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"THE GREAT GMO FOOD FIGHT"
What is a GMO?
GMO = Genetically Modified Organism
GMO = any organism in which a gene from another species has
been inserted.
GMO Food = any food containing or made from a GMO.
Current GMOs & GMO products
Virtually all Cheese (chymosin)
|NutraSweet
Roundup-Ready Soybeans
Bt Corn
Roundup-Ready Canola |
Bt Potatoes
Virus Resistant Squash
Bt Cotton
Coming Soon
Salmon
Golden Rice
The Adversaries in the GMO Fight
Generally Anti-GMO
Environmental activist organizations
The organic food industry
Media in Europe
Citizens in Europe
Producers in Europe
Generally Pro-GMO
Scientists worldwide
Universities worldwide
Governments
Agribusiness (except organic foods)
Producers in the U.S.
Currently Ambivalent
American consumers
Some Pro-GMO Notables
Norman Borlaug
James Watson
Jimmy Carter
Senator Christopher Bond
UN Food and Agriculture Organization
The Church of England
The Pope
Why do Europe and the U.S. Differ?
The "Mad Cow" disease
Greater trust in environmental groups than in their
governmental regulatory agencies
Tabloid journalism
Smaller and less efficient farms
Romantic views of agriculture and food
The Stance of the Anti-GMO Side
GMOs ("Frankenfoods") are toxic, allergenic and hazardous to
the environment.
Monsanto and other mega-corporations are poisoning the people
and the land for corporate profits.
GMOs will impoverish farmers in third world countries by
making them dependent for seed on mega-corporations.
Scientists, universities, and government regulators are "in
the pocket" of biotechnology companies.
Citizens have a "right to know" if a food contains
genetically modified ingredients.
All GMO foods must be labeled
GMOs are unnatural and against God.
Specific Charges Against GMOs
Plant pesticides hurt non-target species, specifically,
Monarch butterflies
New studies indicate negligible
effects of Bt corn on Monarchs.
GMOs contain previously unknown allergens and toxins.
There have been no documented cases
of allergies or toxic effects.
GMOs will cause spread of antibiotic resistance.
Both the FDA and the Environmental
Defense Fund disagree.
Herbicide resistance genes will move to weeds to create "superweeds."
A possible concern for canola, which
can cross with weedy mustards.
Widespread use of Bt crops will reduce the efficacy of Bt
sprays used by organic farmers.
A valid concern.
The Stance of the Pro-GMO Side
GMO foods are as safe or safer than foods produced by
traditional breeding.
GMO foods are more tested than any other foods in history.
GMOs will benefit third world countries by allowing them to
grow more of their own food.
Labeling would be expensive (due to the need for
segregation), unnecessary, and misleading.
The "right to know" does not extend to the process used to
make a food, only to what actually ends up in the food.
GMO technology is the best hope to feed the world's
burgeoning population.
Anticipated Benefits of GMO Crops
Use of more environmentally friendly herbicides
(Roundup-ready soybeans, etc.)
Reduced reliance on chemical pesticides (Bt-cotton, Bt-corn,
etc.)
Foods with improved nutritional value (increased -carotene
and iron in "golden" rice)
Reduced carcinogens and toxins in foods (fumonisins in corn,
glycoalkyloids in potatoes, cyanogenic toxins in cassava)
Decreased allergenicity (removal of allergens from nuts and
grains)
Increased yields and yield stability (tolerance to drought,
flooding, frost, salinity, insects, and diseases)
Improved health care in developing countries (potatoes and
bananas with edible vaccines)
An Unexpected Benefit of Bt Corn
Fumonisins: A group of related toxins produced by species of
Fusarium, a common fungus on corn worldwide.
Toxicity of Fumonisins In swine: fatal filling of the air
sacs of the lungs with liquid.
In horses: fatal softening and deterioration of the white
matter of the brain.
In rats and mice: cancer
In humans: consumption of fumonisin-contaminated corn in
South Africa and Central China is correlated with esophageal cancer.
Bt Corn has Lower Fumonisin Levels
In non-Bt corn, greater insect damage
of kernels leads to more Fusarium infection, which leads to higher fumonisin
levels than in non-Bt corn.
Fusarium Ear Rot
Caused by Fusarium subglutinans, F. moniliforme, F.
proliferatum and other Fusarium species
Fusarium Ear Rot after Corn Borer Injury
Who Loses if GMOs are Rejected?
The next generation of GMO products is expected to directly
benefit consumers and the environment.
Society!
What Can You Do?
Learn more facts about GMOs.
Share what you learn with your friends.
Where to Learn More?
Join the AgBioView Discussion List at
http://agbioview.listbot.com
Read the AgBioWorld web-site at http://www.agbioworld.org
02/01/2009
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