http://worldtruth.tv/gmo-food-debate-in-the-national-spotlight/
You don’t have to look far to find foods
with GMOs today. According to the Grocery Manufacturing Association ,
70% of items in American food stores contain genetically modified
organisms, ingredients that have been scientifically engineered in
laboratories to enhance certain traits. While GM ingredients have only
been on the market in America for around 20 years, they’re already
sparking national controversy, as people wonder what the potential
impacts could be on the environment and our health.
Corn, rice, canola oil and soybeans were
among the first FDA-approved GMOs during the mid 1990s. Large companies
such as Monsanto, Nestle,General Mills, and PepsiCo experienced cost
benefits by using these added ingredients, and the trend quickly spread
to other sects of the food industry. In 1998, the papaya was among the
first GM fruit to be approved by the FDA. In the special case of the
papaya, the fruit had developed a virus that would have destroyed it
worldwide were it not for scientific engineering. But the GM papaya
opened a door of possibilities for genetic modification of other produce
items, most notably the zucchini and potato. Back in November, the FDA has approved over 40 seeds and plants for genetic modification.*
In addition to the visual perfection that GMOs boast, proponents claim that they have more profound advantages as well:
-GM crops can be made resistant to viruses, fungi and bacterial growth.
-GM crops can be engineered to grow faster.
-GM crops can be engineered to be naturally pest-resistant, undermining the need for pesticide chemicals.
-GM crops can be engineered to tolerate
extreme weather conditions, such as cold fronts or droughts, allowing
for a geographically diverse range of growth sites.
-GM crops can be engineered with added
vitamins and minerals, which is especially beneficial in third world
countries dealing with malnutrition.
Sounds great! So what’s with all of the fuss about GMOs in America?
Under California’s Proposition 37, companies would be required to put warning labels on domestically produced foods containing GM ingredients, as the European Union has since 2002.
Currently, the FDA has shied away from interfering with GM foods as
much as possible, trusting food companies to watch out for public
safety. According to the FDA’s Statement of Policy,
“Section 402(a)(1) of the act imposes a legal duty on those who
introduce food into the market place, including food derived from new
crop varieties, to ensure that the food satisfies the applicable safety
standard.”
Unfortunately, not all Americans are
confident that food companies will act with public health in mind
without greater legal enforcement from the FDA. If the proposition
passes in California, as it is projected to, the current 70% of food
items in your average grocery store containing GMOs would have to be
relabeled. And because California is historically a leader in American
legislative action, it’s likely that national reform would soon follow.
Being new developments, GMOs carry mystery, raising concern and questions among scientists and consumers who wonder:
-What are the possible long-term environmental effects of GM crops?
-Do GMOs pose health risks to humans?
(The FDA’s states, “Theoretically, genetic modifications have the
potential to activate cryptic pathways synthesizing unknown or
unexpected toxicants, or to increase expression from active pathways
that ordinarily produce low or undetectable levels of toxicants.” The
FDA encourages companies that are concerned about toxicity to “consult
informally with the agency on testing protocols for whole foods when
appropriate.”)
-Could cross breeding create new food allergens?
-GM fruits, vegetables, oils and grains…what’s next? GM animals for consumption?
Although scientific studies have not
proven significant ill effects on humans or the environment as a result
of GMO production so far, many people argue that they haven’t been on
the market long enough to see what the long-term could hold. Based on
practice and tests to date, the FDA claims that it has, “not found it
necessary to conduct, prior to marketing, routine safety reviews of
whole foods derived from plants.”
Food manufacturers worry that labeling GM
products with warnings could cause food prices to rise and create
uncalled for concern among consumers. “It sort of implies the product is
bad for you when there is no basis for that,” said CEO of Faribault
Foods, Reid MacDonald. Nonetheless, many Americans are demanding the right to know what they’re eating.
Scientists are able to perform basic
safety tests and speculate about the future, but only time will tell for
certain what impacts GMOs may have. As of now, GM skeptics believe that
the FDA has put too much trust into the hands of food companies to
decide if their ingredients are safe. “Companies developing new
ingredients, new versions of established ingredients, or new processes
for producing a food or food ingredient must make a judgment about
whether the resulting food substance is a food additive requiring
premarket approval by FDA.”
Source: www.forbes.com
Rachel Hennessey, Contributor
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