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RobertSessoms

ProfessorDoran

ENC2135

3/1/17

GMOs?ISayNo!

Despiteprovidingnationstheabilitytogrowcropsinfutileregions,stricterlegislature

andfurtheranalysisongeneticallymodifiedorganisms(GMOs)needtobeperformedinthe

marketplace.TheissuesthatarisefromGMOsarefromtheunpredictabilityineachcrop,the

effectonhumans,theenvironment,andhowitnegativelyaffectsbiodiversityintheenvironment

(NonGMOProject).Geneticallyengineered(GE)geneshelpcurespecificdiseasesinthe

medicalindustry,butwhenintroducedinthefoodindustry,thatiswhentheuseofgenetically

engineeredproductscomeintoquestion.Corporationsandscientistsbothpresenttheideathat

geneticallymodifiedorganismsareneededforsocietytokeepprogressingfromtherapid

increaseinpopulationgrowth.Megacorporationslobbyagainsttheideaoflabelingthefoodthat

comesfromthegeneticallymodifiedorganisms.Capitalgainintheeyesofcorporationsleadsto

aheavyoppositiontopasslawsthatwouldregulatetheflowofgeneticallymodifiedorganisms

inthemarket(Francis,Craig,&George,2016).Geneticallymodified(GM)substancesprovidea

sustainableresourceforfutilecountrieswithouttheproperclimateforcertainfoods,butthe

hiddendangersofGMOsfaroutweighthepositives.

TheuncertaintyofbreedingGMOsisthateachgeneisdynamic(Schmidt2005).Genes

aredynamicbecausetheyarenotstablesubstances,eachgenehasitsowncharacteristics.These

dynamicgenesdonothavetheabilitytoproduceanexactreplicateineverygenetransfer,the
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desiredgeneisidentified[doesnotalwayscomesthecertainway]inthenativeorganism's

genome,itcanbecutout,transferredtothetargetplant.(UniversityofUtah2015).The

inabilitytoabsolutelyknowthatthesegenesaresafeforconsumptionisthequestion

surroundingGMOs.Theseunstablegenescancausetheconsumerstoobtainallergiesto

differenttypesoffoods.Toconfirmthatatransgenicproteinisorisnotanallergenistotestit

inlargenumbersofpeople.Butofcourse,largescalehumantestingisn'tpractical.(Schmidt

2005).Withoutmultipletestsandexaminationofalargegroupnoonereallyknowsif

geneticallyengineeredfoodwillcauseallergicreactionsindifferentpeople.Theunpredictability

ofgenesiswhatmakesgeneticallymodifiedfoodsodangerousforconsumption.Ifwedonot

knowtheinherentlongtermsideeffectstowardsconsumersthateatGMfoodhowcanwe

continuetonotresearchaboutthem?

Breedingproducestheopportunityforcountrieswithincreasingpopulationandhigh

povertyratestobeprovidednutritiousfoodsforlowerprices.AccordingtoFreedman'sresearch,

geneticallymodifiedorganismsindisputablyhelp"producehigheryields,growindryandsalty

land,withstandhighandlowtemperatures,andtolerateinsects,diseaseandherbicides."(2013).

Geneticallymodifiedorganismsdoprovidecountrieswithnutritiouscropsandstablecrop

yields.Thequestionthatisnotbeingaskedinthediscussionofgeneticallymodifiedorganisms

isIsitworthittokeeppushingGMOstosupportcountrieswithoutknowingifthepopulation

willnotbecomeallergictothefoodandbecomeill?Theproductionofhowthefoodisbeing

processedinfutileclimatescanhurtthepopulationconsumingthegood.Researchneedstobe

donetowardsGMOs,beforeitcanbecertainnoeffectwillhurtdifferentregionsinternationally.
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Thefirststepthatneedstobemadeinthegeneticallyengineeredbattleismakingregulationand

lawstohavelabelingofGMOfoodsinthemarketplace.

Themajorcontroversyingeneticallymodifiedfoodinstoresisthetopicoflabelingthe

geneticallymodifiedfood.Thebiggestoppositionseemstobebiotechnologycompaniesthatdo

notsupporttheideaoflabelinggeneticallymodifiedproducts(Wohlers2013).Accordingto

Wohlers'sstudy,geneticallymodifiedorganismsdominatemostoftheproduceinNorth

America,60to80percentofprocessedfoodsinatypicalAmericangrocerystorecontain

GMO(2013).TheU.S.FoodandDrugAdministration(FDA)seemtosettheprecedentfornot

creatinganylawsorregulationsregardinggeneticallymodifiedorganisms.Accordingto

Gostinsstudy,thepublichasadesiretoknowabouttheirfood93%ofrespondentsapproved

ofGMOfoodlabeling(2016).Thepublichasarighttoknowwhattheyareconsuming,where

thefoodcomesfrom,andgetafirsthandperspectiveoneverythingthatoccurswhileproducing

geneticallymodifiedfood.ThelittletonointerventionfromtheFDAingeneticallymodified

foodallowsmajorcorporationstoproducefoodthatcouldpossiblybeharmfultoconsumers.

TheEuropeanUnion(EU)unliketheU.S.hascreatedstrictlawsasthegeneticallymodified

foodmovementhasacceleratedinthelastdecadetoprotectconsumershealthwiththeunknown

sideeffectsofGMOs(Wohlers2013).TheU.S.FoodandDrugAdministrationhasalltheability

toestablishstricterlawsinthemarketplace.TheFDAhasnotadaptedlegislatureonGMOssince

1992,thefederalfoodsafetyregulationsfailedtocopewiththegrowingsophisticationof

biotechnology.(Ghoshray2015).ThelackofinterestfromtheFDAtosetstringentlawson

geneticallymodifiedfoodmakesthepublicbegintowonderwhy.Doescorporatemoneyrunthe

foodmarketinlobbyingthegovernmentnottochangetheagriculturaltrendoftheUSandnotto
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implementstricterlaws?Companiesdonotevenhavetheconfidencetoletconsumersknow

whattheyarebuying.ThishasalottosayabouthowGMOsshouldbelabeledandregulated

fromtheminimalamountofeffortshownbycompaniestoensurethesafetyoftheproductsthey

grow.TheinsufficientmeasurestakenfromtheFDAhasmadethepublicquestioniftheFDA

hastheirhandsincorporatemoneyinsteadofbeingconcernedwithconsumershealthand

livelihood.

Everylawandlegislaturethatispasseddealingwithagricultureandfoodcomesfromthe

jurisdictionoftheU.S.FoodandDrugAdministrationorU.S.DepartmentofAgriculture.The

absenceofanygovernmentinterventioninthegeneticallymodifiedfoodmarketispuzzling.The

minimalmediationinthefoodmarketischaracterizedby"corporatelobbyingthathascompelled

theFDAtocontinuetoevaderesponsibility."(Ghoshray223).Therightfortheconsumersto

knowwhatisintheirfoodandifitwillaffectthemnegativelyiswhatthegovernmentagency

shouldinvestigate.CorporatelobbyingfrommegacorporationslikeMonsantosandother

biotechcompaniestoinfluencetheFDAandUSDAismorallyandethicallywrong.The

consumerssufferasaresultinnotknowingwhattheyarepayingfor.TheFDAcreatedtheFood

SafetyModernizationAct(FSMA)tooverseethepesticidesusedonacrops,butneglectthe

environmentalstressputontheenvironmentinjustfocusingonfood.(Francisetal.121).Leslie

Francis,RobinKundisCraig,&ErikaGeorgedescribestheFDAsnegligencetowardsenforcing

newlegislatureandlabelingofgeneticallyengineeredfood.

FDAisconstruingitsauthorityoverGMfoodstoonarrowly,inthreerespects.
First,scientificscrutinyofthesefoodsisnotfullytransparentandappearsrife
withconflictsofinterest,effectivelyreversingtheFDCAsrequirementthat
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manufacturersprovethatfoodadditivesaresafe.Second,FDAlargelyomitsrisks
createdinproductionprocessesfromfoodsafetyanalyses,despiteauthoritytodo
sograntedunderFSMAanddespiteincreasingconsumerandscientificconcern
thatatleastsomeGMfoodsposesuchrisks.Finally,FDA'slimitedconstruction
ofwhatmakesinformation"material"forfoodlabelingpurposes.(Francisetal.
133).

TheFDAeludesfromanyresponsibilitytoregulatethefoodmarketorconstructawayto

labelgeneticallymodifiedfood.TheFederalFood,Drug,andCosmeticAct(FDCA)of1938

legallybindscompaniestonamethenutrientvalueandallergenused,butnothowitisproduced.

(Francisetal.122).Allergensarefoodthatcausesallergicreactionstoconsumers.These

allergensincludepeanut,treenuts,milk,egg,andwheattojustnameafew.Insteadofchanging

thelandscapeofGMOs,governmentagenciesmakeexcusesfornotchanginglawsthathave

beenobsoletefordecades.TheFDAandUSDAdonotevencareaboutalteringlegislationto

conformtotherecentsurgeofGMOsinthelastdecade.Theirnegligencehassomethingtobe

saidaboutGMOs,firstcompaniesknowtheirproductsaresubstandard,andsecondunderstand

theirnobacklashtoprovidingthepublicwithquality.Thegovernmentagenciesshouldenforce

theheavylegislationoncompaniestostopmakingGMOsrundormantintheUS.Thelackof

actionbygovernmentagencieshasdiminishedfarmerslivelihoodaswell.

Thesocioeconomicproblemsthatarisefromgeneticallymodifiedfoodaffectthefuture

ofthefarmerinAmericansociety.Theinabilitytocompetewithmegacorporationsthatproduce

highercropyields,thecropsthathavegreaterimmunitytoinsects,andtheycansurviveinthe

worstconditionsmakesitdifficultforfarmerstobeinthesameechelonasthesecorporations

thatproducethecropsforcheaper.Biotechnologycompaniesuseexpensiveseedsthataverage
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farmerscannotafford,whichisinevitablyleadingtothedeathofthefarmerintheUS.The

productionyieldofafarmerusingnonGMOseedsisfarlessthanthecostlyGMOseed.

Biotechnologycompaniesthatspecializeinthegeneticallymodifiedseedsetrestrictive

patents.CompaniesthatmakeGMOsnowhavethepowertosuefarmerswhosefieldsare

contaminatedwithGMOs,evenwhenitistheresultofinevitabledriftfromneighboringfields.

(NonGMOProject2015).Thelivelihoodofthefarmerisalreadyheavilyburdenedby

competingwithcorporationproducingcrops,butalsohavingtofearlegalactionfrom

companies.Geneticallymodifiedorganismnegativelyaffectthefarmerstosucceedinagriculture

ifnotwealthyenoughtopurchaseGMOseeds.ThishelpsillustrateanotherreasonswhyGMOs

arehurtingsociety,ratherthanhelpingit,andweneedtochangeit,orlimititfromthe

marketplace.

Geneticallymodifiedorganismsdoinfactproducehighercropyields,droughtresistance,

andpestresistantplants.Theunderlyingconcernthatconsumersinsocietyhaveistheideathat

geneticallyengineeredfoodcancausehealthrisks.LynnJ.Frewer,inaresearchjournalon

GMOinthemedia,describeshowthepublicriskperceptionaboutGMOsincreasedfrommedia

coverage.Shestatesthat"theimpactonpublicperceptionofhighlevelsofmediareporting

[whichcreatesmoreconsumeropposition]regardingtherisksassociatedwithgenetically

modifiedfood"(701).Themediacoverageofgeneticallymodifiedfoodexemplifiesconsumers

dissatisfactionforGMOs.Themediaadvocatesforquestionsaboutwhattypeofhealthrisksare

associatedwithgeneticallyengineeredfoods.Accordingtosomescientists,geneticallymodified

foodisharmfulbecause"toxinandenzymespermeatetheentireplant"(Anyadiegwu213).These
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toxinandenzymesareproducednaturallyfromtheplant,butoncethesegenesaretransferredthe

toxincanbealteredinthenewlyplacedgene(Anyadiegwu213).Iftheplants,toxins,and

enzymesarerewired,itcancreatehealthproblemsintheconsumersfromthedynamicnatureof

thegene.Thedangeroftransferredgenesistheissuewithremodifyingthedormantgeneand

changingitscharacteristicsthatcouldpossiblyharmhumans.TheU.S.FoodandDrug

AdministrationandU.S.DepartmentofAgriculture(USDA)havetheabilitytoperformdifferent

examinationsofgenetransfers.TheFDAandUSDAhavefulldiscretiontodirectcompaniesin

allowingthepublictorealizewhattheyareconsuming.LawrenceO.Gostin,inanacademic

journalforGeorgetownUniversityLawCenterexplainstherecentemergenceofmostcrops

gettinggeneticallymodified,"By2012,GMOcropsasapercentageoftotalcropplantingswere

about88%forcorn,94%forcotton,and93%forsoybeans.OtherGMOfoodsincludetomatoes,

potatoes,andsquash."(2016).ThemajorcropsinNorthAmericaaregeneticallymodifiedin

someway.ItistheresponsibilityoftheFDAandUSDAtoensurethatthemajorityofcropsare

notgoingtogivepeoplehealthproblemsorallergies.

Theenvironmentalstressproducedfromgeneticallymodifiedorganismshurtsthecurrent

habitatofthecreaturesthatlivethere.Monsantosisoneofthebiggestcorporationsthat

manufacturesReadyRoundupcrops.ReadyRoundupcropsareimmunetoalldifferenttypesof

weedsandinsects,enhancethequalityofthefoodproduct,andmakesitsownnaturalherbicide.

Geneticallymodifiedcropsarealsoresponsiblefortheemergenceofherbicideresistantsuper

weedsandsuperbugs,whichcanonlybekilledwithmoretoxicpoisonslike2,4D(Non

GMOProject2015).Thesesuperweedsandinsecteffecttheenvironmentbychangingthe

biomesbackgroundandcontaminatingthesoil(Wohlers2013).Finally,theideaofthe
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environmentalstresscreatedbygeneticallymodifiedorganismsdisplaythatthereshouldbea

limiteduseofGMOs.

Geneticallymodifiedorganismsprovidesthenationwithareliablesourceoffoodwith

thecharacteristicsthatwillallowittosurviveinanyconditions.Thegovernmentagencieslike

FDAandUSDAneedtoupholdtherightforthepublictoknowwhattheyconsumingand

shouldmakeitarequirementtolabelspecificGMfoods.InterventionsfromtheFDAandUSDA

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needtobeimplementedtomakestricterlawsforcompaniestoabidetoiftheywanttoselltheir

cropsinthemarketplace.Geneticallymodifiedfoodhasmadegreatstridesinthelastdecade,but

itistheresponsibilityofthegovernmentandcompaniestoinformabouthowthefood

manufactured.Tofurtherourknowledgeofgenesandhowtheyoperate,researchneedstobe

donetoensurethepublicthatitissafeforconsumption,andhopefully,onedaybeanon

controversialsubject.

Citations

Frewer,LynnJ.,etal."TheMediaandGeneticallyModifiedFoods:EvidenceinSupportof
SocialAmplificationofRisk."RiskAnalysis:AnInternationalJournal,vol.22,Issue4,2002.

Schmidt,CharlesW.GeneticallyModifiedFoods:BreedingUncertainty.Environmental
HealthPerspectives,vol.113,no.8,2005,pp.A527A533.

Wohlers,AntonE."LabelingOfGeneticallyModifiedFood."Politics&TheLifeSciences,vol.
32,issue1,2013,pp.7384.

Dona,Artemis,andIoannisS.Arvanitoyannis."HealthRisksofGeneticallyModifiedFoods."
CriticalReviewsinFoodScienceandNutrition,pp.16475,Print.
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GostinLO.GeneticallyModifiedFoodLabeling:ARighttoKnow?JAMA,vol.316,issue22,
2016.

Francis,Leslie;Craig,RobinKundis;George,Erika."FDA'sTroublingFailurestoUseIts
AuthoritytoRegulateGeneticallyModifiedFoods."FoodandDrugLawJournal,vol.71.1,
2016,pp.105134.

Ghoshray,Saby."GeneticallyModifiedFoodsattheIntersectionoftheRegulatoryLandscape
andConstitutionalJurisprudence."AmericanJournalofLawandMedicine,vol.41,no.2,2015,
pp.223239

GeneticallyModifiedFoods.UniversityofUtah,2013,
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/science/gmfoods.

Freedman,DavidH.TheTruthaboutGeneticallyModifiedFood.ScientificAmerican,2013.
GMOFacts.NonGMOProject,www.nongmoproject.org/gmofacts/.