Genetically Engineered Foods

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Genetically Engineered Foods
Presented by Katie Allan
Lauren Bruno Chinedu Njoku Brandon
Medine
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What are Genetically Modified Foods?

• Crop plants created for human or animal
  consumption using the latest molecular biology
  techniques
• Plants have been modified in the laboratory to
  enhance desired traits such as increased
  resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional
  content

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Genetic Engineering

• Can create plants with the exact desired trait
  very rapidly and with great accuracy
• For example, plant geneticists can isolate a gene
  responsible for drought tolerance and insert that
  gene into a different plant.

Monsantos infamous GE soya contains genes from a
virus, a soil bacterium and a
petunia.............
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Traditional Plant Breeding

• In trying to get a pear with the coloration of an
  apple, for example, agricultural engineers might
  crossbreed their preferred pear with a chosen
  variety of apple.
• Limitations
• Only traits from species
• that are relatively close to
• one another can be combined.
• The process can take months
• to years to produce the desired
• results

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Genetic EngineeringHow it is Done

• There are two common methods for introducing the
  genetic material
• The first uses Agrobacterium, a bacterium that
  naturally alters a plant's DNA.

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• The second method uses a "gene gun" to propel
  genetic material coating thousands of microscopic
  shards of tungsten into a group of plant cells.
• The tungsten penetrates the
• cells and carries the DNA
• to the area of the nucleus.
• The DNA makes its way
• to the nucleus and joins
• with the genes inside.

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How Can You Tell?

• Not always able to distinguish the difference
• Written on the product
• Labels (such as fruit/vegetable)
• -The PLU code, or price lookup number printed
  on the sticker, tells you how the fruit was
  grown.
• -You can tell if it the fruit/veggie is
  genetically modified, organically grown, produced
  with chemical fertilizers, fungicides, or
  herbicides.

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Heres How it Works

• Conventionally grown fruit the PLU code on the
  sticker consists of four numbers. Organically
  grown fruit has a five-numeral PLU prefaced by
  the number 9.
• Genetically engineered (GM) fruit has a
  five-numeral PLU prefaced by the number 8.

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For Example

• A conventionally grown banana would be
• 4011
• An organic banana would be
• 94011
• A genetically engineered (GE or GMO) banana would
  be
• 84011

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Health Risks

•     Cancer 
• - Controversial GE recombinant Bovine
  Growth Hormone (rBGH)
• - Elevated levels of IGF-1 in their bodies
  are much more likely to get cancer.
• -Documents were released by government
  scientists in Canada, showing damage to
  laboratory rats fed dosages of Rbgh.

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• Food Allergies
• 8 of Americas children have food allergies.
• Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health
  Organization Expert Consultation on Biotechnology
  and Food Safety
•    - No pre-market studies required for allergens
  toxins present in GE foods.
• - Scientists also have discovered Bacillus
  thuringiensis (Bt).         

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• Genetic engineering may involve the transfer of
  new and unidentified proteins from one food into
  another
• - By inserting genes from organisms that have
  never been eaten as food, new proteins are
  introduced into the human and animal food chains.
• - Genetic Engineering is imprecise and
  unpredictable.

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Antibiotic Resistance

• - The presence of antibiotic genes in foods
  is a potential health risk.
• -  British Medical Association.
• -Antibiotic Resistance Marker Gene (ARM)
• Nutrition/Food Quality Damage
• Genetically engineering food will likely result
  in foods lower in quality and nutrition.

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Environmental Risks

•   Toxins/ Poisons
•                 G. E. could also lead to
  toxicity of some foods
• o   Genetic Pollution
•                Threat of genetic pollution which
  is potentially irreversible
• o   Damage to Insects/ Soil Fertility
•                 From corn genetically engineered
  to contain Bt toxin
• o   Creation Superweeds/ Superpests
•                 "Terminator" genes
•                   Transgenic "insect-resistant"
  crops
• Creation New Viruses/ Bacteria
• Genetic Bio- Invasion

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Genetically Engineered Foods

• PROS
• -Saves money
• -Creates high yield crops with the potential to
  be more nutritious
• -Eliminates weak strand
• -No extra cost to the environment

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• CONS
• -Requires more money
• -No real long turn knowledge
• -Potential for human health risks
• -Not (really) regulated by the FDA
• -Disrupts the natural genetic information of DNA

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Socio-Economic Factors

• -Saves money
• -Agriculture conforming to pressure of society
  and economics
• -Efficient greatest time, for the greatest
  production
• -Increased profit potential

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Ethical Arguments

• PRO ARGUMENTS
• -modify foods not humans
• -saving lives
• -increasing global sustainability
• -Greatest good for the greatest number
• CON ARGUMENTS
• -play God
• -not saving lives
• -counter to greatest good argument

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The Government Stand
-The U.S. governments position on genetically
engineered foods does not support the right of
consumers to make their own choices. -FDA will
require labeling if a company uses genetic
engineering techniques to change a foods
composition significantly.
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For Example Manufacturer modified canola to
produce increased levels of lauric and myristic
acids in the seed oil, FDA agreed that the common
or usual name for this oil would be laurate
canola oil in order to distinguish it from
traditional canola oil.
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Why Label GE Foods?
-They are labeled to ensure the consumers right
to know. -The bio technology corporations that
manufacture them are held responsible for any
harm.
-People who care about their health morals can
avoid it, while people who really dont care that
much will at least have warning. -Could tell
whether a given food was a product of the new
technology.
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Dedicated to the CauseNon-Profit Organizations

• -The Campaign to label Genetically Engineered
  Foods
• Non-profit orgs in which their main objective is
  to pass the HR2916, Genetically Engineered Food
  Right to Know Act to the U.S. House of
  Representative asking him/her to co-sponsor the
  bill.
• -Consumers Against Food Engineering
• Orgs based on political ethical issues
  involved when huge profit-oriented campaign screw
  around with basic genetic make-up of our food
  feed it to unwilling consumers

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• GE Food Alert
• Coalition of 7 organizations united in their
  commitment to testing labeling genetically
  engineered food.
• The United Organizations
• Public Interest Research Group
• National Environmental Trust
• Institute for Agricultural and Trade Policy
• Organic Consumers Association
• Friends of the Earth
• The Center of Food Safety
• Pesticide Action Network of North America

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So..Do you really know what is in your dinner?

• 7 out of every 10 items on grocery stores shelves
  contain ingredients that have been genetically
  modified
• altered foods are in the market stream
• consumers in Asia and Europe are demanding that
  their food be free of genetically modified
  ingredients

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Remember to

• Check labels
• Read ingredients
• Ask
• Stay up to date on the issue
• Be more cautious of your purchases