An Introduction to Genetically Modified Foods

1. An Introduction to Genetically Modified Foods Alvin Stein, MD ¼ Hour AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

2. Overview • The participant will be able to describe what genetically modified foods are and identify an overview of the science used to create these crops. • The participant will be able to cite crops that are typically genetically modified will be identified. • The participant will be able to cite the history behind this new scientific movement, and its supposed benefits and unforeseen risks.

3. What are Genetically Modified (GM) Foods? • Although "biotechnology" and "genetic modification" are commonly used interchangeably, GM is a special set of technologies that alter the genetic makeup of organisms such as animals, plants, or bacteria. Biotechnology, a more general term, refers to using organisms or their components, such as enzymes, to make products that include wine, cheese, beer, and yogurt. • Combining genes from different organisms is known as recombinant DNA technology, and the resulting organism is said to be "genetically modified," "genetically engineered," or "transgenic." GM products (current or those in development) include medicines and vaccines, foods and food ingredients, feeds, and fibers. Reference Stein Bibliography: Intro. to GM Foods #1

4. Genetic Modification • In 2006, 252 million acres of transgenic crops were planted in 22 countries by 10.3 million farmers. Countries that grew 97% of global transgenic crops included the United States 53%, Argentina 17%, Brazil 11%, Canada 6%, India 4%, China 3%, Paraguay 2%, and South Africa 1%. • The majority of these crops were herbicide- and insect-resistant soybeans, corn, cotton, canola, and alfalfa. • Other crops grown commercially or field tested are sweet potatoes resistant to a virus that could decimate most of the African harvest, rice with increased iron and vitamins that may alleviate chronic malnutrition in Asian countries, and a variety of plants able to survive extreme weather conditions. Reference Stein Bibliography: Intro. to GM Foods #1

5. Genetic Modification • Future plans include bananas that produce human vaccines against infectious diseases such as hepatitis B, fish that mature more quickly, cows that are resistant to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease), and fruit and nut trees that will yield crops years earlier. Reference Stein Bibliography: Intro. to GM Foods #1

6. How did all of this opportunity to do genetic modification come about? • Between 1997 and 1999, genetically modified ingredients appeared in almost two thirds of processed foods in the United States. The entire process was enabled by a single Supreme Court ruling. • Overall the "biotech revolution" that is presently trying to overturn 12,000 years of traditional and sustainable agriculture was launched in the summer of 1980 in the US. This was the result of a little-known US Supreme Court decision Diamond vs. Chakrabarty where the highest court decided that biological life could be legally patentable. Reference Stein Bibliography: Intro. to GM Foods #2

7. History of Genetic Modification • Ananda Mohan Chakrabarty, a microbiologist and employee of General Electric (GE), developed at the time a type of bacteria that could ingest oil. GE rushed to apply for a patent in 1971. • After several years of review, the US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) turned down the request under the traditional doctrine that life forms are not patentable. GE sued and won, overturning the ruling. • In 1985, the PTO decided that the Chakrabarty ruling could be further extended to all plants, seeds, and plant tissues - or to the entire plant kingdom. Reference Stein Bibliography: Intro. to GM Foods #2

8. What are the Benefits? • Crops • They are looking for enhanced taste and quality; reduced maturation time; increased nutrients, yields, and stress tolerance; improved resistance to disease, pests, and herbicides; as well as new products and growing techniques. • Animals • They are looking to create animals with increased resistance, productivity, hardiness and feed efficiency. They hope for better yields of meat, eggs and milk plus improved animal health and diagnostic methods. Reference Stein Bibliography: Intro. to GM Foods #1

9. What are the Benefits? • Environment • Friendly bioherbicides and bioinsecticides are sought. They hope to conserve the soil, water and energy. Bioprocessing for forestry products and better natural waste management with more efficient processing are all goals. • The proponents propose that the societal benefit will be increased food security for a continuously growing population. Reference Stein Bibliography: Intro. to GM Foods #1

10. Genetically Modified Foods • Over the last 20 years Jeff Smith has worked with over 30 scientists to collect all of the known health risks of genetically modified foods. • Studies have produced thousands of sick, sterile and dead laboratory animals, and damage to virtually every system in the laboratory animals studied. • Thousands of people linking toxic and allergic-type reactions to these foods. • Despite this alarming evidence, 70% of the foods in our supermarkets have genetically modified organisms in them. Reference Stein Bibliography: Intro. to GM Foods #3

11. From Dr Richard Lacey Medical Microbiologist U. of LeedsU.S. District Court Case 98-1300 • Recombinant DNA technology is an inherently risky method for producing new foods. Its risks are in large part due to the complexity and interdependency of the parts of a living system, including its DNA. • Wedging foreign genetic material in an essentially random manner into an organism's genome necessarily causes some degree of disruption, and the disruption could be multi-faceted. Reference Stein Bibliography: Intro. to GM Foods #4

12. From Dr Richard Lacey Medical Microbiologist U. of LeedsU.S. District Court Case 98-1300 • Further, whether singular or multi-faceted, the disruptive influence could well result in the presence of unexpected toxins or allergens or in the degradation of nutritional value. • Further, because of the complexity and interactivity of living systems -- and because of the extent to which our understanding of them is still quite deficient -- it is impossible to predict what specific problems could result in the case of any particular genetically engineered organism. Reference Stein Bibliography: Intro. to GM Foods #4

13. From Dr Richard Lacey Medical Microbiologist U. of LeedsU.S. District Court Case 98-1300 • Prediction is even more difficult because even when dealing with one variety of a food-producing organism and one particular set of foreign genetic material, each insertion event is unique and can yield deeply different results. • Biotechnicians take cells that are the result of normal reproduction and randomly splice a chunk of foreign genetic material into their genome. This always disturbs the function of the region of native DNA into which the material wedges. Reference Stein Bibliography: Intro. to GM Foods #4

14. From Dr Richard Lacey Medical Microbiologist U. of LeedsU.S. District Court Case 98-1300 • Further, the foreign genes will usually not express within their new environment without a big artificial boost, which is supplied by fusing them to promoters from viruses or pathogenic bacteria. • As a result, these genes operate essentially as independent agents outside the host organism's regulatory system, which can lead to many deleterious imbalances. Reference Stein Bibliography: Intro. to GM Foods #4

15. From Dr Richard Lacey Medical Microbiologist U. of LeedsU.S. District Court Case 98-1300 • Moreover, this unregulated activity produces substances that have never been in the host species before and are usually very different from any that have -- which could lead to problems even if production were at a low rather than a high level. • There are several other major differences between genetic engineering and traditional breeding, all of which could, as can the above-mentioned ones, induce the presence of unpredicted toxins or allergens or the degradation of nutritional value. Reference Stein Bibliography: Intro. to GM Foods #4

16. Controversies Surrounding Genetic Modification • From a safety point of view there is the potential for human health impact including allergens, transfer of antibiotic resistance markers and a whole host of unknown effects. • There are potential environmental impacts including unintended transfer of transgenes through cross-pollination, unknown effects on other organisms such as soil microbes, and a loss of flora and fauna biodiversity. Reference Stein Bibliography: Intro. to GM Foods #1

17. Controversies Surrounding Genetic Modification • There is serious concern about domination of world food production by a few companies, with increased dependence on industrialized nations by developing countries, and biopiracy, or foreign exploitation of natural resources. • From an ethics standpoint, the process creates a violation of the natural organisms’ intrinsic values. It tampers with nature by mixing genes among species and there are objections to consuming animal genes in plants and vice versa. There is also extreme stress for animals so altered. Reference Stein Bibliography: Intro. to GM Foods #1

18. Controversies Surrounding Genetic Modification • Currently the United States does not require identification of genetically modified crops, leaving the consumer in the dark. Mixing of genetically modified crops with non-genetically modified products completely confounds labeling attempts. • From the societal point of view the new advances, if they can be called such, are skewed to the interests of the rich countries or corporations. Reference Stein Bibliography: Intro. to GM Foods #5

19. Controversies Surrounding Genetic Modification • This generalization of the global discussion with regard to genetically modified organisms does not begin to reveal many of the problems that have surfaced as a result of these projects. • There is no doubt that this is a most potent technology from a scientific point of view. The problem, however, is that it is being released to the public without any specific testing and the user is becoming the test audience, and not at all in a controlled environment. • The potential for major harm to life forms is enormous and not being recognized. Reference Stein Bibliography: Intro. to GM Foods #4

20. Take Test • Module 11 Slide show 1; GMO intro

21. References 1Human Genome Project Information, Genetically Modified Foods and Organisms, http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/ Human_Genome/elsi/gmfood.shtml (November 05, 2008). 2Batalion, N., 50 Harmful Effects of Genetically Modified (GM) Foods, http://www.raw-wisdom.com/genetically_modified_food (Updated 2009). 3Smith, J., The effects of genetically modified foods, http://www.worldhealth.net/pages/jeff_smith_the_effects_of_ genetically_mo/ (May 28, 2009). 4Alliance for Bio-Integrity, et al., Civil Action No. 98-1300 (CKK) Declaration Of Dr. Richard Lacey, M.D., Ph.D., http://www.biointegrity.org/laceydeclaration.html (May 28, 1999). 5U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Guidance for Industry: Voluntary Labeling Indicating Whether Foods Have or Have Not Been Developed Using Bioengineering; Draft Guidance, http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceComplianceRegulatory Information/GuidanceDocuments/FoodLabelingNutrition/ ucm059098.htm (January 2001).