209

GE CROPSTIED TOCHEMICALFARMING

The story of geneticengineering is thestory of industrial foodand chemical farming.Monsanto's alfalfa isengineered to be tolerantto the company's brand-name herbicide calledRoundup. It was designedso that the crop plants willsurvive repeated herbicidesprayings, even when theplants are very young.

The herbicide-toleranttechnology Is convenientfor farmers who usechemicals to grow soy,corn, and canola, andaccounts for 88 percent ofall the GE crops planted inthe world.

Genetically engineeredcrops have always beentied to chemical farming.The link between GE cropsand increased pesticideuse is clearer than evernow that herbicide-tolerantweeds are emerging acrossthe US, and even in Ontario.

All of Canada's sugar beet seeds,planted in Alberta and SouthernOntario, actually come from theWillamette Valley in Oregon, so if GEsugar beets cannot be planted in theUS, there may be no GE sugar beetseed for Canada in the future. ï^

PowerfiS Janti-inflammatoi

Fights infectionsand tumors \

Lowers cholesten

Enhanced deliverytechnology for

optimal absorption

Scan to learn more abotAOR's CUReCUMIN.Get the mobile app at

http://gettag.mobi

ow üreen LIFESTYLE

fe You Inside?

Chli rophyll _.+Vitamin Ü] i

A new addition toour Chlorophyllline....Chlorophyllplus Vitamin DTastes great, easy touse, just add to water.Feel Clean, Fresh, &Energized Naturally.

www.PureleNatural.com

ARE APPLES NEXT?Apples are one of nature's most perfectfoods, and yet a BC biotechnologycompany has decided that they are notgood enough. Okanagan SpecialtyFruits has asked the US governmentto approve a genetically engineered"non-browning" apple.

The company says their GE apple"will provide a more enjoyable eatingexperience" because the apple willbe more attractive to consumers. Butwhat is the real purpose of the apple.'

It is easy to just add lemon juice tostop a cut apple from browning, unlessyou are a big company that bags andserves cut apples as fast food. Foodprocessing companies and factoryfarms are constantly looking forways to make nattire's foods conformto large, long-distance, industrialprocesses.

What's good for factory farms andindustrial agriculture is not necessarilygood for organic farmers—and forthose of us who are concerned aboutmaking healthy food choices.

UNINTENDEDCONSEQUENCESAs GE critics have always predicted,weeds have become tolerant to themain herbicides used with GE crops.These herbicide-tolerant weeds areleading to increased pesticide use,sometimes with older, more toxicchemicals.

The weed called Palmer amaratithor pigweed is particularly troublesomein the US, and Monsanto is nowgiving farmers rebates so they can buyherbicides from other companies to killthe weeds.

"The biotech industry is takingus into a more pesticide-dependentagriculture when they've alwayspromised, and we need to be goingin, the opposite direction," said BillFreese at the Center for Food Safety inWashington, DC.

Genetic engineering is beginningto have proven negative impacts onthe overall state of farming in NorthAmerica. Widespread GE canolacontamination has eliminated organiccanola in Canada except in some verygeographically isolated places such asPrince Edward Island.

As well, in late 2009 Canadian flaxexports were found contaminatedwith illegal GE flax. In 2001 flaxfarmers predicted that GE flax wouldruin their European market, and theysuccessfully removed GE flax fromthe market. However, 10 years latercontamination from this very GE cropshut down their exports.

GE SUSTAINABLE-AND ORGANIC?Despite the role of genetic engineeringin chemical agriculture—andthe negative fallout affecting theorganic farming community—thebiotechnology industry has begun acampaign to convince consumers thatGE crops can play a role in sustainableagriculture.

As the consumer demand for localand more ecologically produced foods

www, membrell.com

gets stronger and becomes a competingforce to genetic engineering, thebiotechnology industry is arguingthat GE should be accepted as partof environmentally friendly farmingpractice.

Ultimately, the industry wantsto see GE seeds and animals as partof organic farming. The industryalready tried and failed in 1998 to havegenetic engineering accepted in USorganic rules, but was defeated by anunprecedented response from a quarterof a million consumers to the USgovernment.

FARMERS ANDFOOD FIRST!GE flax and canola contamination andpesticide-tolerant weeds that requireincreasingly toxic herbicides showshow destructive genetic engineeringcan be for farmers and why ourgovernment needs to consider thevoice of farmers and consumers beforeapproving new GE foods.

Last year, for the first time, farmershad a voice in the House of Commonson genetic engineering, and ourmembers of Parliament debated someof the real issues. This debate wasthanks to Bill C-474, which wouldhave required "an analysis of potentialharm to export markets be conductedbefore the sale of any new geneticallyengineered seed is permitted."

This one-line private members' billchallenged the government to simplystudy the possible harm that some GEcrops could cause to the very peoplethey are supposed to benefit: farmers.It also challenged Monsanto to defendits practice of trying to introduce GEcrops, such as GE wheat, that arerejected in our export markets.

The debate over Bill C-474 becameso controversial that the Liberals and

GE SUGAR INOUR FOOD?

In 2008 Canadian sugarcompany Lantic removeda non-GE pledge from itswebsite, and the companybegan processing GE sugarbeets at its plant in Taber,Alberta.

Lantic is the only Canadiancompany that processes GEsugar beets, but it suppliessugar to many other foodcompanies. However,Cadbury's has already toldCanadian customers that itwill not use GE sugar.

Conservatives actually shut downparliamentary hearings before someof Canada's major farm leaders couldbe heard.

However, with GE apples, fish, andpigs on the horizon, the debate is onlygetting more intense. This situationcontinues to create conflict and isleading to a major showdown betweengenetic engineering on the onehand and consumers and farmerson the other.

In the second part of this two-partseries, we'll look at some new threats,such as the "Enviropig" developed atthe University of Guelph as well as the"AquAdvantage" salmon under reviewas a food by the US Food and DrugAdministration. 3

Lucy Sharratt, coordinator of the Canadian

Biotechnology Action Network, a coalition of

l8 groups, has researched and campaigned

on the issue of genetic engineering for

15 years.

ClinicallyprovenJoint reliefin 7-10 days

lOINThealthPlusAntioxidnii'i-

Membreir JOINTheolth™ Plus Antioxidantsis clinJcally proven to reduce pain due to jointinflaiïimation ond support heoling of muscles,tendons and ligaments for foster recovery frominjury, exercise ond long term inflammation,

• NEM®(Natural Eggshell Membrane):a breakthrough in joint support with

naturally occurring N-acetyl glucosamine,

chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronic acid, key

glycosaminoglycans, as well as collagen,

proteins and amino acids,

• Plus Anti-inflammatory Antioxidants: a

proprietary blend of boswellia serrata,

turmeric, grapeseed & pine bark extracts.

Receive a FREE10 day trial packrVisit 4everheaith.coni/niembrell'while slocks lasl

4Ever Health Tel. 1-888-379-3135

Copyright of Alive: Canada's Natural Health & Wellness Magazine is the property of Alive Publishing and its

content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's

express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.