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| http://www.brandonturbeville.com/2017/09/big-ag-offers-more-genetic-modification.html |
Oftentimes, you will encounter people that will claim that they only eat organic foods. What exactly does that mean? When an individual describes their food as being organic, they simply mean that the food is "grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation" (2). So what else is there? Well, there is organic food, and then there are GMOs. GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organisms. In order to create a genetically modified organism, "scientists [will] remove one or more genes from the DNA of another organism, such as [a] bacterium, virus, animal, or plant and recombine them into the DNA of the plant they want to alter" (1).
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Before I continue...
What is the Process of Genetically Modifying Foods?
https://youtu.be/2G-yUuiqIZ0
This Youtube video is about five and a half minutes long and explains the process of genetically modifying foods. The video uses the papaya from Hawaii to explain the reasons why farmers and scientists had to come together and genetically modify papayas. Here are the steps:
1) Determine if GM is the best option to solve a problem.
2) Identify which gene would be the best option to solve the problem.
3) Remove the desired gene from a donor organism and transform!
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This alteration is helpful when studying a gene's effect on other organisms or to increase the nutritional value of a specific food item.
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| http://wiselygreen.com/organic-food-vs-genetically-modified-food/ |
The image above is an example of a GMO or genetically modified food. The modification completed between the tomatoes is the obvious change in size. Now when you go into a grocery store, you can see giant produce, such as strawberries and grapes that were once much smaller. If you think about when you get a one pound container of strawberries, there are probably around 15-20 strawberries depending on the size of each strawberry (6). Now, as of this point in time, we have ~7.6 billion people on planet Earth according to Google. If we had the small, home-grown strawberry (on the right in the image below), stores would need to place more than double the number of strawberries in each container to meet the needs of each person. Since the store-bought strawberry is more than double the size of the home-grown strawberry, less of the fruit needs to be put into containers and more can be sold and dispersed to families.
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| https://bonnieplants.com/the-bonnie-blog/store-bought-strawberries-versus-homegrown-strawberries/ |
The biotechnology used for genetically modified foods was first introduced in 1973 by Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen. They developed a method for specifically cutting out "a gene from one organism and past[ing] it into another [organism[" (3). Their first test subject was one strain of bacteria. They transferred a gene that coded for antibiotic resistance and transferred it to the bacteria and that strain of bacteria presented the antibiotic resistance. When you think about genetic modification, you generally think about the physical transfer of one gene into another organism, but there are more natural ways to genetically modify an organism. There was a point in time when humans could not have dogs for pets, but around 30,000 BC, humans were able to domesticate some wolves, and now so many years later, we have a variety of breeds of dogs as pets. So, GMO can either mean that a gene is being physically removed from one organism and put into another or can be a modification in more a natural way over a large span of time. When an organism selects a mate, that is considered genetic modification because that organism is selecting the organism with the most favorable traits, which will then be passed down to their offspring and continue on for generations.
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| http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2015/from-corgis-to-corn-a-brief-look-at-the-long-history-of-gmo-technology/ |
The GMO advancements over the years, along with some of the founders, are listed in the above timeline. Why should we have GMOs? In the year 2000 from the timeline, one can see that golden rice was engineered to mitigate Vitamin A deficiency. Here is a video that gives information about golden rice:
https://youtu.be/5ts9NLOUJuM.
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| https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2018/02/13/golden-rice-gmo-crop- greenpeace-hates-and-humanitarians-love/ |
In a shortened summary there are some developing countries that use rice as a significant part of its people's diet, and those individuals were not getting the proper nutritional value from the white rice. They were becoming more Vitamin A deficient (VAD) which caused individuals, many of them children, to go blind. Golden rice produces high levels of beta-carotene, which is found in carrots and gives them an orange appearance (4). Because of this modification, the rice grown, primarily in Asian countries, is able to convert the beta-carotene into Vitamin A, allowing those individuals to get the proper nutrients that their original diet was not granting them. You might not realize it, but there are actually a lot of genetically modified foods. Some examples include corn, soybeans, cotton, squash, sugar beets, papaya, etc. The genetic modification in corn prevents the crop against rootworms, pests, and the Asian corn borer. The modification in squash improves the crops defenses from viruses (5). So why do some people refuse GMOs? There are several answers to this question, the first claim is that God made food the way it is and it should stay that way. So sometimes an individual's reasoning is based on their religious views. Another reason is that they do not trust GM foods because it could have "toxic chemicals" that are not safe for us. Just like any other scientific discovery, it must first be tested to determine if it is effective, and then determine if it will be safe for humans and other organisms to consume. These GM foods are designed to be beneficial and help with deficiencies that may occur at a given time. Taste wise, that's based on an individual's personal preference. Some organic produce tastes better than the GM crops, and vice versa. Ultimately, you can eat what you want based on your religious, philosophical, or personal preference, but just know that genetically modified foods DO have their benefits and that not all organic/natural foods are good for you.
These natural berries might look delicious, but YOU can't eat them!
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| https://www.allaboutbirds.org/the-best-plants-and-trees-to-plant-for-birds-a-starter-list/ |
For further information about GMOs and some current research being done go to:
https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/genetically-modified-organisms-gmos-transgenic-crops-and-732
References:
1) This website explains what genetically modified foods are, how they are created, and their position when it comes to genetically modified foods (which is not for it). The organic & Non-GMO report. What is Non-GMO? What are genetically modified foods? https://non-gmoreport.com/what-is-non-gmo-what-are-genetically-modified-foods/. Accessed March 20, 2019.
2) This website answers several questions pertaining to organic foods, such as what it is, how to know if something is organic, the cost of organic food, etc. Frequently asked questions. Organic. Org. https://organic.org/faqs/. Accessed March 22, 2019.
3) This Harvard website describes in detail what genetically modified organisms and how those foods came to be. Gabriel Rangel. From Corgis to Corn: A Brief Look at the Long History of GMO Technology. Harvard University the Graduate School of Arts and Science. http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2015/from-corgis-to-corn-a-brief-look-at-the-long-history-of-gmo-technology/. Updated August 9, 2015. Accessed March 23, 2019.
4) This website addressing any questions about golden rice and its benefits to developing countries. What is nutritionally enhanced Golden Rice and why is it controversial? Genetic Literacy Project. https://gmo.geneticliteracyproject.org/FAQ/whats-the-real-potential-of-golden-rice/. Accessed March 23, 2019.
5) This website gives examples of GM foods and what GMOs are. What Foods are Genetically Modified? Best Food Facts. https://www.bestfoodfacts.org/what-foods-are-gmo/. Updated 08/15/ 2016. Accessed March 24, 2019.
6) This website shows you how you can visiable see if you have a pound of strawberries. Hali Bey Ramdene. Here's what 1 Pound of Strawberries looks like. Kitchn. https://www.thekitchn.com/this-is-what-1-pound-of-strawberries-looks-like-232168. Published June 7, 2016. Accessed March 24, 2019.
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