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

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

5
Milestones in Food Biotechnology

• 1990 Recombinant Chymosin Approved by FDA
• Enzyme for cheese making
• Originally from calf stomach
• Bovine gene expressed in GRAS microbes
• In 80 of U.S. cheese
• Vegetarian cheese in England

6
Other Products from Genetically Engineered
Microbes

• Food enzymes
• Bread
• HFCS Sweeteners
• Amino acids
• Peptides
• Nutrasweet
• Flavors
• Organic acids
• Polysaccharides
• Vitamins

7
Milestones in Food Biotechnology

• 1994 FDA approves
• Flavr Savr Tomato
• Prolonged shelf life
• Improved quality
• Voluntarily labeled

8
Other Genetically Engineered Plants

• Agronomic traits
• BT Corn
• Roundup Ready Soy
• Disease Resistance
• Food quality
• Nutrition
• Metabolic products
• Vaccines

9
Bt Corn

• Natural insecticide from Bacillus thuringiensis
• Non-toxic to humans
• Target insect corn borer
• Potential to
• reduce insecticide use
• reduce mycotoxins
• 40 U.S. Corn crop Bt (2006)

10
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

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Herbicide Resistance

• Roundup Ready Soy, Corn, Canola
• Allows post-emergence herbicide spraying
• Increases yield
• Facilitates no-till farming
• 89 U.S. Soy crop (2006)

12
Herbicide Resistance Concerns

• Encourages herbicide use
• Groundwater contamination
• Kills beneficial soil microbes
• Cross-pollinates weeds
• Fosters dependence on Agrochemcial companies

13
Disease Resistance

• Canola
• Cantaloupes
• Cucumbers
• Corn
• Rice
• Papaya
• Potatoes
• Soybeans
• Squash
• Tomatoes
• Wheat

Genetically engineered papaya resistant papaya
ringspot virus
14
Health and Nutrition

• Golden Rice
• Vitamin A and Iron enhanced
• Seeds given to the poor for free
• Improved Amino Acid Balance for Soy, Maize
• Banana Vaccines

15
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

16
Milestones in Food Biotechnology

• 1999 European Union requires GM labels, blocks
  import of GM corn, beans
• Ban lifted 2004 but no change in anti-gm
  sentiment in Europe

17
Milestones in Food Biotechnology

• 1999 Gerber and Heinz baby foods GM-free
• 2000 Mc Donalds and Frito-Lay products GM-free

18
Milestones in Food Biotechnology

• 2000 USDA Organic Foods Standards
• Must be GM-free

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Milestones in Food Biotechnology

• 2005 222 million acres worldwide
• Planted in Genetically modified crops
• 55 in USA
• Soy
• Corn
• Cotton
• India, China
• Canola

http//www.isaaa.org/kc/bin/briefs34/es/index.htm
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83/24833301.jpg
20
Controversy over Biotech Foods

• Debate pits consumer and ecology groups against
  Multinational Corporations
• Many farmers, scientists, government agencies
  caught in the middle

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Arguments for Genetically Engineered Food

• 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

--Paul Thompson
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Arguments against Genetically Engineered Foods

• Potential safety risk for humans
• Unintended Consequences
• Genetic Engineering is playing God
• Not Natural to move genes between species
• Potential safety risk for environment
• Could spread
• Genetically Engineered label not required in U.S.
• Benefits multinational corporations
• not consumers or developing nations

23
Frankenstein Foods Unintended Consequences?

• Random gene insertion
• Toxicity
• New gene products?
• Allergies
• Eating DNA!

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Arguments for Labeling

• Not Substantially equivalent to non-GM
• Must use Precautionary principle
• Is uncertainty in risk assessment
• Labeling indicates process used
• Consumers right to know and choose
• Countrys right to know and choose

25
Arguments against labeling

• Suggests non-existent hazard
• Expensive to segregate crops and change labels
• FDA labels required if change in
• Allergenicity
• Nutrition
• Food Quality

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Will it Feed the World?

• Disease resistance will benefit developing
  nations
• Technology requiring increased inputs benefits
  wealthy, multinationals, plantations
• Small, subsistence farmers cant compete, lose
  land
• Inequity, poverty increase
• Thus more food and more hunger
• Green Revolution unsustainable