GMOs (or “genetically modified organisms”) are living organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering, or GE. This relatively new science creates unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacteria and viral genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods. Up to 80% of processed foods in the U.S. have something that’s been changed by man from the way it would grow on its own. This happens at a very basic level — in the plant’s genes. Their numbers are growing and crops include corn, soybeans, and cotton.
The type of genetic enhancement that generates the most concern goes a step beyond selective breeding. Technology now allows us to transfer genes between organisms. For example, the tomato plant’s beetle resistance relies on a gene from a bacterium (Bacillus thuringiensis), which scientists inserted into the tomato plant’s genome. This gene, called cry1Ac, encodes a protein that is poisonous to certain types of insects, including the beetle.Scientists tinker with plants for many reasons. They often take a gene that controls a desired trait in one plant — less need for water, so it can survive a drought, for example — and add it into a different plant. The end result: hardier crops, more colorful berries, even seedless watermelons and grapes.
Gene transfer technology is a sophisticated version of a cut-and-paste operation. Once the desired gene is identified in the native organism’s genome, it can be cut out, transferred to the target plant, and pasted into its genome. Virtually all commercial GMOs are engineered to withstand direct application of herbicide and/or to produce an insecticide. Despite biotech industry promises, none of the GMO traits currently on the market offer increased yield, drought tolerance, enhanced nutrition, or any other consumer benefit.
Potential benefits of genetically engineered food include:
- More nutritious food
- Tastier food
- Disease- and drought-resistant plants that require fewer environmental resources (such as water and fertilizer)
- Decreased use of pesticides
- Increased supply of food with reduced cost and longer shelf life
- Faster growing plants and animals
- Food with more desirable traits, such as potatoes that absorb less fat when fried
- Medicinal foods that could be used as vaccines or other medicines
Potential risks include:
- Modified plants or animals may have genetic changes that are unexpected and harmful.
- Modified organisms may interbreed with natural organisms. This could lead to the extinction of the original organism or to other unpredictable environmental effects.
- Plants may be less resistant to some pests and more susceptible to others.
Safety
Most developed nations do not consider GMOs to be safe. In more than 60 countries around the world, including Australia, Japan, and all of the countries in the European Union, there are significant restrictions or outright bans on the production and sale of GMOs. In the U.S., the government has approved GMOs based on studies conducted by the same corporations that created them and profit from their sale. Increasingly, Americans are taking matters into their own hands and choosing to opt out of the GMO experiment.
Test Options
Our tests includes screens and more specific tests for GMO is several different food types
Learn more about GM foods
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/science/gmfoods/
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/truth-about-gmos
http://www.who.int/foodsafety/areas_work/food-technology/faq-genetically-modified-food/en/
