7 Dangerous GMOs in Your Food! Have You Heard of #3?
Maybe you’re heard of genetically modified (GM) foods.
Maybe you’re aware of the battle that’s raging within the outer fringes of our country’s populace pushing for truth in labeling and calling for a nationwide revolt against genetic modification. Or, you may be blissfully unaware of the planned assault on our food supply waged by multinational agribusiness corporations. A nationwide survey released by researchers at Rutgers University found that a little more than half (53 percent) of respondents said they knew very little about genetically modified foods, and one in four (25 percent) said they had never heard of them.
Genetically modified foods means that they are made from crops produced from genetically modified seeds infused with genetically modified organisms (GMO), meaning these growing or living things have been artificially manipulated through genetic engineering. The idea behind genetically modifying crops is that the seeds to produce dietary staples such as corn, soybeans, and even cotton can be altered by combining plant, animal, bacteria, and viral genes in ways that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods, also known as hybridization, in order to “improve” the plant.
Scientists believe that taking genes from one organism and inserting them into another makes the plants grow higher, larger, denser, and more resistant to insect infestation. While this is a laudable goal, the problem is that scientists are adding certain genes to seeds that weren’t originally part of the equation, which is unnatural and changes the DNA of the crop. “You just can’t get an elephant to mate with a corn plant,” said Margaret Mellon of the Union of Concerned Scientists. “Scientists are making combinations of genes that are not found in nature.”
The reason why scientists began tinkering with the genetic makeup of crops is because Monsanto, an agriculture biotech company, developed a powerful weed killer called Roundup in the 1970s that contained glyphosate, an agricultural herbicide. An idea formed among Monsanto scientists: What if we could develop crops that would have a specific immunity or resistance to Roundup so that farmers could use our herbicide to kill all the weeds in their fields but leave the cash crop alone?
Soybeans were the first large-scale crop to undergo genetic modification. Years of experimentation and testing resulted in the first fields of GM soybeans being planted in 1996, followed by corn in 1998, and then it was off to the races. More crops were genetically modified— cotton, sugar beets, and canola—and “fine-tuned” to produce an insecticide in every plant cell during the growing season.
Conventional farmers discovered that they liked GM seeds with this feature because their pesticide and herbicides costs dropped substantially. According to a report in Capital Press, a leading proagriculture publication, “A meta-analysis, which reviewed 147 other studies, found that by growing GM crops, farmers reduced pesticide costs by 37 percent. At the same time, farmers’ profits increased by 68 percent.”
The use of seeds altered with GMOs skyrocketed during the ’00s as conventional farming adopted GM technology en masse, which resulted in significant economic advantages to farmers. Scientists in the agricultural industry, along with academic researchers, touted the benefits of genetically modified food, saying that without GM crops, there would be no way to feed a growing world population bursting at the seams.
But what about government oversight? What did the Environmental Protection Agency have to say?
Lawyers representing agribusiness argued that genetically modified organisms were simply extensions of normal plant breeding that occurs in nature, much like how a horticulturist would graft tissues from a rose stem onto another similar plant. That argument carried the day, which is the reason why no laws have been passed in Congress regarding the regulations of GMOs to this day. But what no one saw coming was that the U.S. Patent Office would allow corporations like Monsanto to patent their genetically modified seeds to protect their “intellectual property.”
Nonetheless, as genetically modified crops gained widespread acceptance, they were hailed in the popular culture for:
reducing the need for pesticides and herbicides (even though the plants themselves contain the herbicide glyphosate)
reducing greenhouse emissions because GM crops require less tillage or plowing, thus less use of fossil fuels
giving scientists the ability to manipulate foods to increase desirable components such as nutrients
increasing food production in starving Third World countries
Twenty years after the first fields of genetically modified soybeans were planted, much of the arable land in the United States—more than 90 percent—is now planted with seeds containing genetically modified organisms. I would call that a near-total victory. Around the world, approximately 50 percent of farmlands are using GM seeds, and that percentage is growing. The production of GM seeds is a huge industry bringing in revenues in the tens of billions of dollars annually. Four global multinational corporations pretty much control the GMO market worldwide:
Monsanto
DuPont
Dow Chemical
Sygenta
All the agribusinesses except for Sygenta, a Swiss firm, are based in the United States, which is the world’s leader in GM agriculture. Here’s a breakdown of the major GM crops growing in the United States, according to the Center for Food Safety and the Non-GMO Project:
corn (approximately 93 percent of the U.S. crop)
soybeans (approximately 94 percent of the U.S. crop)
cotton (approximately 96 percent of the U.S. crop, and cottonseed oil is often used in food products)
sugar beets (approximately 94 percent of the U.S. crop)
canola (approximately 90 percent of the U.S. crop, and canola oil is often used in food products)
papaya (most of the Hawaiian crop)
zucchini and yellow summer squash (approximately 25,000 acres are in production)
The switch from conventional to GM crops has happened in the blink of an eye—just twenty years. But at what cost to humans and to our planet?
The jury is still out, although I count myself among consumer advocates, environmental activists, and numerous scientists warning of an unforeseen environmental disaster with severe health and socioeconomic consequences. I’ve spoken several times with Jeffrey Smith, author of Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods and Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies about the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You’re Eating, and I appreciate the research and information-gathering he’s done to warn the American public that foods with genetically modified ingredients are toxic and can open the door to allergic reactions, infertility, and digestive disorders, to name a few. Another danger is that the bacteria in our gut could pick up antibiotic-resistant genes found in many GM foods—and start to destroy beneficial microorganisms inside our digestive tracts.
Jeffrey, who famously quipped one time that GMO should stand for “God Move Over,” offered this overview about the dangers of genetically modified crops:
We all know the stories of tobacco, asbestos, and DDT. Originally declared safe, they caused widespread death and disease. Although their impact was vast, most of the population was spared. The same cannot be said for sweeping changes in the food supply. Everyone eats; everyone is affected. The most radical change occurred when genetically modified crops were introduced…made possible by a technology whereby genes from one species are spliced into the DNA of other species.
Herbicide-tolerant soy, corn, cotton, and canola plants are engineered with bacterial genes that allow them to survive otherwise deadly doses of herbicides. This gives farmers more flexibility in weeding and gives the GM seed company more profit. When farmers buy GM seeds, they sign a contract to buy only that seed producer’s brand of herbicide….
[Regarding GM foods], the FDA declared that GM crops are “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) as long as their producers say they are. Thus, the FDA does not require any safety evaluations or labeling of GMOs. A company can even introduce a GM food to the market without telling the agency.
I’ve stated consistently in my previous books that I will not purchase, or knowingly eat, foods produced from genetically modified ingredients and will continue to warn everyone who will listen of their potential dangers until we have a solid body of research regarding the short-term and long-term effects of eating GMO foods—and it doesn’t look like that’s happening any time soon.
Notice that I used the qualifier knowingly. Our family doesn’t eat conventional foods very often, but on the rare occasions we do, we have no way of knowing if that product contained genetically modified components because GM ingredients do not have to be disclosed on food labels or menus at restaurants. Legislative bills requiring mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods have been introduced in Congress, but nothing has been passed at the time of this writing. Two states, Connecticut and Maine, passed GM labeling laws in 2013, and Vermont’s new law goes into effect in 2016. Bills have been introduced in two dozen other states.
While these are positive developments, it’s a head-scratcher why GMOs are getting a free pass. Dr. Martha Herbert, a pediatric neurologist, brain development researcher, and assistant professor of Neurology at the Harvard Medical School, made this comment:
Today the vast majority of foods in supermarkets contain genetically modified substances whose effects on our health are unknown. As a medical doctor, I can assure you that no one in the medical profession would attempt to perform experiments on human subjects without their consent. Such conduct is illegal and unethical. Yet manufacturers of genetically altered foods are exposing us to one of the largest uncontrolled experiments in modern history.
I’m not buying the argument that GMOs are safe. Governments in many developed countries around the world share a similar worldview, which explains why there are significant restrictions or outright bans on the production of GM crops in more than sixty countries, including all of the countries in the European Union as well as Japan and Australia. The concerns are so genuine that EU countries refuse the importation of GM foods and seeds from the U.S., which contributes to our trade imbalance and keeps more GM foods inside our country.
The United States is the outlier in terms of GMO acceptance and the reason why an estimated 75 percent of the processed foods in this country (breads, breakfast cereals, baked goods, soda, beer, vegetable oils, and even nutritional supplements) contain a potpourri of genetically modified ingredients.
I think the percentage is higher than that. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if in the near future all processed foods have GM ingredients. I don’t see how you could assume otherwise. If corn or soy is part of the ingredients list—and we know that more than 90 percent of corn and soy comes from genetically modified crops—then that food likely has genetically modified ingredients. And don’t forget that many additives, preservatives, and natural flavors are derived from genetically modified corn and soy, so for all intents and purposes, these genetically modified ingredients are invisible to the American public.
The Non-GMO Project, an independent organization, has stepped into the vacuum created by the lack of leadership from federal agencies responsible for food safety. Believing that consumers should have access to clearly labeled GM food and products, the Non-GMO Project began an independent verification process of the GM content in foods and products.
While the Non-GMO Project cannot state with absolute certainty that any food or product is GMO-free—due to the limitations of testing methodology—shoppers like myself can feel very confident that what we’re buying and consuming was not made with genetically modified ingredients if the Non-GMO Project Verified seal is on the packaging. Companies looking to receive the Non-GMO Project Verified seal must follow the project’s standards of best practices and product testing conducted at various stages of production, anywhere from the field to the packaging facility.
The only other way to assure yourself that you’re not eating GM foods is to purchase foods with the USDA Organic label as GMOs are prohibited from certified organic products. Under USDA rules, farmers are not allowed to grow produce from GM seeds, their animals cannot eat GM feed, and organic food producers can’t use GM ingredients.
As of the writing of this book, the USDA is in the process of creating its own non-GMO labeling standards, which will operate in a similar fashion to the organic labeling program. This is a good start, but until mandatory nationwide GM labeling in enacted, the consumer will never be in the know and empowered to make an informed choice.
Without the stamps of approval from the USDA Organic or Non-GMO Project labels, or at the very least a non-GMO or GMO-free designation made by the brand of product your purchasing, your GM goose is cooked. Sure, the cattle, pigs, goats, and poultry we use for food or to make dairy products are not genetically modified, but as their animal feed is usually comprised of corn and/or soybeans that contain GMOs, you can assume that meat and dairy foods found in grocery markets or neighborhood restaurants do have genetically modified ingredients.
That popular breakfast flake cereal?
Made from genetically modified corn.
That loaf of bread you bought at a local bakery?
Made with canola oil or soybean oil, each containing GMOs.
That New York strip steak sizzling on your barbecue?
That prime cut came from cattle fed an abundance of genetically modified corn and soy, which tops the list of the Top Seven most common GMO foods, according to the Cornucopia Institute:
Corn is everywhere and is the breakfast of champions (as well as lunch and dinner) for our livestock. Author Michael Pollan, whom I enjoy reading, said, “Corn is what feeds the steer that becomes your steak. Corn feeds the chicken and the pig. Corn feeds the catfish raised in a fish farm. Corn-fed chickens lay the eggs. Corn feeds the dairy cows that produce milk, cheese, and ice cream. Chicken nuggets are really corn wrapped up in more corn. If you wash down your chicken nuggets with almost any soft drink, you are drinking corn with your corn.” There’s a corny joke there somewhere, but GMOs are not something to laugh about.
Soy and hydrolyzed soy protein is in nearly 75 percent of products on supermarket shelves and nearly 100 percent of fast food.
Ever wonder where the name canola oil came from? Answer: Canadian oil low acid, and I kid you not. This oil produced from the rapeseed plant is found in many baked goods.
Cottonseed oil, which comes from cotton, is another cheap vegetable oil that’s used in salad dressings, mayonnaise, sauces, and marinades. Cottonseed oil ranks third in volume behind soybean and corn oil.
Milk is pumped out of the udders of black-and-white Holstein cows that eat corn-based GM feed.
Genetically modified sugar beets are late comers to the party, having been introduced in 2009. They’re making up for lost time when a sugar is needed to sweeten a baked good.
Last is Aspartame, an artificial sweetener made from genetically modified bacteria; it is the sweetening agent known as NutraSweet and Equal. Long questioned for its possible link to certain cancers, Aspartame’s checkered past caught up to it in 2015 when Pepsi dropped Aspartame because sales of Diet Pepsi had fallen by more than 5 percent. Diet Coke, which also contains aspartame, decreased by more than 6 percent, but aspartame remains a key ingredient.
There are more genetically modified foods being grown than you’d think because with no labeling requirements, few realize they are eating them. For instance, I’d be willing to wager that your local grocery carries zucchini, yellow squash, and papaya grown from GM seeds. Meanwhile, biotech scientists are tucked away in their laboratories, toiling away on the next generation of GM foods.
We may see some attention-grabbing additions in the near future. In 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved two varieties of genetically engineered apples and six varieties of genetically engineered potatoes. The FDA concluded that “these foods are as safe and nutritious as their conventional counterparts.” What greatly concerns me even more is that the FDA still isn’t willing to require companies to label the produce as being genetically modified.
Gratefully, the FDA has yet to approve the application for the first genetically modified animal food to enter the U.S. food supply. I’m talking about “AquaAdvantage salmon,” an the Orwellian trade name for a genetically modified Atlantic salmon made from a growth hormone-regulating gene from a Pacific Chinook salmon, a “promoter” gene from a ray-finned fish known as an ocean pout, and 40,000 genes from an Atlantic salmon. The idea is producing a fast-growing fish that can be taken to market in sixteen to eighteen months instead of the customary three years.
I can’t see how any of this GMO nonsense can do anything but harm our bodies and the planet. While proponents of GM foods believe they are riding the wave of the future, I’m worried that we may be unleashing a form of “agricultural asbestos” on the unsuspecting American public. That’s why my family and I continue to shop for organic, non-GMO fruit, vegetables, grains, and meats.
Besides, just on taste alone, organic foods have genetically modified crops beat by a country mile.
