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What is a GMO?

A GMO (genetically modified organism) is the result of a laboratory process where genes from the DNA of one species are extracted and artificially forced into the genes of an unrelated plant or animal. The foreign genes may come from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals or even humans. Because this involves the transfer of genes, GMOs are also known as "transgenic" organisms.

This process may be called either Genetic Engineering (GE) or Genetic Modification (GM); they are one and the same. Read more.

Where are they?

In your food! First introduced into the food supply in the mid-1990s, GMOs are now present in the vast majority of processed foods in the US. While they are banned as food ingredients in Europe and elsewhere, the FDA does not even require the labeling of GMOs in food ingredient lists.

Although there have been attempts to increase nutritional benefits or productivity, the two main traits that have been added to date are herbicide tolerance and the ability of the plant to produce its own pesticide. These results have no health benefit, only economic benefit.

What foods are GM?

Currently commercialized GM crops in the U.S. include soy (94%), cotton (90%), canola (90%), sugar beets (95%), corn (88%), Hawaiian papaya (more than 50%), zucchini and yellow squash (over 24,000 acres).

Products derived from the above, including oils from all four, soy protein, soy lecithin, cornstarch, corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup among others. There are also many "invisible ingredients," derived from GM crops that are not obviously from corn or soy. Read more

Why should you care?

Genetically modified foods have been linked to toxic and allergic reactions, sick, sterile, and dead livestock, and damage to virtually every organ studied in lab animals. The effects on humans of consuming these new combinations of proteins produced in GMOs are unknown and have not been studied. See more under GMO Health Risks.

Crops such as Bt cotton produce pesticides inside the plant. This kills or deters insects, saving the farmer from having to spray pesticides. The plants themselves are toxic, and not just to insects. Farmers in India, who let their sheep graze on Bt cotton plants after the harvest, saw thousands of sheep die!

Herbicide tolerance lets the farmer spray weed-killer directly on the crop without killing it. Comparative studies on the toxic residues in foods from such crops have not yet been done.

Pollen from GM crops can contaminate nearby crops of the same type, except for soy, which does not cross-pollinate. In fact, virtually all heritage varieties of corn in Mexico (the origin of all corn) have been found to have some contamination. Canola and cotton also cross-pollinate. The long-term effects on the environment could be disastrous. See more under Environmental Risks.
Read more on the genetic engineering process Read more on Invisible Ingredients that contain GMOs

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A GMO (genetically modified organism) is the result of a laboratory process where genes from the DNA of one species are extracted and artificially forced into the genes of an unrelated plant or animal. The foreign genes may come from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals or even humans.

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FOR GMOs

AGAINST GMOs

1. FEED THE WORLD

By 2050, the world's population is expected to expand from today's 7 billion to way beyond 9 billion. To keep pace, the United Nations say global food production will have to double over the next 35 years. Yet the amount of farm land is shrinking. Biotechnology is the only way to feed that growing population, by increasing yields to get more food from less land. GMOs mean cheaper, more plentiful food to fight hunger in the Third World. It also cuts costs for consumers and raises livelihoods for farmers in developed countries.

1. ENVIRONMENTAL RISK

GMOs are a serious risk to the environment. Their seeds travel well beyond fields where they are grown. Cross-pollination creates herbicide-resistant "super weeds" that threaten other crops and wild plants. Tampering with crops' genetic makeup impacts down the food chain: scientists say GMO's have decimated butterfly populations in the United States, or led to birth defects among other animals. By the time we find out the long-term impact, it could be too late.

2. STRONGER CROPS = LESS PESTICIDES

Through genetic modification, scientists can give crops built-in resistance to pests. That means less need for pesticides that are potentially harmful to the environment. Studies show the introduction of GMO soybean and corn in the United States led to a 13 million kilo reduction in pesticide use in the 12 years up to 2009. By reducing the need to spray, GMOs also cut farmers' fuel emissions, helping to fight global warming.

2. REMEMBER WHEN CIGARETTES WERE 'HARMLESS'?

Biotech companies use old "tobacco" science to argue GMOs are harmless or even beneficial to health. Yet GMOs pose an array of concerns. Mixing up plant genes can threaten allergy sufferers - like when Brazil nuts were crossed with soybeans. GMOs increase resistance to antibiotics, making medicines less effective. Fears have been raised over possible links to cancer, reproductive malfunction, digestive disorders. Nobody knows the long-term effects.

3. TAMPERING FOR TASTE

Foods can be genetically modified to improve flavour and texture - peppers made spicier, corn given enhanced sweetness. In blind tastings, testers regularly rate GM foods higher than naturally grown alternatives. One, in 2007, found 60 percent preferred GM tomatoes. Genetic modification can also give food a longer shelf-life - meaning consumers get fresher taste and the environment benefits from less waste.

3. BIG BUSINESS EATS SMALL FARMERS

Farmers hooked on biotech crops are at the mercy of companies that own the patents on seeds and set the prices. So-called "terminator technologies" could prevent growers using last year's seeds to plant new crops, forcing them to keep buying from the GMO companies. There is plenty of evidence to counter claims GMO will increase world food yields and show non-GMO crops can perform even better. GMO production favours big business over small farmers and encourages the trend toward industrial-scale "monoculture" growing that's bad for the environment, farmers and consumers.

4. ENHANCED HEALTH

Biotech can make food healthier, giving lettuce a greater concentration of nutrients, reducing starch in potatoes or lowering the saturated-fat content of cooking oils. Studies suggest genes introduced into GMO tomatoes can increase their natural production of antioxidants that might help prevent cancer or heart disease. Improving the nutritional values of foods can be particularly significant in boosting diets for developing countries.

4. NOTHING TASTES BETTER THAN NATURE

Natural food tastes better and is better for you. We want apples that taste like apples, not artificially sweetened super apples. And we want the variety of products that come to us from nature. We also want to feel good about our food: a study last year suggested our taste buds and our consciences are intertwined. The research found consumers got more pleasure from eating food they believed to be organic or ethically produced.

IMAGE CREDITS: CC / Flickr - Chiot's Run

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Arguments for and against GMOs - Debating Europe

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FOR GMOs AGAINST GMOs By 2050, the world's population is expected to expand from today's 7 billion to way beyond 9 billion. To keep pace, the United Nations say global food production will have to double over the next 35 years. Yet the amount of farm land is shrinking.

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The debate continues whether genetically modified organisms are out to save the world or destroy it. But the argument from either side is far from cut-an-dry. Learn the backstory on a few of the most pressing issues.

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Genetically Modified Food (GMO) - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

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The debate continues whether genetically modified food aka GMO's are out to save the world or destroy it. But the argument from either side is far from cut-an-dry. Lear the backstory on a few of the most pressing issues.