Saying No to GMOs

It can be hard to come up with solid talking points to counter genetically engineered foods, when companies like Monsanto and other purveyors of the food products seem to make the science deliberately complicated and obscure. In our view, it's actually pretty simple. If you are presented with the opportunity to voice your concerns about genetic modification, try to remember these basic points:

1. Very few studies have been done on the safety of GMOs. Government funding for independent research is practically non-existent. Consumer unions and advocates have repeatedly had to sue companies to see the data the companies themselves conduct, and the data in such studies is often flawed. Very little evidence supports industry claims that GMOs are harmless.
2. Independent studies show that GMOs are dangerous to both human health and the environment. When independent researchers can get a hold of patented seeds or other GMO-related products, they repeatedly find that these allegedly safe products damage our internal organs and threaten the environment.
3. GM seeds threaten the viability of organic crops and decrease biodiversity. The agricultural arm of the BioTech industry has a stranglehold on small farmers: It's currently illegal for them to save seeds. Instead, farmers must purchase them new every year. But these seeds often pop-up in organic fields by accident. Organic farmers are then threatened with both illegal use of GM seeds and the revocation of their status as organic growers.

There are quite a few recent articles and studies to back up these points. Last year, the New York Times reported on a group of corn-insect scientists who filed an official complaint with the EPA. The nature of their complaint was that "farmers and other buyers of genetically engineered seeds have to sign an agreement meant to ensure that growers honor company patent rights and environmental regulations. But the agreements also prohibit growing the crops for research purposes."

On the points of human health and environmental damage, Change.org blogger Cameron Scott has kept a close eye on the evidence that GMO corn is damaging to the liver and kidneys. And a GMO potato was just approved in the European Union (which has a history of banning GMO products), even though its genetic modification may render it resistant to antiobiotics:

The Amflora potato looks like any garden-variety spud, but in developing it, BASF included a marker gene as a way of identifying plant cells that successfully produced the desired type of starch. Some scientists have linked the marker gene to antibiotic resistance in humans, raising concerns that the ill and the elderly, especially, could become more vulnerable to disease.

As far as seeds and organic contamination are concerned, that old villain Monsanto is at it again. The Agro-giant was required to file environmental impact statement for its genetically-modified alfalfa.

Michael Hansen is a senior scientist with Consumers Union, which recently released a poll finding that two-thirds of organic consumers are concerned about the potential for contamination of organic alfalfa. Hansen said, “Genetically engineered corn and soy are widely grown in the U.S. and organic farmers and processors are having a very hard time keeping it out of organic food and animal feed, where it is prohibited. Allowing GE alfalfa on the market will create a whole new set of problems for the organic industry in maintaining organic integrity. Once an engineered variety is grown outside, it is almost impossible to contain it.”

In related news, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility claim that many wildlife refuges are being taken over by genetically-engineered seeds:

National wildlife refuges have allowed farming for decades to help prepare seed beds for native grasslands and provide food for migratory birds. In recent years, however, refuge farming has been converted to GE crops because that is only seed farmers can obtain. Today, the vast majority of crops grown on refuges are genetically engineered.

Consider yourself prepared for the imminent battles over the safety of GMO crops. Big Ag is sure to have some tricks up its sleeve, as Grist recently discovered. Stick to the facts and keep your argument the way you like your food: clean and simple. With all the tech-babble and talk of progress on the part of the GMO PR machine, the only way to beat this one is with the truth.

Photo courtesty of fsgm.