Interesting article about the general state of agro-biotech ignorance.
Americans are in the dark about their biotech food
stltoday.com
By LINDA A. JOHNSON
The Associated Press
Friday, Mar. 25 2005
TRENTON, N.J. - Can animal genes be jammed into plants? Would tomatoes with catfish genes taste fishy? Have you ever eaten a genetically modified food?
The answers are: yes, no and almost definitely. But a new survey shows that
most Americans couldn't answer correctly, even though they've been eating
genetically modified foods - unlabeled - for nearly a decade.
"It's just not on the radar screen," said William Hallman, associate director
of the Food Biotechnology Program at Rutgers Food Policy Institute, which
conducted the survey.
Roughly 75 percent of U.S. processed foods - boxed cereals, other grain
products, frozen dinners, cooking oils and more - contain genetically modified
ingredients, said Stephanie Childs of the Grocery Manufacturers of America.
Despite dire warnings about "Frankenfoods," there have been no reports of
illness from these products of biotechnology. Critics note there is no system
for reporting allergies or other reactions.
Nearly every product with a corn or soy ingredient, and some containing canola
or cottonseed oil, has a genetically modified element, the grocery
manufacturers group said.
In the Rutgers survey, less than half the people interviewed were aware that
genetically modified foods are sold in supermarkets. More than half wrongly
believed supermarket chicken has been genetically modified.
So far, non-processed meat, poultry, fish and dairy products and fruits and
vegetables (both fresh and frozen) are not.
Biotech food first hit supermarkets in 1994, with the highly touted Flavr Savr
tomato, altered to give it a longer shelf life and better flavor. It flopped,
in part because of disappointing taste, and disappeared in 1997, said Childs.
By 1995, farmers in several nations had planted millions of acres of
genetically modified corn and soybeans, and products containing them were in
grocery stores.
Genetic modification of crops involves transferring genes from a plant or
animal into a plant. Nearly all such changes so far are to boost yields and
deter insects and viruses, cutting the use of pesticides. That makes farming
more productive and affordable - a particular aid to developing nations.
More than 80 percent of the soy and 40 percent of the corn raised in the United
States are genetically modified varieties. Global plantings of biotech crops -
mostly corn and soybeans, much of it for animal feed - grew to about 200
million acres last year, about two-thirds of it in the United States.
The 1 billionth acre will be planted this spring, according to the
Biotechnology Industry Organization.
Experts say that within several years there will be new biotech foods with
taste and nutrition improvements: cooking oils with less trans fat, tastier
potatoes and peanuts that don't trigger allergies.
At North Carolina State University, one of the biggest U.S. plant breeding programs, scientists are developing drought-tolerant wheat and are a couple years away from field testing modified peanuts that have no life-threatening
allergens, said Steven Leath, associate dean for health research.
At Rutgers University's agricultural college, plant biology professor Nilgun
Tumer and colleagues modified potatoes to better keep their flavor when
processed as french fries and to limit browning when sliced. But she said
farmers haven't adopted the new varieties. Now they are trying to give tomatoes
a gene to make a compound that helps prevent cancer and osteoporosis.
Lisa Lorenzen, a liaison to the biotech industry at Iowa State University, said
most Americans haven't worried about genetically modified foods because they
trust the regulatory system. She said many Europeans oppose the foods because
they don't trust governments that wrongly insisted for years that the beef
supply, tainted by mad cow disease, was safe.
Opponents say biotech foods could cause allergic or toxic reactions and harm
the environment. Worries include mixing modified crops with regular ones by
handlers or pollen - already documented - and modified foods being sold where
they're not approved.
On Tuesday, a Swiss biotech company said it mistakenly sold U.S. farmers an
experimental, unapproved corn seed, and tons of the resulting corn was sold
between 2001 and 2004. U.S. government agencies say there was no health or
environmental risk.
In 2000, recalls, lawsuits and public uproar followed disclosure that StarLink
modified corn, approved only for animal use, had gotten into taco shells and
chips.
Still, university plant scientists, industry, the Food and Drug Administration
and numerous European science agencies say biotech foods are safe. "Nobody's
been able to prove that anyone's even gotten the sniffles from biotechnology,"
Childs said.
But Margaret Mellon, of the Union of Concerned Scientists, said there's no
system to track health problems caused by the foods.
Her group, along with the Center for Science in the Public Interest, has long
pushed for labeling. That is only required when biotech products have
properties different from ordinary foods, such as a higher nutrient content.
They contend that consumers deserve a choice if they want to avoid biotech
foods, and they also want government regulation.
Biotech food basics
What foods are genetically modified? Are they safe? Here are the basics:
How can I tell if foods at the grocery have genetically modified
ingredients?
Usually you can't be certain. However, some makers of organic foods label their
products as being free of genetically modified ingredients.
What foods are most likely to have genetically modified ingredients?
Cooking oils, mostly corn and soy, as well as boxed, bagged and other processed
foods, such as cereals and snacks, probably have some biotech ingredients.
That's because they usually contain high-fructose corn syrup or other corn or
soy products.
Free from genetic engineering: uncooked, unprocessed meats and fish, and fresh
fruits and vegetables, with the exception of Rainbow brand papaya and some
squash. Ditto for dairy products, except processed cheeses.
Are there health risks from genetically modified foods?
Proponents say there have been no reports of those foods making people sick.
But some health, environmental and consumer groups say gene-swapping can
introduce allergens or toxins - and there is no system to monitor such
illnesses.
What are the benefits?
So far, there aren't any benefits to consumers in terms of better-tasting, more
nutritious or cheaper foods, but researchers say that could come within several
years. Most changes to corn and soybeans have allowed farmers to cut down on
chemicals used to kill weeds and pests, boosting crop yields and cutting costs
and potential environmental harm.
Why are Europeans more suspicious than Americans when it comes to modified
foods?
Europeans lost trust in their governments over the meat supply. First, they
were told repeatedly that they were not at risk from the human form of mad cow
disease. Then, concerns were reignited in 1999 when the European Commission
said dangerous levels of cancer-causing dioxin were widespread in meat from
animals raised on farms near industrial polluters.
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