Avoid the original genetically modified foods

What is genetically modified food?

Is GM food harmful?

Where was the early GM food produced?

GM food labelling

GM foods as intellectual property

GMOs contaminate other crops and animals

What can you do?

References

What is genetically modified food?

Genetically modified foods (GM foods, genetically modified organisms, GMO, biotech foods) are foods produced by changing the DNA of crops or animals using genetic engineering techniques. Usually the objective is to introduce a new trait into the plant or animal which does not occur naturally in the species. Examples include resistance to harmful chemical sprays such as glyphosate (Roundup) (1), resistance to diseases; tolerance to environmental conditions such as salt, drought, cold or heat; or the production of a particular nutrient / herbicide / pesticide / agent.

Early GMO. Most of the early (pre-CRISPR) GMO foods involved the transfer of genes between crops and other organisms (even between plants and animals) which would be unlikely to ever happen in nature. These early GMO foods were irrevocably released into widespread public use without sufficient testing. In a 2011 paper on GM safety (2), Professor Seralini noted that "very few tests on humans have been carried out". The early production of GMO food was a disaster, posing a threat to biodiversity and to our own health.

In my opinion, the greatest folly was the lack of independent, comprehensive, competent, long-term testing of the effects of producing and consuming these early GMO foods, which are now entrenched and in widespread use.

The primary reason for the original development of GMOs was not to end world hunger but to further the control giant biotech companies already had on food production.

Current gene editing. The development of CRISPR gene editing technology after 2012 allowed precise, accurate gene editing. The old approach to genetic modification where numerous genes were fired like a shotgun in the hope that some of the mutations might be useful is hardly used anymore. Today gene editing is targeted, accurate and more likely to be beneficial whilst avoiding harmful, unrelated, random effects.

I believe that CRISPR edited GM crops are now much more acceptable, because the edited crop is virtually identical to the original crop except for the addition or subtraction of a single gene to achieve a beneficial effect. In the USA today minor gene edits that could theoretically have been produced through traditional breeding are exempt from any regulation. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees gene-edited plants intended for human or animal consumption. However, the FDA generally does not require premarket review for gene-edited plants that closely resemble their conventionally-bred counterparts. FDA consultation is voluntary, and food labelling is voluntary.

Is GM food harmful?

Nearly all studies were funded by the GM industry itself, and before the studies even start there is great pressure exerted on the scientists and their managers to ensure results that are favourable for the industry.

Many early GMO plants were engineered to be toxic to insects. Another major group are those that are engineered to be resistant to weed killers such as glyphosate (Roundup) - they can withstand heavy doses of herbicides without killing the plant. (1) Glyphosate is widely used on GM food crops, it has antibiotic and metal chelator properties. Food crops (particularly wheat) are often sprayed immediately before harvest because it helps with the drying process. American courts have agreed that Roundup causes cancer and have awarded large damages. In addition, it also causes inflammation of the brain leading to autism, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. Corn has been modified to have both these characteristics - internal insecticide and resistance to glyphosate. After four months of consuming such corn, either as human food or as animal feedstock, severe health problems start to occur in both humans and farm animals. (5, 6, 7, 8) After returning to a non-GM diet, the problems resolve. Note that the FDA only required GM food testing on laboratory animals to be for three months, too short a period for the problems to start occurring.

Does it really make sense that a food which is designed to kill insects that eat it is completely safe for humans and will have no effect whatsoever on people who eat it? (especially after many years)

Are the weedkillers to which the GM plant is resistant completely safe for human consumption?

The components of GM foods that are used for animal feeds find their way into humans that eat the products of such animals. If animals are fed on GM foods, their milk, meat and eggs are GM-contaminated. Often the products from GM-fed animals are not labelled as such, even when GM labelling is required.

No one knows the full extent of what happens to a food when you splice in novel new genes. The only thing that is guaranteed is that it will create surprise side-effects. Many of today's degenerative diseases - the chronic ailments that doctors don't seem to be able to cure - coincide with the early use of GMO foods since 1994.

Genetically modified foods, and / or foods that have been sprayed with glyphosate (Roundup) are strongly associated with brain inflammation causing anxiety, autism, brain fog and inability to concentrate and focus, depression, memory problems and mood swings. Other ailments associated with GM include cancers, digestive problems including gluten sensitivity, food allergies, seasonal allergies, fatigue, infertility and miscarriages, insomnia, hormonal problems in particular interfering with the production of testosterone and progesterone, joint pain, muscular skeletal pain and problems, skin ailments particularly eczema, weight gain and obesity.

Early GM foods can be:

• Allergenic. They can damage the walls of the colon and allow partially-digested food to get into the blood where they are identified as foreign invaders, causing food allergies and inflammatory reactions. (8,10,11) Intestinal bacteria produce new or altered proteins. (8,9) Australian research (3) has shown that GM foods can produce allergic reactions in the short-term, but little research has been done on the long-term allergic effects of GM foods, which are likely to be worse, and difficult to prove.
• Toxic. Complex, long-term reactions, difficult to prove. Rats fed potatoes engineered to express lectin (a natural insecticide in snowdrop plants) had stunted growth and repressed immune systems. (4,8,10)
• Carcinogenic. Many examples, difficult to prove. Rats develop tumours after eating GM corn. (1,10)
• Anti-nutritional. They damage the lining of the gut, and affect its ability to properly absorb nutrients. They change and damage intestinal bacteria. (8,10)

Where was the early GM food produced?

In 2015 a total of 29 countries were officially growing one or more GM crops.

• Argentina. GM soy, corn, cotton.
• Australia. GM cotton, canola, wheat.
• Bolivia. GM soy.
• Brazil. GM soy, corn, cotton.
• Canada. GM corn, soy, canola, sugar beet.
• China. GM cotton, papaya, poplar, tomato, sweet pepper.
• India. GM cotton.
• Mexico. GM soy, cotton.
• Pakistan. GM cotton.
• Paraguay. GM soy, corn, cotton.
• Philippines. GM corn.
• South Africa. GM corn (maize, mealie), soy, cotton.
• Spain. GM corn.
• Uruguay. GM soy, corn.
• USA. The world's biggest producer of genetically modified foods, all of which is deceptively hidden in the food supply. GM food is widely used. 80-90% of all canola, corn, cotton and soybeans are GM. Alfalfa, apples, papaya, potato, salmon, squash, sugar beet and zucchini also have a large portion of GM production.

GM food labelling

GM food suppliers do not want food labels to show GM content. Most people choose to buy GM-free foods when the labelling is clear. However this is a make-or-break issue for GM companies. If they are forced to provide clear and honest information on food labels, they will not get the dominance, control and profits they seek. It is only by hiding GM content that consumers are not aware of what they are eating or the effects on their health.

Without labelling, it also makes it almost impossible to do any long-term research on the health effects of GM foods. Nobody knows whether or not they had been eating GM foods, making it impossible to compare the health of those on a GM diet to those on a GM-free diet.

Many countries require GM foods to be labelled, including:

• Australia. Labelling required if the product contains more than 1% GM content.
• China. Labelling required.
• European Union. Labelling required by all members. Some members ban GM products.
• India. Labelling required.
• Japan. Labelling required.
• New Zealand. Labelling required.
• Philippines. Restrictions on GM sale and production.
• Peru. Restrictions on GM sale and production.
• Russia. Labelling required.

No labelling was or is required in the USA. The FDA was lobbied (bribed, threatened and lied to) to hide the extent of GM use. In the USA food labels were never required to identify GM content. The California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act was defeated in November 2012, after massive media funding by the GM industry to ensure that it was defeated. Although nearly everyone would like to know if the food they are eating is GM, the proposal was defeated because of confusing wording on the ballot paper and lies that the cost of labelling would increase the price of food. When you think about this argument, it's ridiculous. Every food manufacturer is intimately aware of the ingredients they use.

GM foods as intellectual property

GM foods are "owned" according to intellectual property law. Patents are widely used in the GM industry. Farmers are not free to save, share or sell GM seeds as they wish. They need to buy them each year from the GM seed owner. GM seeds and animals are significantly more expensive than GM-free alternatives. Widespread adoption of GM foods would mean monopoly control and pricing of GM products. The control of the world's food supply is literally at stake.

GMOs contaminate other crops and animals

GMOs (genetically modified organisms) contaminate other GM-free crops and animals. Across the world, thousands of farmers have had their land contaminated by the GM crops of neighbours. Rather than paying compensation, the GM companies have sometimes (successfully) sued the farmers for illegal use of their patented products. In 2010 in West Australia, farmer Steve Marsh of Kojonup lost the organic certification for his farm when a neighbour's GM crop contaminated his farm. Mr Marsh went all the way to the Supreme Court seeking compensation from his GM-growing neighbour. In September 2015 the Court of Appeal dismissed Mr Marsh's case in a 2 to 1 decision. The dissenting judge found "the interference with the appellants' use and enjoyment of their property was both substantial and unreasonable and constituted a private nuisance." Justice McLure said Mr Baxter (the GM-polluting neighbour) "had actual knowledge of the risk of decertification when he engaged in the conduct which caused the harm to the appellants". Mr Baxter had also "unilaterally enlarged his own rights and imposed limitations on his neighbours."

GM plants and animals may also contaminate wild plants and animals with unknown consequences.

What can you do?

• Stop buying GM foods. Buy organic foods, or those that say they are non-GMO on the label. Download GM-free food guides for your country.
• Tell the places where you shop that you will not buy their products unless they are certified GM-free.
• Avoid the most risky ingredients. In the USA, the big four are:
  
  Corn. Sweeteners, syrup, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), corn flour, meal, oil, starch, gluten. In the USA most processed foods contain HFCS.
  
  Soy. Flour, lecithin, protein, isolate and isoflavone. Vegetable oil and vegetable protein.
  
  Canola oil (rapeseed oil).
  
  Cotton seed oil.
• Contribute your personal experience with health improvements after you stopped consuming GM foods. Please let us know if you have connected your health problems or recovery with GM foods.

The bottom line is this - if you are suffering from any kind of degenerative disease or ailment and it is not clearing up no matter what you do, then test whether GM foods or Roundup are the cause. Thousands of people have found that when they exclusively eat a certified organic and GM-free diet, their ailments miraculously disappear.

References

1. Gilles-Eric Seralini, Emilie Clair, Robin Mesnage, Steeve Gress, Nicolas Defarge, Manuela Malatesta, Didier Hennequin, Joel Spiroux de Vendomois. Long term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize. Food and Chemical Toxicology, Volume 50, Issue 11, November 2012, Pages 4221-4231.

2. Seralini Gilles-Eric, Mesnage Robin, Clair Emilie, Gress Steeve, De Vendomois Joel, Cellier Dominique. Genetically modified crops safety assessments: Present limits and possible improvements. 2011, Environmental Sciences Europe 23: 10. doi:10.1186/2190-4715-23-10.

3. Prescott VE, Campbell PM, Moore A, Mattes J, Rothenberg ME, Foster PS, Higgins TJ, Hogan SP. Transgenic expression of bean alpha-amylase inhibitor in peas results in altered structure and immunogenicity. November 2005, J. Agric. Food Chem. 53 (23): 9023-30.

4. Ewen SW, Pusztai A. Effect of diets containing genetically modified potatoes expressing Galanthus nivalis lectin on rat small intestine. October 1999, Lancet 354 (9187): 1353-4. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(98)05860-7.

5. Lovei GL, Andow DA, Arpaia S. Transgenic insecticidal crops and natural enemies: a detailed review of laboratory studies. April 2009, Environ. Entomol. 38 (2): 293-306. doi:10.1603/022.038.0201.

6. Aris A, Leblanc S. Maternal and fetal exposure to pesticides associated to genetically modified foods in Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada. May 2011, Reprod. Toxicol. 31 (4): 528-33. doi:10.1016/j.reprotox.2011.02.004. PMID 21338670.

7. Poulter, Sean. GM food toxins found in the blood of 93% of unborn babies. 20 May 2011, Daily Mail.

8. Jeffrey M Smith. Genetic Roulette. The documented health risks of genetically engineered foods. 2007, Yes! Books. This book provides many references to research papers and articles. The movie with the same name provides a good summary of the problems with GM foods. (2012).

9. Kleter GA, Peijnenburg AACM. Screening of transgenic proteins expressed in transgenic food crops for the presence of short amino acid sequences identical to potential, IgE-binding linear epitopes of allergins. BMC Structual Biology 2 (2002):8-19.

10. Pusztai A, Bardocz S. GMO in animal nutrition: potential benefits and risks. Published in Biology of Nutrition in Growing Animals, Mosenthin R, Zentek J, Zebrowska T (editors). Elsevier, October 2005.

11. Bernstein IL. et al. Immune responses in farm workers after exposure to Bacillus thuringiensis pesticides. Environmental Health Perspectives 107, no. 7(1999), 575-82.