Food Biotechnology Ethics

1. Food Biotechnology Ethics Clark Ford, Ph.D. Food Science and Human Nutrition Iowa State University

2. What is Food Biotechnology? • Food technology based on biology • Ancient food biotechnology: • Fermentation by microbes • Cheese • Beer • Wine • Bread • Modern food biotechnology • Tissue culture • Genetic engineering • Different from plant and animal breeding http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/2006/10/061017091752.jpg

3. Genetic Engineering • Genetic Engineering involves manipulating DNA molecules • DNA from one species is spliced into the DNA of another species • Called: Recombinant DNA • Genetically Engineered organisms are called: • Genetically Modified • Transgenic

4. Milestones in Food Biotechnology • 1953: Structure of DNA discovered • 1973: First gene cloned • in microbes • 1977: Asilomar Conference in USA • Recombinant DNA safety • Regulation • Risk assessment • Containment http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v235/milenaid/Blog%20Support/TheDoubleHelix.jpg

5. Who Regulates Food Biotechnology? FDA Food and Drug Administration Determines safety for human consumption USDA U.S. Department of Agriculture Determines safety of GMO agriculture EPA Environmental Protection Agency Determines environmental safety NIH National Institutes of Health Sets guidelines for Recombinant DNA experiments http://healthcare.zdnet.com/images/fda-logo.jpg

6. Milestones in Food Biotechnology • 1990: Recombinant Chymosin Approved by FDA • First biotech product for human consumption • Enzyme for cheese making • Originally from calf stomach • Bovine gene expressed in GRAS microbes • Generally Recognized As Safe • In 80% of U.S. cheese http://homepages.ius.edu/SRICKARD/cheese2.jpg

7. Other Products from Genetically Engineered Microbes • Food enzymes • Bread • HFCS Sweeteners • Amino acids • Peptides • Nutrasweet • Flavors • Organic acids • Polysaccharides • Vitamins

8. Milestones in Food Biotechnology • 1994: FDA approves “Flavr Savr” Tomato • Prolonged shelf life • Improved quality • Voluntarily labeled http://www.lhup.edu/smarvel/Seminar/FALL_2003/Malawskey/tomaten.jpg

9. Other Genetically Engineered Plants • Agronomic traits • BT Corn • Roundup Ready Soy • Disease Resistance • Food quality • Nutrition • Metabolic products • Vaccines http://whyfiles.org/241GM_2/images/soybean_field.jpg

10. GMO crops in the USA HT = Herbicide Tolerant; Bt = Bt insecticide

11. Bt Corn • Natural insecticide from Bacillus thuringiensis • Non-toxic to humans • Target insect: • Corn borer, root worm • Boll worm • reduces insecticide use • reduces mycotoxins in corn • 63% U.S. Corn crop Bt (2010) • 73% U.S. Cotton crop (2010) http://pfisterhybrid.com/images/sections/5.jpg

12. Bt Concerns • Bt pollen harms non-target species? • Bt crops select for resistant insects • Bt pollen can drift to organic fields • Food system failed to keep BT Starlink corn out of human food products Monarch butterfly: endangered? http://members.tripod.com/c_rader0/greg040.gif

13. Herbicide Resistance • Roundup Ready soy, corn, canola, cotton • Allows post-emergence herbicide spraying • Increases yield • Facilitates no-till farming • 93% U.S. Soy (2010) • 78% U.S. Coatton (2010) • 72% U.S. Corn (2010) http://cropwatch.unl.edu/photos/cwphoto/soy_harvest2002_2b.jpg

14. Herbicide Resistance Concerns • Encourages herbicide use • Groundwater contamination • Kills beneficial soil microbes • Cross-pollinates weeds • Fosters dependence on Agrochemcial companies

15. Disease Resistance • Canola • Cantaloupes • Cucumbers • Corn • Rice • Papaya • Potatoes • Soybeans • Squash • Tomatoes • Wheat Genetically engineered papaya resistant papaya ringspot virus http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/2008/04/080423131624.jpg

16. Health and Nutrition • Golden Rice • Vitamin A and Iron enhanced • Seeds given to the poor for free • Improved Amino Acid Balance • Soy (needs Methionine) • Maize (needs Lysine) • Banana Vaccines http://wwwdata.forestry.oregonstate.edu/orb/images/Marketing/TIME.jpg

17. Metabolic Products Idea: use crops to produce inexpensive Pharmaceuticals AIDS vaccine in corn Metabolic products Problems: Containment Cross pollination Accidental mixing into food supply http://foodhazard.com/genetically-modified-foods/

18. Genetically Engineered Animals- not approved for food - Transgenic Fish Salmon Grows 4-6 times faster Environmental concerns May escape, outcompete natural species Transgenic Mammals Cows, Sheep, Goats Pharmaceutical production in milk http://www.gatewayva.com/biz/virginiabusiness/magazine/yr1997/aug97/cover.html

19. Milestones in Food Biotechnology • 1999: GM corn and soybean products are present in 80% of processed foods in USA • Corn: • starch, high fructose corn syrup, oil • Soy: • oil, Lecithin, protein http://nadav.harel.org.il/cola/image/CokeClassic.jpg

20. Milestones in Food Biotechnology • 1999: European Union requires GM labels • blocks import of GMcorn, beans • Ban lifted 2004 • but no change in anti-GM sentiment in Europe • Affects African export crops • Paternalism

21. Milestones in Food Biotechnology • 1999: Gerber and Heinz baby foods GM-free • 2000: Mc Donalds and Frito-Lay products GM-free http://www.corrupt.org/articles/big_mac/bigmac.jpg

22. Milestones in Food Biotechnology • 2000: USDA Organic Foods Standards • Must be GM-free http://www.taquitos.net/im/sn/NaturalPlanet-YellowCorn.jpg

23. Milestones in Food Biotechnology • 2002 Zambia refuses GM maize as food aid • To help 2.5 million in food shortage • Calls GM food “poison” • Heavily influenced by European attitudes about GM Zambian President Mwanawasa http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38232000/jpg/_38232577_levy150.jpg

24. Milestones in Food Biotechnology 2010: 3.7 billion acres GM 10% global cropland is GM 29 countries 54% in USA Soy (50% of GM crops) Corn (31%) Cotton (14%) India, China Canola (5%) 12 million farmers 90% are small farmers in developing countries Growing cotton in India, China Adoption of GMOs Worldwide http://www.feedstuffs.com/Media/PublicationsArticle/biotech_map_0.jpg

25. Milestones in Food Biotechnology 2008: Cloned Animals approved by FDA For human consumption Goal: quality meat, milk Best animals cloned Not transgenic Is that next? Label not required Considered same as normal meat, milk Not in stores yet Not certified organic (USDA) http://www.scq.ubc.ca/the-new-macdonald-pharm/

26. Controversy over Biotech Foods • Debate pits consumer and ecology groups • against Multinational Corporations • Many farmers, scientists, government agencies • caught in the middle

27. Potential to: Increase productivity Increase purity Increase safety Improve nutrition Improve food quality Improve sustainability Benefit ecosystem Process not inherently harmful Similar to traditional Plant and Animal breeding Unless misused, outcome expected to be beneficial Is a powerful technology that could help humanity Bad ideas weeded out by the market, regulation, lawsuit Arguments for Genetically Engineered Food --Paul Thompson http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/images/thompson_paul.jpg

28. Arguments against Genetically Engineered Foods Food safety risk? unintended consequences Safety risk for environment could spread Genetically Engineered label not required in U.S.A. Playing God not natural Benefits multinational corporations not consumers not developing nations GMO vs normal Salmon of same age http://www.primidi.com/images/aquabounty_salmon.jpg

29. Frankenstein Foods: Unintended Consequences? Potential GMO food safety problems: Random gene insertion Unknown toxins? New gene products? Unknown allergies? No evidence of GMO food safety problems http://www.gasdetection.com/news2/bioengineered_food.jpg

30. Food Allergies 90% of Food allergies: Eggs Fish Shellfish Milk Peanuts Soybeans tree nuts wheat GM foods avoid genes from these sources Peanut proteins can cause severe food allergies! http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/articleimages/332/home.jpg

31. Arguments for Labeling • Not equivalent to non-GM • Must use Precautionary principle • Is uncertainty in risk assessment • Labeling indicates process used • Consumer right to know and choose • Country’s right to know and choose

32. Arguments against labeling • Suggests non-existent hazard • Expensive to segregate crops and change labels • FDA labels required if change in: • Allergenicity • Nutrition • Food Quality

33. Will GM crops feed the world? • Yes: • GM crops are size neutral • Small growers can benefit • Don’t need large combine • Reduced inputs • Herbicides, pesticides • Lower costs • Increased yields • Disease resistance • Reduced weeds • Increased profits Insect resistant maize, Kenya http://img.radio.cz/pictures/networkeurope/080215-bt-corn-africa.jpg

34. Will GM crops feed the world? • No: • Biotech from companies targets the wealthy • Intellectual property expensive • Public research in developing countries • must develop GMOs for the poor • Poor that cannot compete driven from land • undernutrtion • Poor really need • Land • Water • Roads • Education • Credit • Green revolution agriculture unsustainable • Monoculture • Erosion • Fertilizer and pesticide runoff pollution • Neocaloric (requires fossile fuels) GMOs for developing countries International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, India http://www.parasitologyindia.org/images/icgeb.jpg

35. Will GM crops feed the world? • "While feeding the hungry is a laudable goal, current record feed stocks in the U.S. is still not finding its way to those who need it the most. • Therefore, the real reasons for hunger is not necessarily the lack of food but the lack of income to purchase and the absence of an infrastructure to get the food to those who need it the most. • If the hungry cannot be fed with current worldwide overproduction, what guarantee is there that additional productivity will solve the problem?" -- American Corn Growers Association