What are GMOs and are they healthy?

​Did you watch the Dr. Oz show today? It was another awesome episode. He talked about the Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15 just like I did last week in my blog. You are probably thinking that Dr. Oz and I collaborated on the material, but it is simply not so. We are both so passionate to share important information with as many people as possible. 

​I often talk about the use of pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, and hormones in the food supply and how dangerous they can be for human consumption. Today, I would like to expand the discussion and talk about GMOs. Many people hear this term, but are confused by what it means. GMO stands for genetically modified (engineered) organisms. 

​So what are GMOs?

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines GMOs as organisms in which the genetic material (the DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally. There are no rules or regulations in the United States as to what parts of DNA can be used or even to what species may be crossed with others. Many people ask if GMOs are hybrid foods and many GMO proponents claim that genetic engineering is just an extension of natural breeding methods, and just as safe. This is simply not true.

Are GMO foods the same as hybrid foods?

​Genetic engineering is radically different from conventional breeding techniques used to improve a crop. For starters, it is a laboratory-based technique allowing scientists to create a food that could never be created by nature. Claire Robinson, co-author of “GMO Myths and Truths”, explains: “Genetic engineering enables DNA to be transferred not only between different kinds of plants, but even between different kingdoms. You can take DNA from an insect, an animal, a virus or a bacterium, and insert it into the genome of a food crop plant. The truth is that the genetic engineering process disrupts the genome (organization and function of genes) of the plant." This is far different than a hybrid food. A hybrid food, like a pluot, is actually a cross between a plum and an apricot, to which we assign a different name. It is a natural crossbreed of two separate varieties of fruit to create a new one. This does not raise any red flags for me. But what if your tomato has been injected with fish DNA and was still called a tomato? Would you really want to eat it? Dr. Mercola adds, “The reality is that scientists don't know what they are doing in terms of what side effects are produced by DNA tampering. The effects are very unpredictable.”

The majority of GMOs are food crops. Pesticides and herbicides developed from bacteria are inserted into the DNA of the food supply to make them resistant to herbicide sprays. We were told that genetic engineering was a "means to reduce the quantity of herbicides and other chemicals being used, but the reality is quite the opposite." Dr. Mercola posits, “Genetically engineered crops have increased the use of pesticides, mostly because of herbicide-tolerant crops designed to survive huge amounts of herbicide. As weeds have developed resistance, farmers are forced to use ever-greater amounts of chemical mixtures.” No long-term safety studies have been conducted on the effects of exposure to or the consumption of GMOs, so we humans, are literally a lab experiment for Monsanto, the world leader in GM crops and seeds. Only the companies that patent and own genetically modified crops benefit. If you do not want to consume GMOs, read food labels carefully and avoid non-organic corn, soy, and sugar – three of the most genetically modified crops.

Is there mandatory labeling for GMOs?

​GMO foods are required to be labeled in the European Union; however, there is no mandatory labeling for GMO foodstuffs here in the United States. Thankfully there is an organization that does offer Americans some help in avoiding genetically modified foods. This organization is called the Non-GMO Project and is committed to building the non-GMO food supply in order to offer us some level of GMO transparency – now there’s an idea! It would be wise to seek out the “USDA Organic” label or the “Non-GMO Project Verified” seal since GMOs are prohibited in products with these labels.

Sources:
Huffington Post Green (2015). Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/margie-kelly/genetically-modified-food
Mercola, J. (2016). Retrieved from: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/04/24/gmo-myth-truth.aspx
Sacks, S. (2014). What the fork are you eating? New York, NY: Jeremy P. Tarcher
Sannapu, A. (2013). Are GMOs healthy? Retrieved from http://articles.herballegacy.com/what-are-gmos-are-they-healthy-and-natural