Traveling the Road to Wellness

Genetically Modified Foods—What You Should Know

May 2009

A few decades ago, it was entirely natural for a family to gather ‘round the dinner table each night for a home-cooked meal. People like to reminisce and romanticize those "simpler times," but many don’t realize just how much has changed. Family sit down dinners now seem uncommon and the TV is always tuned in. But more importantly, the food being served up is becoming more and more unnatural thanks to genetically modified foods (associated terms include genetic engineering, biotechnology or recombinant DNA technology).

As researchers, agronomists and scientists conduct more work (some say playing God) in the field of genetics, the more you need to become involved in the discussion about whether or not we as a society want to follow this road to completely synthesized foods. In truth, however, the foods we eat have long been produced with more than just hard work, sunshine and precipitation. Farmers and ranchers have relied on help from herbicides, pesticides and even growth hormones for many years, and we have more or less accepted that fact. Why else would we be taught to wash our "fresh produce" before eating it?

Indeed, the produce section is currently the most genetically influenced aisle at the grocery store. Corn, potatoes, pineapples, yellow squash, zucchini, sweet peppers, tomatoes, bananas, strawberries and soybeans are among the more popular genetically modified foods (don’t worry, not every ear of corn at the store has been engineered). If you would like to ensure your produce has not been genetically modified, consider shopping your local farmer’s market. It’s a great way to find great tasting fruits and vegetables, as well as to get to know your local growers and learn how they grow your food.

Even though your plate may not be filled with fruits and vegetables, chances are still high you’re consuming genetically engineered foods. Since genetically modified soy and corn products are used in many processed foods, it is estimated that 70% or more of the foods in grocery stores in the U.S. and Canada contain genetically engineered ingredients. Thus far, the FDA has refused to call for labeling of genetically engineered foods, despite calls for mandatory labeling by numerous groups and the majority of Americans. Even so, some food companies have taken it upon themselves to be proactive and label certain products or ingredients "non-gmo," meaning made without genetic modification.

Genetically modified foods have many positives as well as negatives. So while it would be easy to take a negative view because the practice is inherently unnatural, you should know the full story to make an informed decision. The following is a list of pros and cons taken from an article posted on the U.S. government’s website devoted to The Human Genome Project, a research project focused on genetics.

Benefits

Crops

  • Enhanced taste and quality
  • Reduced maturation time
  • Increased nutrients, yields, and stress tolerance
  • Improved resistance to disease, pests, and herbicides
  • New products and growing techniques

Animals

  • Increased resistance, productivity, hardiness, and feed efficiency
  • Better yields of meat, eggs, and milk
  • Improved animal health and diagnostic methods

Environment

  • "Friendly" bioherbicides and bioinsecticides
  • Conservation of soil, water, and energy
  • Bioprocessing for forestry products
  • Better natural waste management
  • More efficient processing
  • Society
  • Increased food security for growing populations

Controversies

Safety

  • Potential human health impacts, including allergens, transfer of antibiotic resistance markers, unknown effects
  • Potential environmental impacts, including: unintended transfer of transgenes through cross-pollination, unknown effects on other organisms (e.g., soil microbes), and loss of flora and fauna biodiversity

Access and Intellectual Property

  • Domination of world food production by a few companies
  • Increasing dependence on industrialized nations by developing countries
  • Biopiracy, or foreign exploitation of natural resources

Ethics

  • Violation of natural organisms' intrinsic values
  • Tampering with nature by mixing genes among species
  • Objections to consuming animal genes in plants and vice versa
  • Stress for animal

Labeling

  • Not mandatory in some countries (e.g., United States)
  • Mixing GM crops with non-GM products confounds labeling attempts

Society

  • New advances may be skewed to interests of rich countries

Perhaps the biggest reason to question the safety of genetically modified foods is the fact that there really are no long-term tests. In reality, we (in the U.S.) are the ones doing the testing by consuming the modified foods. The question is do you want to continue being a lab rat, or do you want to choose nature over science?

New to Natural Health?
Tools
Customer Service

Sign Up for Our Emails