Genetically modified foods: The scoop in brief

Most people have heard the term “genetically modified foods” tossed around in conversation, and many have been privy to at least some of the controversy it inspires. A lot of small farm and organic farm owners — as well as some health food enthusiasts –  boisterously voice their anxieties concerning genetically modified (GM) foods and the negative impacts they effect on the economy and the environment. Just what are genetically modified foods? And how are they affecting world agriculture and the natural environment?

Genetically modified foods – what are they?
Genetically modified foods are plant or animal species whose DNA have been modified in a laboratory by precise, scientifically advanced methods. Plant, animal and microbial life have all been the subjects of genetic modification, although GM animal products have yet to be released into the market.

The aim, supposedly, of genetically modifying primary agricultural crops like corn, soybeans, rice, tomatoes, sugar cane and more, is to improve crop yields as well as the quality and nutritional content of the crops themselves. This goal is pursued by altering the crops to better resist pests and diseases, to thrive in less than ideal environments, and to resist the pesticides and herbicides used to kill the crops’ natural enemies.

Genetic modification is also practiced on micro-organisms which are used in the mass production of processed foods. Microbes are engineered to better clot milk into cheese and yogurt, to consume unsightly impurities in fruit juices and to convert common starches in baked or processed goods into simple sugars.

Genetically modified foods are massively prevalent. After the first successfully modified crops hit the market around 1990, GM foods began penetrating markets all over the United States and the European Union. Between 1997 and 2009, the amount of agricultural space reserved for use with GM crops grew an astounding 78 fold from 4.2 million acres to more than 331 million acres. Today more than ninety percent of America’s primary crops such as corn, soybeans and cotton are genetically modified.

What’s so bad about GM foods?
One of the most disconcerting aspects of GM foods is that their long-term effects are virtually unknown. Both in terms of their effect on the environment and their impact on human health, GM foods are — and will be for decades to come — somewhat of a mystery. Mankind has spent thousands of years selecting and adapting the natural crops that constitute the world’s primary food sources. Genetic modification, on the other hand, has introduced radical changes at a break-neck pace that have permeated world agriculture before even being fully understood.

Another unsettling aspect of GM crops is the fact that the companies which develop the genetic modifications own the rights to those specific strains of crops. That means that farmers cannot cultivate crops with genetic modifications — no matter how they may have gotten hold of the seeds — without signing a business contract with the crops’ developer.

Say, for instance, that a farmer purchases GM seed to grow corn. When they harvest their corn at the end of the year, they are legally prohibited from using the year’s crop to re-seed their fields unless they renew a contract with the crop’s genetic engineers.

As GM crops become more prevalent across the world, the intellectual property laws which protect GM seed keep the rights to world food production firmly in the hands of a few huge, multi-national corporations. Some GM crops are engineered to flourish with specific, proprietary fertilizers and pesticides. This exacerbates the monopoly on crop seeds as soils that have been treated with harsh fertilizers and pesticides for several years may be unable to grow non-GM crops.

Another problem with cultivating GM crops is the overuse of herbicides and insecticides. Monsanto, a large company that develops, licenses and markets GM foods, offers strains of alfalfa, soybeans and other crops known as Roundup Ready. Roundup Ready crops are impervious to the herbicide Roundup, which allows farmers to use massive quantities of the poison to kill weeds without damaging their crops. One study performed in 1999 by a researcher named Charles Benbrook found that Roundup Ready Soybeans did not yield harvests any larger than their non-GM counterparts. His study also demonstrated that farmers cultivating Roundup Ready Soybeans used as much as 2 to 5 times more herbicides than natural farmers.

Herbicides used on farms — including varieties of Roundup — are detrimental to the environment. The poison doesn’t disappear or become inactive after use, but instead penetrates the ecosystems surrounding an agricultural plot through drain water and soil seepage. Herbicides kill plants and insects in the natural environment, and can wreak havoc on all kinds of life by chipping away at the foundations of the food chain.

In addition to harming plants and animals, insecticides and herbicides also affect humans. The World Health Organization estimates that around 3 million agricultural workers worldwide suffer from severe pesticide poisoning, a condition characterized by neurological disorders, reproductive disorders, respiratory tract damage and the development of cancer.

The same poisons that severely damage agricultural workers’ respiratory tracts, nerves and skin are present — in smaller amounts — on the fruits and vegetables sold at grocery stores. Since more poisons are used during the production of GM crops, it’s likely that they are more thoroughly contaminated even after they’ve hit the grocery stores.

While the effects of chronic exposure to pesticide residue aren’t fully understood, one thing is for sure: Consumers are absolutely exposed to pesticides in traceable amounts. One study performed at the University of Sherbrooke Hospital Centre in the eastern township of Quebec showed the presence of both herbicides and insecticides in local pregnant women and their unborn babies. The study aimed to identify placental toxicity in area women, and to understand the implications of that toxicity in terms of pregnancy complications and fetal health. While the toxic chemicals were successfully identified, the health effects of those chemicals are still being studied.

Genetically modified crops may have other unexpected and dramatic effects on local ecosystems. A variety of GM corn which was engineered to present toxicity towards some of its natural pests was recently linked with the widespread death of monarch butterflies. GM crops have also been indicated by some scientists as playing a role in the advent of Colony Collapse Disorder, a phenomena which devastated bee colonies all over North America beginning in 2007.

Many scientists fear that GM crops may crossbreed with local plants or weeds, thereby moving their toxicity to certain insects away from cultivated fields and into natural forests. While substantial crossbreeding has not yet been recorded, the effects could be tragic and far reaching in terms of natural ecosystem destruction.

Agricultural technology and production firms which market genetically modified crops claim that the benefits of an increased yield and superior quality foods outweigh concerns about the destruction of soil and the natural environment. They assert that genetic modification is necessary to ensure a maximum yield given the world’s limited agricultural space, and even point to GM crops as a potential solution to world hunger.

Advocates of natural farming techniques argue that crop yield is not the issue, and that widespread world hunger is the product of politics and food distribution, not agricultural techniques. They point an accusatory finger at the obvious profiteering of biotechnology firms who vie for control of seed, fertilizer and pesticide markets; indeed, for control of the entire world food market. A member of the Union of Concerned Scientists recently published a report entitled Failure to Yield, which concludes that GM crops do not actually deliver improved yields. Grass roots movements such as India’s Navdanya vehemently protest the widespread use of GM crops and attack their claims to improved crop yields. They call instead for biodiversity conservation, organic farming, the preservation of farmers’ rights and the institution of seed saving policies which diversify agriculture and help to protect food security.

How can I avoid GM foods?
In the United States genetically modified foods are not required to bear any special labeling. That makes it very difficult to avoid GM foods and to take control of both what enters your body and of how your consuming behaviors impact world agriculture.

The best method for ensuring you don’t unknowingly support the cultivation of GM crops is to purchase your fruits and vegetables from local farmers. By patronizing bakeries, restaurants, grocers and other food providers who do the same, you’ll be making a decision to advocate your health, the local economy and the environment. When you make a conscious effort to support local and small farmers who voice their stance on GM crops, you’re joining a grass roots movement that could potentially revolutionize world agriculture.