What are the Differences Between Organic Foods and GE Foods?
February 15, 2010 – 9:15 pm by MarinaHanes
Corn, soybean, rapeseed (canola), flax, alfalfa, sugar beet, squash and papaya are common genetically engineered (GE) foods, and you probably eat them without even knowing this. Currently, our government does not label commercially available GE foods such as the ones listed above, but you don’t have to worry about organic herbs, organic mushrooms and other organically grown foods. The Campaign, a grassroots movement that supports the labeling of GE foods, estimates that 70 percent of U.S. and Canadian food contains GE ingredients. If you knew that a food was genetically modified, would you still buy it?
About GE Foods
GE foods are not created from organic seeds, because they are specially designed to have desirable traits like a resistance to insects or viruses, a tolerance to severe weather conditions (e.g. droughts) and enhanced nutrition. Farmers find these traits ideal, because as the crops become super organisms, they able to resist potential threats. Food shortages seem to be less of a threat now, but at what cost are we creating these crops?
These crops are genetically manipulated to inherit genes that do not occur naturally. Environmentally speaking, these genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can contaminate natural organisms causing “genetic pollution”. If these desirable traits spread, we will reduce the planet’s biodiversity and may kill off non-target insects that are beneficial to the environment.
In addition, these crops are treated with insecticides and pesticides for the purpose of aphid control. Aphids are small insects that feed off of certain plants and destroy the crop revenue. However, the harmful chemicals used to manage these bugs seep into the soil and can potentially contaminate groundwater. Non-chemical aphid control is more environmentally friendly, because chemicals are not involved. Instead farmers will use monitoring (checking crops to prevent infestations), biological control (use ants and parasitic wasps to ward off aphids), and cultural control (plant crops away from aphid populations).
Health Concerns
With regard to humans, there has not been any conclusive testing to determine whether GE foods cause allergic reactions, yet these foods are still available to consumers. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved a Michigan State University’s mouse model that researcher Venu Gangur designed specifically to test whether GE foods cause allergies. This grant-funded project may commercially release its results in 2011.
Similarly, in 2000 StarLink corn was thought to cause allergies, so the Center for Disease Control tested it, but their data was inconclusive. This corn contained cry9C protein, which protected it from black cutworms and other corn borers. Initially, this corn was approved for nonfood products and animal feed in 1998 but somehow traces of this protein were found in taco shells and other foods, so asthma sufferers thought their asthma attacks might be caused by consuming this modified corn.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture claims that the Animal and Plant Heath Inspection Service (APHIS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the EPA are all responsible for regulating GE food products. There are so many unanswered questions when it comes to GE foods, yet our government still allows them to go on the market. Supporting organic gardening reduces the amount of chemicals going into the soil and your body. Although studies are not conclusive on whether organic foods are healthier, you at least know that you are consuming a natural product.
