Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are the result of laboratory processes which artificially insert foreign genes into the DNA of food crops or animals. Those genes may come from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals or even humans. Although banned by food manufacturers in Europe and elsewhere, the FDA does not require any safety evaluations. Most Americans say they would not eat GMOs if labeled, but the U.S. does not require labeling. GMOs are not safe, but have been in the food supply since 1996 and are now present in the vast majority of processed foods in the US.

Spilling the Beans - January 2008
SIDEBAR 1: GM SUGAR WILL NOT BE EXCUSED

The sugar beet industry hopes that their GM sugar beets will not generate the consumer rejection associated with other GM crops. The sugar, they contend, does not contain any GM DNA or protein. A similar argument has been made for oils derived by GM crops, including soy, corn, cottonseed, and canola. But experience conclusively shows that consumers do not want to eat products that are derived by GM crops—period.

This precautionary approach has scientific merit; the risks of GM crops are not limited just to its DNA or the protein produced by the inserted gene. The process of creating a GM plant causes massive collateral damage in the DNA—approximately 2-4% of the DNA is different (mutated) compared to its parent. This can result in increased or new toxins, allergens, carcinogens, and anti-nutrients.

Even small amounts of contaminants can be quite dangerous. Consider the food supplement L-tryptophan, produced in the 1980’s by a Japanese company that used genetically engineered bacteria. The genetic engineering process was almost certainly the reason why the supplement contained 5 or 6 contaminants. They were tiny—0.1% to 0.01% of the total amount of product—but their effect huge. This brand killed about 100 Americans and caused 5,000-10,000 to become sick or permanently disabled. [53] It is important to note that the toxic tryptophan passed the US pharmaceutical standard for purity. The deadly contaminants were part of the acceptable level of impurity.

In addition, when a panel of top US allergists evaluated StarLink, the potentially allergenic GM corn that had illegally entered the food supply, the doctors concluded that no level of contamination would be considered safe. Allergens can trigger reactions at minute levels.

Finally, there are some endocrine disrupting substances that have effects in the parts per billion or trillion range. We cannot rule out the possibility that these disruptors are produced in GM crops, especially since some of the problems associated with GM feed (e.g. sterility, infant mortality and morbidity, gender-specific reactions) may be related to endocrine disruption.

Thus, in the case of sugar beets, the pulp used for animal feed, the molasses, and even the highly purified sugar, all contain levels of contamination that might harbor an unexpected byproduct of the GM process. It is quite unlikely that consumers will accept GM sugar if they are rejecting other GM products.

Go to Main Article: GENETICALLY MODIFIED SUGAR BEETS: A Bad Bet (at the Worst Time)

Go to Sidebar 2: High Adoption Rates of GMOs by Farmers are Misleading