GMO crops have been the source of a great deal of controversy over the years. A major concern has been whether they potentially cause health issues for consumers, which is an understandable worry.
There is now a new, comprehensive analysis from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that persuasively argues that 20 years of research have revealed no increased ill effects associated with GMOs. This is not another industry study bankrolled by Monsanto or Dupont. This is a review of more than 1,000 studies on the effects of GMOs, testimony from 80 expert witnesses, and more than 700 public comments. Comparing 20 years of data from the U.S. where GMO crops are eaten, and Europe, where they basically are not, there is no correlation with the development of cancer, obesity, Type II diabetes, celiac disease, food allergies, or autism. Basically, there is overwhelming scientific evidence that GMOs are, in general, safe to eat.
But just because they are safe to eat, are they a good thing? GMO crops still need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. There are problems with insects developing resistance to crops containing built-in pesticides. Weeds are developing resistance to the herbicide glyphosphate. GMOs also lead to the creation of vast monocultures. And, beyond these issues, data shows that GMOs are not even increasing American farmers’ crop yields at all.
So consumers may still have reasons to avoid GMO products. For example, some do it to protest the business practices of companies like Monsanto. In any case, GMO labeling laws are the right thing to do even if the products are not a threat to our health.
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GMOs May Be Safe to Eat, But Some Are Still Bad for the Planet
Photo, posted September 24, 2011, courtesy of Jan Smith via Flickr.
‘The Debate Over GMOs’ from Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
I agree with the scrutiny of GMOs on the grounds that they are not necessarily wise to grow. For the record, the widely used herbicide causing health concerns is “glyphosate” not “glyophosphate.”
While I am not against labeling, I believe the ‘labelers’ are not doing their homework and are on the edge of hypocrisy. No one that I have heard has actually stated exactly what a ‘GMO’ is.
First of all, EVERY living creature on earth is a GMO!! Without genetic modification, there would be no humans. There would be nothing but primitive life forms. Evolution is all about genetic modifications. Without constant genetic modification, there would be no evolution.
What I think most ‘labelers’ are worried about is genetic engineering, but even there, humans have been doing genetic engineering for millennium. Crops and animals [dogs, horses, cattle, rice, wheat, peaches, etc.] have been ‘bred’ for recorded history or longer. Think of all of the forms of dogs. These were deliberately genetically engineered by humans. And, among other benefits, crop and animal breeding [which is nothing more than genetic engineering] has managed to feed humans far better than at any time in history.
So what is it that the ‘labelers’ are trying to get at? My guess is that there is a kind of ‘mystical’ fear of the ‘unknown’ in most. A form of superstition about some magical ‘bad energy’. But let’s take it one step farther. Let’s give the benefit of the doubt and assume that what they are really talking about with the mistaken term GMO, is genes manipulated by humans in some laboratory using various fancy ‘scientific looking’ instruments. I then have to point out that these genes are ones that are taken from living cells and are exactly the same as when they were ‘living’ in so called ‘normal’ cells. What could happen to them in this process that could be deleterious? I know that, at times, by so-called ‘natural’ means of mutation, a new form of organism is created that is a disaster for humans. Check out the ‘bloom’ of Zika for the moment. It happens all the time.
We should stop wasting time and energy on these highly tested ‘lab’ organisms and spend those resources on dealing with the ‘natural’ ones that are popping up all the time.