This page has been archived and commenting is disabled.
Do We Have a Right to Know If Our Food Has Been Genetically Modified?
The FDA is close to approving genetically modified (gm) salmon. See this and this.
We know that at least some genetically modified foods may harm the environment. See this.
And serious questions have been raised about whether some gm foods might
increase allergies or cause other health problems in humans and other
organisms. See this, this, this, this, this, this, this and this.
Indeed, as Mother Jones pointed out last week, gm salmon may itself increase allergies:
Consumers Union senior scientist Michael Hansen called the company's food safety tests "woefully incomplete," and the group pointed out that the FDA approval panel is mostly comprised of GE [i.e. genetic engineering] cheerleaders,
with no fish ecologists or allergists. Why's an allergist important?
Because the company's own tests suggest that the new salmon could be
much more allergenic than regular salmon.
In order to understand the allergy tests, a bit of backstory on how AquAdvantage salmon are made
is necessary. First, genetic engineers create a "diploid" fish,
meaning like people, it has two sets of chromosomes. Then, to make the
final market product, they add genetic material from other fish and
breed a new salmon with three sets of chromosomes—a "triploid" female
that can't reproduce. AquaBounty researchers compared the
allergenicity—or potential to cause an allergic reaction—of a control
group of salmon to both the genetically engineered diploids and
triploids. They found (PDF,
see page 102) that the diploid salmon were 40 percent more allergenic
than the control, while the triploid group was 19 percent more
allergenic.
AquaBounty says that the triploids' allergenicity
level wasn't statistically significant, and although the diploids'
level is significant, it doesn't matter because only triploids will be
sold. But Hansen of the Consumers Union finds a few problems with this
argument. For starters, the test wasn't double blind, meaning the
researchers knew which fish were part of which test group. Second, the
sample size of triploid fish was tiny—only six fish in all. Third,
although AquaBounty is going to try to turn all its market-bound fish
into triploid sterile females, the process isn't perfect, and some 5
percent could end up as the more allergenic diploid. Especially scary
when you consider that unlike the triploids, the diploids aren't
sterile. So if they escaped, they could breed with wild salmon.
The
FDA simply doesn't have enough information to determine whether
AquaBounty's salmon are likely to cause more allergic reactions than
their non-GE counterparts. But there is good reason to be concerned
about the potential allergenicity of all GE foods, says Margaret Mellon,
director of the scientist Union of Concerned Scientsts' Food and
Environment Program. "You have this technology that allows you to
essentially move proteins around from food to food," she says. "You can
move a highly allergenic protein into a new food, and no one will know to avoid the new food."
Indeed, a 1996 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine
found that people who were allergic to Brazil nuts were also allergic
to soy beans that had been implanted with a Brazil nut protein. There
is also some evidence that even proteins don't usually cause allergies
can become allergenic when they are moved to a new food. A 2005
Australian study
found that mice who were fed peas containing a typically
non-allergenic protein from kidney beans experienced allergic
reactions.
Another
worry is that potentially allergenic GE crops might "escape" into
foods. In the late '90s, the pharmaceutical giant Aventis introduced
StarLink, a genetically engineered variety of corn. StarLink was
approved for sale in the US, but only for non-food uses, since it
contained a potentially allergenic protein. But then, traces of it
started turning up in food (most famously, Taco Bell taco shells), and 28 people claimed they had suffered allergic reactions to foods containing StarLink. Although the CDC later found no medical evidence
that any of those people had an allergy to the corn, an EPA advisory
panel acknowledged that the CDC's tests did "not eliminate
StarLink...protein as a potential cause of allergic symptoms."
The
bottom line: It's not that genetically engineered foods are inherently
more allergenic than traditional foods, but transfering genes does make
it more likely that allergens might pop up in unexpected places.
"There can be a lot of unintended side effects when you do genetic
modification, which means you have to test very carefully," says
Wenonah Hauter, executive director of the watchdog group Food and Water Watch.
"In the case of salmon, one test on six fish just seems very
insufficient for something that will open the floodgates to other GE
meat and fish."
Allergic reactions can - in a small
percentage of people - be more severe than just a sniffle or stomach
ache. Some people die from allergic reactions.
At least genetically modified salmon will be labeled as such, so people can avoid it if they wish. Right?
Wrong.
As the Washington Post notes:
The
FDA says it cannot require a label on the genetically modified food
once it determines that the altered fish is not "materially" different
from other salmon - something agency scientists have said is true.
Perhaps more surprising, conventional
food makers say the FDA has made it difficult for them to boast that
their products do not contain genetically modified ingredients.
Unfortunately,
stifling the ability of producers of traditional foods to tell
consumers they are not using an additive is nothing new. For example,
Monsanto has sued milk producers who labeled their product as not containing growth hormone.
Similarly, Scientific American notes that gm seed producers control research, so that independent scientists can't study the effects of gm:
Scientists must ask corporations for permission before publishing independent research on genetically modified crops.
Liberals and conservatives, progressives and libertarians should all be up in arms about this.
We have a right to know what we're eating.
Postscript: Farmed salmon contains less of the healthy Omega 3 fatty acids and more pollutants than wild salmon. See this and this.
GM salmon will be farmed (unless it escapes into the ocean). So
eating wild salmon may potentially be one way to avoid gm salmon, reduce
exposure to pollutants, and increase healthy Omega 3s.
The
reason that wild salmon has more Omega 3s than farmed salmon is that
wild salmon eat Omega 3 rich foods. It is the same reason that
grass-fed beef contains more Omega 3s than beef from cows fed corn, meat
or other "modern" feeds. See this and this.
Eating Omega 3 rich foods can increase gray matter in adults and boost neurological development in children. Conversely, low dietary levels of Omega 3s in mothers can reduce their kids' IQ.
This is not entirely surprising, given that (1) our brains are about 60% fat, and (2) leading
nutritionists say that humans evolved to consume alot of Omega 3 fatty acids in the wild game and fish which they ate (more),
and that a low Omega 3 diet is a very new trend within the last 100
years or so
- advertisements -
Yes I believe that we do have a right to know. How do we stop this policy?
Queue the nutcases!
Everything is O.K., the BBC says so:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/4605398.stm
'Doomsday' seed bank to be built
Mr Hawtin said there were currently about 1,400 seed banks around the world, but a large number of these were located in countries that were either politically unstable or that faced threats from the natural environment.
"What we're trying to do is build a back-up to these, so that a sample of all the material in these gene banks can be kept in the gene bank in Spitsbergen," Mr Hawtin added.
The Norwegian government is due to start work on the seed vault next year, when it will drill into a sandstone mountain on Spitsbergen, part of the Svalbard archipelago, about 966km (600 miles) from the North Pole.
Permafrost will keep the vault below freezing point and the seeds will further be protected by metre-thick walls of reinforced concrete, two airlocks and high security blast-proof doors.
More than likely it is an underground bolt-hole being built at taxpayer expense for Betty Windsor, Lord Redshield, and a few of their closest friends, for when shit gets hectic! Hard to build something that big on the sly unless you have a plausible "cover story".
Just sayin'/playin'.
Just one more thing i won't be wasting my life worrying about. I'd be more concerned about the pimply-faced cook dropping foreign matter into the food at your local restaurant.
This is the absolute worst article I have read in a long time.
Also most of the comment are idiotic.
http://www.villagevoice.com/2010-09-29/news/white-america-has-lost-its-mind/
.
White America Has Lost Its Mind
The white brain, beset with worries, finally goes haywire in spectacular fashion By Steven Thrasher Wednesday, Sep 29 2010 ... . "What was going on? Had decades of sucking down so much high-fructose corn syrup not only made Americans incredibly obese, but also messed with white brain chemistry to the point that some sort of tipping point had occurred?" .. .does a manufacturer have the right to CLAIM/SAY their
product is gmo free? in an environment where
they might not KNOW because ingredients they use
are not REQUIRED to state according to "don't ask
don"t tell"? freedom through ignorance paradigm.
.
but parents would seem to have a moral right to know
as they could be feeding their offspring death and
that wouldn't be good parenting, in most states anyway.
No legal or moral right to know, but it is in manufacturers' interest to disclose the information. The FDA just does what it is told. It is as safe and effective as the SEC.
http://maxkeiser.com/
Revealed: Collateralized Debt Obligations are Made Out of This Stuff October 4th, 2010This is mechanically separated chicken. Chickens are turned into this goop so we can create delicious chicken nuggets and juicy chicken patties. It's obscenely gross and borderline alien but it's not going to stop me from eating nuggets. They're too good.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/chicken-nuggets-are-made-of-this-pink-goop-2010-10#ixzz11RkA1KD8
.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-gary-null-show-wnye/2010/9/27/the-gary-null-show-092710.htmlToday's guest is Claire Robinson and she is a long time activist on genetically modified organisms and toxicological issues. She is the senior editor of GM Watch in the UK, an independent nonprofit organization founded in 1998 with a mission to counter the corporate power and propaganda of the Big Ag and biotech industries through daily newsletters and campaign activities.
Also, we have Professor Andres Carrasco and he is the Director of the Laboratory of Molecular Embryology at the University of Buenos Aires Medical School in Argentina. He is also the lead researcher of Argentine’s National Council of Scientific and Technical Research.
I just sent an email to my senators urging them to vote against SB 510.
Lot of fucking good that will do, I'm sure.
It has the potential to accomplish a far sight more than simply sitting on your thumbs digging for polyps, I'm sure. Nice one.
Omega 3's
Cardiovascular health
Nervous system health
Anti inflammatory
Mood enhancer
Lengthens telomeres (DNA "end cap" that determines Hayflick Limit or an individual cell's lifespan see Leonard Hayflick PhD UCSF and http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/303/3/250)
And remember, the Elderberry protects from H1N1 (due to hit your mainstream media outlet any day now.)
The real problem is the genes in these modified foods end up being consumed by the bacteria in our gut, which will absorb and copy these genes. Bacteria have a relatively short evolutionary cycle.
We all have about 5 pounds of beneficial bacteria in our gut which make it possible for us to metabolize the food we eat. Once our internal bacteria are contaminated with these genes they become part of us.
I had seen a very good video on Mercola on this subject, but not sure I can find it again. I did find this while looking for the video at PSW - kind of remember posting it but maybe just thought about it.
Study Finds Genetically Modified Corn Causing Organ Damage To RatsCourtesy of Vincent Fernando at Clusterstock/The Business Insider
A new study concludes that some varieties of genetically modified corn may cause organ damage.
Regardless of which specific varieties of genemtic modification might be dangerous, if serious health risks were proven for any genetically modified type of food, it could hit all types since the level of regulatory scrutiny would likely increase ten-fold.
It would most certainly be bad news for Monsanto (MON).
Journal of Biological Sciences: We therefore conclude that our data strongly suggests that these GM maize varieties induce a state of hepatorenal toxicity. This can be due to the new pesticides (herbicide or insecticide) present specifically in each type of GM maize, although unintended metabolic effects due to the mutagenic properties of the GM transformation process cannot be excluded [42]. All three GM maize varieties contain a distinctly different pesticide residue associated with their particular GM event (glyphosate and AMPA in NK 603, modified Cry1Ab in MON 810, modified Cry3Bb1 in MON 863). These substances have never before been an integral part of the human or animal diet and therefore their health consequences for those who consume them, especially over long time periods are currently unknown….
In conclusion, our data presented here strongly recommend that additional long-term (up to 2 years) animal feeding studies be performed in at least three species, preferably also multi-generational, to provide true scientifically valid data on the acute and chronic toxic effects of GM crops, feed and foods.
Read more here >
We’d be curious to see how this pans out, it seems to be far from a done deal given that they recommend doing further study in order to achieve ‘true scientifically valid data’. It also seems that the problem may have had more to do with the pesticides involved rather than the actual act of modifying genes....
(Via Naked Capitalism)
Do We Have a Right to Know If Our Food Has Been Genetically Modified?
Yes, you do; if you can get a law passed making it your right to know if your food has been genetically modified.
I feel safe as long as they put Product of USA on the food label so I know not to buy it. I long ago added the USA to my list of China and Russia, countries where I never, ever buy or eat food from if I can avoid it. Actually, the USA is now probably a bigger worry to me than China. And that is saying something.
The Chinese eat only the freshest food and eat it almost raw (just quickly stir-fried). Traditionally, they shopped 3 times a day for the freshest meat and vegetables for each meal. And, since they weren't given a barrage of vaccinations as infants to trigger their immune systems too early, their natural immune systems could handle all the "less than ideal hygene" in their food handling processes.
You could learn a lot from that.
In 30 years of living in, and travelling through, Asia -- eating at the filthiest markets and roadside stalls, buying fresh veggies from the markets, plus only drinking tap water -- I never once got food poisoning.
i am from thailand and we eat on the sidewalk every day. we dont get food poisoning either but we do get lots of carcinogens and pesticides which is why we have such high cancer rates. fresh food in china? maybe in places but export food?let me buy you a glass of milk next time you are in china.
yup.
I have a good friend who's lived in Taiwan for at least a decade - whenever he visits I let him cook - it's about 10min chopping veg, 5min in the wok - the longest part of the process is the actual sharing of a meal, with a beer and a chat, heh. . .
various condiments are good too, for digestion, flavour, etc.
another thing to consider is the actual portion of meat is much smaller than amkrns expect. . .
(great posts upthread too i-dog!)
Good grief GW
Since when do you or any substantial group of Americans care what you eat?
Gimme a break. In-and-Out has the most fabulous hamburgers for the least cost. Don't you like MacDonalds?
GW is stuck on whether or not to order Gulf shrimp. Typical of most environmentalists: if you ever go over to their house, it's a pig sty. Their own personal space smells like cat piss.
Sorry, but if you eat that crap you will suffer sooner or later... Your health will suffer and obviously your brain is already suffering the effects of a poor, GM, steroid/hormone, HFCS, antibiotic laced diet.
but........my home doesn't stink of cat piss.
if you want to know what you're eating, look into yourself, or hire someone to do it for you.
It's not my job to supply you with or pay for every demand you call a 'right'.
Governments will do their usual worse than useless job of it, so best to get gov't out and let private companies pop up to do it, Consumer report style.
Wow, even for a right wing loony that's a pretty good point you've got there VW (and in this instance I am not referring to the one on top of your head). Too bad it missed the mark entirely.
The argument is that companies that provide a product that is GMO free should be allowed, using their own money not yours (Gov't), to advertise their wares as such without fear of legal reprisal. That is the right in question here. WHOOSH! Nobody is questioning your right to risk poisoning yourself by gorging on some unproven/self-approving food technologies day in day out. Indeed in my case far from it! Please: fill your boots!
Massive coverups of studies finding scary problems with genetically modified foods.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/04/watch-out-...
"Biologist Arpad Pusztai had more than 300 articles and 12 books to his credit and was the world’s top expert in his field.
But when he accidentally discovered that genetically modified (GM) foods are dangerous, he became the biotech industry’s bad-boy poster child, setting an example for other scientists thinking about blowing the whistle.
In the early 1990s, Dr. Pusztai was awarded a $3 million grant by the UK government to design the system for safety testing genetically modified organisms (GMOs). His team included more than 20 scientists working at three facilities, including the Rowett Institute in Aberdeen, Scotland, the top nutritional research lab in the UK, and his employer for the previous 35 years.
The results of Pusztai’s work were supposed to become the required testing protocols for all of Europe. But when he fed supposedly harmless GM potatoes to rats, things didn’t go as planned.
Within just 10 days, the animals developed potentially pre-cancerous cell growth, smaller brains, livers, and testicles, partially atrophied livers, and damaged immune systems. Moreover, the cause was almost certainly side effects from the process of genetic engineering itself. In other words, the GM foods on the market, which are created from the same process, might have similar affects on humans.
With permission from his director, Pusztai was interviewed on TV and expressed his concerns about GM foods. He became a hero at his institute -- for two days.
Then came the phone calls from the pro-GMO prime minister’s office to the institute’s director. The next morning, Pusztai was fired. He was silenced with threats of a lawsuit, his team was dismantled, and the protocols never implemented. His Institute, the biotech industry, and the UK government, together launched a smear campaign to destroy Pusztai’s reputation.
Eventually, an invitation to speak before Parliament lifted his gag order and his research was published in the prestigious Lancet. No similar in-depth studies have yet tested the GM foods eaten every day by Americans....
BIG GOVERNMENT MONOPOLY: "when nothing is true until its authorized as such."
News flash. We've been genetically altering everything from dogs and cats to wheat and corn for over a hundred years. The FDA's return on investment has been sweet d*ck all. Get over it. If it makes you sick, they'll stop it.
The central goal of the salmon research was to grow a salmon in a third of the time. That, they have done. They did this because the inane government controlled Commons rules of the ocean rewarded over fishing. If ownership of those rivers would have stayed in private hands instead of usurped by politicians, we'd still have salmon. I say let a few hundred loose in the Pacific, and see what happens.
wel... when two salmon or dogs or cows make babies, it's nature determining if it has staying power.
i trust that. no problem at all with cross-breeding of any kind (sperm, pollen, etc.)
when some college genetic engineer does things that nature might not have done... that i don't trust. at all. and i think the difference is very important.
to be sure, i don't give a hoot if folks want franken-food.
but i would like a law that forces honest labels to those that would sell it.
i don't think i can stop that stuff from infecting our food supply - but it does make me nervous.
All food is basically genetically modified.
How the fuck you think chicken breasts are so big? They breed the chickens, cows, tomatos, berries, everything, including crossing different strains.
Trav,
I guess I'm gonna have to throw in with the commie pinko libs on this one...as much as it pains me...LOL.
"How the fuck you think chicken breasts are so big?"
Where I live there are a bunch of chicken farms. They are supplied the chicken feed by the same company that supplies the chicks for raising. The chickens are full grown and ready for processing in six weeks...SIX WEEKS !!!
The reason (we think) the chickens have such humongous breasts these days is growth hormones.
A side effect of this is if a stranger walks into one of the buildings the chickens spazz out and keel over dead...if they can even stand up from the weight of their breasts.
No lie dude...some people out here won't even eat store bought chicken...which is a perfectly libertarian thing to do...choice.
I first got interested in the subject when Monsanto tried to corner the corn seed market by selling seed that will produce corn but once grown will produce sterile kernels...meaning the farmer can't save some for next years planting...they would have to go back and buy more seed.
Pure greed lust and stupidly evil.
Monsanto: "mother nature invented corn over millions of years, we made one change, and now we own it. fuck you. pay me."
Animal husbandry & plant cross-breeding is one thing. Genetic slice-n-dice & recombo into patentable products is a whole different GM corn enchilada.
Not really. It is only the difference between using crude and precise tools.
Specific genes code for specific proteins, nothing else (at least so far as the ones that are being modified). Transposing a single protein will rarely have side effects, and when it does, it is only harmful to the animal. Remember, an animal is first and foremost a big walking bundle of protein. Your body doesn't really care how those proteins are shaped. It will digest them all down to basic components. If any small combination of the basic components was toxic, we would be extinct. The main issue is to keep DROG-PRODUCING GMO out of the food chain. That is far more deadly.
To answer the pertinent question, we to NOT have a right to know what is in food on the shelves. Rather, the producers of that food have a RIGHT to add that information or leave it out. The market will decide if it is really important or not. Just like the market stopped tuna producers from killing dolphins without any government intervention.
The problem really is the cross pollination of GM plants. Not only with other crops but with wild species of the same or similar families of plants. If they discover a real problem (and they have already discovered incredible problems with GM plants-from organ damage to early death to infertility in the study animals that consume them); once these genes get out into the wild (like Round Up (TM) Ready Canola) it will be impossible to put that gene back into the bottle.
We have Round Up Ready Canola growing wild by the sides of the roads in Canada and the Upper Mid West. If an alergenic gene from a GM plant is allowed to cross polinate we may never get it out of that plant family. We already see GM Corn in Mexico, and they banned GM corn because of the thousands of heirloom corn varieties they grow. Even Mexico, with an outright BAN on GM corn has become contaminated. It is a tragedy for biodiversity. We may need those pure heirloom crops one day to overcome future problems with monoculture diseases.
That is all well and good, what you say is true and complete (unless you've forgotten something, of course). Consider, however, the long term effects of this technology? This is a fairly new technology. As far as I know, there isn't much evidence on long term consumption through multiple generations. At the very least, there exist no studies of that sort involving humans. It would be impossible because it hasn't been around long enough. Which is kind of my point. This is a kind of experiment on the population. I guess that is just my tin foil hat way of looking at it.
It has to be possible to feed the world without GM foods, we just have to be smarter about it. Maybe we could do away with some of the older food production models that seem to be failing. We don't have to bludgeon mother nature with a baseball bat every time we come up against a wall (that we've put in place for ourselves).
the rockefeller owned fda will shove whatever crap it wants down our throats.....which is one more reason why those evil vermin should be exterminated....big money little people....the fda is a servant of the ruthless monied class - another reason why big government is for buffoons....
and speaking of fish, have you had your fda approved dose of co-rexit today?
no doubt our food is poisoned...........but i got a BIGGER question.....are we ourselves a GENETICALLYMODIFIED CREATION of an alien race.....for some reasons i just cant digest that monkey-to-man DARWIN STORY............this may sound incredible...but u have to let ur imagination fly .....and ask urselves....could the PYRAMIDS be built by man,....are the mythological gods of the ancients really aliens.......:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94-zTZWabSs
Erich von Daniken, please pickup a white courtesy phone. Erich von Daniken.
Excellent!! LMAO. Milestones
Excellent!! LMAO. Milestones
In answer to the author's question: "No, we do not have the right to know what's in our food. A "right" is a negative obligation on a government. A "right" describes what the government cannot do, not what individuals so governed should do.
True, informative, food labeling is a positive obligation on the producer of the food. It is an has been since the beginning of markets a positive obligation enforced by government. So libertarians don't have a lot to complain about here.
Make an individual choice. Don't eat salmon. See how far that gets you.
Then, while you're not eating salmon, not trading stocks because of a deregulated, HFT-dominated market, you can reflect on your model of how society works - particularly how it is that producers with common interests form natural cartels because of those common interests despite the presence of a competitive marketplace.
Nevertheless, Gold to $1700 - and quickly.
I've heard that rats won't eat GM grains, but I think humans are much more durable than those small furry animals.
Rats fed all sorts of GM foods have internal organ damage of all kinds. Potatos, soy, corn, wheat, you name it. Studies show the damage and those studies get buried. The Round up ready gene in GM grains produce pesticides in the human gut.
Let's see some evidence, or let's see you apologizing for making shit up or spreading baseless rumors.
Round up ready does no such thing, you liar. If anything, the round up ready gene would make you IMMUNE to round-up, if you weren't already, being that you are a human being, and not a weed of some sort.
Go back to Limbaugh or keep your yap shut.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/04/watch-out-there-are-more-problems-with-genetically-modified-foods-than-youre-allowed-to-know.aspx
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/07/monsantos-roundup-residues-in-gm-food-cause-cell-damage.aspx
Allergic reactions are a problem, agreed. It happens suddenly, unexpectedly. Can be severe.
More pernecious -- tinkering with hormones that can survive in the water supply. Example, women's birth control pill metabolites that seem to be ending up in the water supply having weird effects on organisms and being linked to possible decreased fertility in men. Got man boobs?
Also, worldwide Codex Alimentarius (CA) implementation and control of food supply as *SUDDEN DEBT says is predictable real problem. ADM and Monsanto have seeds altered to produce sterile plants, only good for one crop at a time. Farmers have to repurchase each season -- monopoly if CA requires all crops must be theirs. Biggest institutional investers in these corps. are the usual suspects. USA adopted CA this year.
Very Soviet-like.
Halal meat involves bleeding animals to death. I leave it to barbarians.
I agree. I prefer for my meat to be scalded and skinned while still alive.
Don't throw stones when you live in a glass house, barbarian-boy.
Check the gate...
would you like fries with that mr. kettle?