In defence of GM foods
Benefits outweigh risks
What are your thoughts on genetically modified foods? I asked a horticulturist friend.
“It’s probably impossible to get an unbiased opinion from either side,” he said. On the other hand he reminded me, life is full of “genetic modifications.” Any time a male and female come together to produce offspring — either in plants, animals or humans — there is a mixing of genes in the process. And the new offspring are new and different — hopefully with desirable traits from both parents.
Genetic manipulation in the plant world is not new, he said.
What we call “Heirloom” tomatoes were the new varieties 100 years ago. Growers of food continually mix genetic material to come up with hardier, more tasteful and often more nutritious varieties.
This made me think of my Uncle Cab from Arizona. He was a pharmacist by profession and a farmer by hobby. He had a small orchard where he practised grafting one species of fruit tree to another. I remember seeing a grapefruit growing on his orange tree that I thought was pretty nifty.
Critics argue that we shouldn’t artificially insert genes where they shouldn’t be inserted, that genetic engineering is “an imprecise process” prone to mistakes.
Au contraire, according to Peggy G. Lemaux of the University of CaliforniaBerkeley’s department of plant and microbial biology. In classical plant breeding, she explains, when and where a gene is expressed is not controlled by the breeder. It is controlled “precisely” in genetic engineering.
Another concern is that, unlike Uncle Cab’s orange/ grapefruit tree, biotechnology allows for genes from entirely different species to produce . . . who knows what?
In many cases this can be good, however. Insulin medication, for example, is genetically engineered. Before 1980, this hormone — the key to life for people with Type 1 diabetes — had to be extracted from the pancreases of cows and pigs. Today through a process called “recombinant DNA technology,” the genetic code (DNA) to make pure human insulin is introduced into organisms that are then able to manufacture this vital medicine in unlimited amounts.
And while one side argues that plants produced by selectively manipulating genetic material can cause health concerns, others argue that genetically modified foods are a humanitarian step to care for our world.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children around the world, affecting an estimated 250 million preschool children. Genetically modified rice that is high in beta carotene (a nutrient that converts to vitamin A in the body) is one way to supplement this nutrient in the diets of children who get much of their nourishment from this one staple food.
Biotechnology experts point to the fact that controlled biotechnology is the key to our being able to feed our growing world population. Is it bad, then, to produce plants that resist drought conditions and pests as our land mass and water resources decline?
Are genetically modified foods safe? Food toxicologist Carl Winter from the University of California at Davis “food safe program” has written an informative paper on the Safety of Genetically Engineered Food.
His conclusion: “While genetic engineering of food continues to generate concern and controversy for some consumers, evidence to date has not indicated that any foods developed for human consumption using genetic engineering techniques pose risks greater than foods produced using traditional methods. At the same time, we need to further develop and maintain scientifically based regulatory programs.”