Genetic Modification - Part III: GMO's and Our Modern Food System
Image: Wikimedia Commons - A genetically modified plum, engineered to be resistant to plum pox virus.
It is not something that many of us think of often, yet, we should be aware that our species' survival, remains in the hands of corporations (profit) and governments (politics). Unless we become farmers and grow our own food, we may not have much control over what is or isn't available for us to eat. We are vulnerable to whichever crops the food industry (regulated by government) produces, and provides to markets for our consumption. In the future, even if we revert to agriculture based lifestyle, we may no longer be able to fully control our food supply, given the alterations which have already taken place. Is this a sustainable position for humankind to be in and can we fully trust these institutions with our health and future survival?
Some may argue that since our society is set up this way, our decision to trust is irrelevant. We can not, and should not be concerned about monitoring the practices of these institutions. Instead we should leave the business of food supply to the experts; those who keep the food chain moving and the supermarkets stocked beyond imagination (in some areas). Yet, there are major issues with our food system which are beginning to (finally) come to light behind the well-oiled machine that exists in developed countries. Consumers are starting to examine these issues as our society becomes more aware, technologically advanced, and landing face-to-face with some of its ugly consequences. There is definitely a larger, multi-dimensional conversation to be had regarding this topic, yet one major concern with the way the food industry is maintaining our food supply, is through the widespread use of genetic modification.
Our New "Normal" Diet
Genetic modification is not a new phenomenon. Since the dawn of mankind's agricultural history, we have been selectively breeding crops to grow the ways in which we want them to. Over time, however, through hybridization and other forms of genetic manipulation, we have permanently altered the natural banana, carrot, corn, eggplant, peach, watermelon, and obviously all manner of seedless fruits to our liking. Many of these foods no longer even resemble their true original form in appearance, composition or growth patterns. We don't even realize how distorted the natural foods we eat today look, because we have only experienced their genetically modified form. Below is pictured an ancient watermelon, from a painting greater than 100 years old, as per Daily mail UK and Business Insider
Nonetheless, as technology has progressed, we have become more sophisticated and precise with the ways in which we can modify the genes of our food. Previously these genetic changes would take place slowly over several cycles of forced breeding. Now we can instantly change the genetic makeup of a plant and its offspring in a laboratory.
Furthermore, we have moved from sourcing the DNA used to "enhance" the crop, from other plants of the same species, to using DNA from a completely different genetic phylum of organisms altogether. It is not uncommon for bacterial DNA to be inserted into plant genome, in order to change the characteristics of certain crops. While many people are fine with eating seedless grapes, a substantial number of people are concerned that we have gone too far in our current iteration of genetic modification of food. There is quite a lot of debate surrounding consumption of modern genetically modified (GM/GMO) foods around the world.
Most notably, in the U.S., all GM food is not required to be labeled, and is not restricted from being sold**. It may shock you to learn that 70% of the processed food products sold in stores in the United States are comprised of genetically modified ingredients. There are some crops which have an approximately 90% or greater likelihood of having been genetically modified (in the modern sense) - sugar beets, canola oil, corn and soybean - regardless of where in the country they were grown. All manufactured products which use these foods will simply list them with their household names, i.e. sugar, soybean, canola oil, corn syrup, etc., and as stated, not all companies will include on the label "Made with Genetic Engineering". Unfortunately, it is very difficult to avoid GMO containing foods in the U.S. unless they are selected, screened and documented as being grown without it. in 2015, more than half of the countries in the European Union and Russia banned the sale of GM foods.
Why do we genetically modify foods?
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