What Is GMO? – Everything You Need To Know About It
Discover > Farm to Table Eating in Texas > What Is GMO? – Everything You Need To Know About It
How many times have you heard the term GMO in foods? But what is GMO Mean? As defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) food are edibles derived from organisms whose genetic material and molecular biology have been modified in a way that does not occur naturally, like introducing a gene from a different organism. This technology is also called Modern Biotechnology, Gene Technology, or sometimes called Genetic Engineering.
Currently, GMO foods come from genetically engineered plants though in the future we could see genetically modified animals as the source of our GMO foods. The GM plants were modified to improve harvest by making them resistant to pests, and diseases and resilient to weather or climatic conditions such as droughts. GM plants aim to aid in global food security and make food accessible to people with lower prices due to increased yields.
According to research from the Texas Public Interest Research Group in 2013 more than 90% of corn (how long does corn last?) and soy have come from GM crops.
The Importance of GM Crops
It is forecasted that the world’s population will grow from 7.6 billion to 9.8 billion in 2050. This means more people to feed amid, a finite resource of agricultural land. According to the Global Agricultural Productivity Report in 2018, agricultural productivity growth has not been accelerating fast enough to meet the demands of the world’s growing population and human consumption.
Texas, the number one agricultural state in the United States, is experiencing the highest land loss in farmlands among all the states in the nation for food production. This means lesser lands to till to meet the food requirements of an expanding American population.
Aside from concerns about future food security, an increasing number of consumers are now conscious of the environmental impact created by agriculture. Questions linger like how much water is used, how nutrients are utilized and how much food is wasted, and its effect on global warming among many other concerns.
In Texas half of the corn, soybeans, (how long do soybeans last?) and cotton grown in the State is genetically modified. Biotech companies such as Monsanto and DuPont have invested hundreds of millions of dollars to come up with plants with specific traits to resist insect pests, diseases, pesticides, and herbicides.
Among the popular GM crops is Bt corn, the genetically enhanced crop produces Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki (Bt) a toxin that kills corn borers but is safe for other animals and humans. The Bt corn is grown in the High Plains region to control corn borer infestation. Another popular GM crop product is Roundup Ready for cotton, corn, and soybeans. This Roundup Ready hybrid protects crops against a powerful herbicide Roundup.
With GM crops, farmers would use lesser insecticides lowering production costs, also Bt corn has proven to have increased yields, according to USDA’s Agricultural Resources Management Survey Bt corn yields were 17 bushels per acre higher than those from conventional corn plant for food production.
Concerns About GMO Food
People have raised concerns over the safety of genetically modified foods sourced from GM plants. And there has been much debate over the pros and cons of genetically modified food to the overall human health. Among these concerns include:
Allergies From GMO Food
GM plants are said to produce allergies. That genetic modification would result in the creation of allergens. A case in point is when a Brazil Nut gene was placed in soybean to increase its nutritional value.
However, studies and risk assessments revealed that it also transferred the allergenicity of Brazil nuts (how long do nuts last?) to genetically modified soybean. Thus an increased possibility that people allergic to nuts could have allergic reactions to GM soybean products.
Carcinogenic GMO Food Components
There have been concerns that genetic modification can raise carcinogenic levels in plants, however, the American Cancer Society has debunked the fears as there is no evidence that GMOs either increases or reduces the risk of cancer.
GMO Food Containing Toxins
There have been concerns that genetically modified organism (GMO) foods contain toxins that could adversely affect our body organs such as the kidney, liver, pancreas, and even the reproductive system. However, there is no definitive study on the toxicity posed by GMO foods to our bodies.
Changes in Human DNA Caused by GMO Food
There are fears that the consumption of genetically modified organism (GMO) food could also change our human DNA. However, no studies or evidence could back up this claim. DNA in foods is broken down during cooking and is further broken down when we digest the food.
Antibacterial Resistance Caused by GMO Food
Some genetically modified plants are resistant to certain antibiotics. In theory, humans could develop antibiotic resistance if we consume GMO foods containing these properties. That likelihood though is small the WHO, the agency responsible for public health, has protocols in place to prevent this from affecting our antibiotic resistance and the overall human health.
Texas State Legislation on GMO
During the early years of GM crops, many were apprehensive about this new product of science and their food safety. In Texas, several farmers have raised concerns over genetically engineered crops during the early years of the commercial availability of GM crops (cotton, corn, soybeans). And several legislations were introduced in the Texas legislature regarding GM crops and genetically modified organism (GMO) food.
One of these legislations is House Bill 3499 filed by then State Representative now State Senator Carol Alvarado in 2015 which requires the labeling of food containing ingredients that are GMO plants.
Alvarado cited concerns about allergies and immune system disorders which could be the unintended consequence of consuming GMO foods. However, the bill did not muster a single hearing in the Texas House of Representatives.
In 2016, President Barack Obama signed a law establishing a nationwide mandatory labeling system for the use of GMOs in foods. It puts several mechanisms by which food manufacturers can comply.
Manufacturers can disclose the presence of GMOs in foods through:
Text or a label on a package
A US Department of Agriculture created symbol
Bar codes or similar digital means that consumers can scan with their phones.
The federal law also prohibits states from requiring on-package labeling of genetically modified ingredients. The federal law puts several mechanisms by which food manufacturers and food and agriculture organization can comply.
Another GMO-related legislative initiative in Texas is House Bill 1508 filed by Rep. Tracy King in 2015. HB 1508 expresses support for the use of sound science to study and regulate modern agricultural technologies and opposition to legislative or regulatory action that may result in unnecessary restrictions on the technologies.
With evolving sciences particularly in genetic engineering, foods derived from GMO presents a brighter future for agriculture. As we catch up with a growing population that would ultimately threaten the current acreage dedicated to farming, we need GMO crops that would have a higher yield, resilient to climatic conditions such as dry spells, and resistant to pests and diseases.
As new studies would disprove the unfounded fears and myths regarding the ill effects of GMO foods (plants and animals) we would see dishes whose ingredients are genetically engineered as staples on our dining tables.
