GMOs - What to Know
08/30/2011
Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, are often maligned and misunderstood. To help clear up misconceptions and answer some of the prevalent questions about GMOs, we tapped into our Best Food Facts network of university professors for a series of blog posts we’re calling ‘GMOs - What to Know.’ Experts on a variety of GMO-related topics are featured, including:
Dr. Bruce Chassy, Professor of Food Microbiology and Nutritional Sciences; Executive Associate Director of the Biotechnology Center; Assistant Dean for Science Communications in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois - Urbana/Champaign
Dr. Peggy Lemaux, Cooperative Extension Specialist at the University of California - Berkeley
Dr. Martina Newell-McGloughlin, Director, University of California Systemwide Biotechnology Research and Education Program (UCBREP), Co-Director, National Institutes of Health Training Program in Biomolecular Technology, Co-Director, NSF IGERT CREATE Training Program, and Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Plant Pathology at the University of California-Davis.
Dr. Wayne Parrott, Professor in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences University of Georgia, University of Georgia
Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam, Cooperative Extension Specialist, Animal Genomics and Biotechnology, University of California-Davis.
Here you can find all of the posts related to our series on GMOs.
GMO Series Index
- Week 1 (Aug. 1) – What Consumers Want to Know About GMOs
- Week 2 (Aug. 8) – What Affect do GMOs have on Human Health?
- Week 3 (Aug. 15) – Do GMOs Have Side Effects on Unborn Children or Pregnant Women?
- Week 4 (Aug. 22) – How do GMOs Affect the Environment?
- Week 5 (Aug. 29) – Frequently Asked Questions - GMOs
What do you think? Cast your vote in our poll about GM food.
Comments
Dr. Wayne Parrott via Best Food Facts - 06/11/2012
Cat: Thanks for bringing some common misconceptions to light, and for allowing us to address them. The first issue is that GMOs are *not* sterile. Their seed will germinate just fine when planted. The US and a few other countries decided that farmers who buy and plant patented seeds are not allowed to save and plant seed from their harvest, but that is a political decision that has nothing to do with biology. Other countries permit their farmers to save and plant their own GMO seed. Note that the US restrictions do not apply once the patent expires. For example, the patent for the first glyphosate-tolerant soybean expires in 2014, at which point farmers in the US will be able to save and plant their seed. A farmer will likely have a different view on GMO alfalfa. First, alfalfa is very difficult to establish due to competition from weeds, so herbicide-tolerant alfalfa is easier to grow. Furthermore, some GMO alfalfas under development are much more digestible by cattle, and thus make a much better food source. Finally, I am not sure where the misinformation on dioxane in corn is coming from. No one is making corn that produces dioxane. I do not even think we have the technical ability to do such a thing even if we wanted to, and even if we could do it, the FDA and EPA would not allow such a thing.
Cat - 06/09/2012
Researchers get grants to discover - that is their income source. Agricultural schools recieve large grants from our Government so it it logical that they would not be impartial in examining the dangers or benefits of GMOs. Big business likes the concept that they can develop a product which they can profit from. Considering that GMOs are sterile, it assures the seeds offer a business an avenue to control and patent a certain seed stock. As an example, there is not one reason in the world that I can think of which would require GMO seedstock for alfalfa other than a producer wants to patent and control that seedstock. There are many other seed stocks which are the same. Regarding corn, dioxane is carcinogenic, and is known to damage the liver, kidney, brain and lungs. Noone can convince me that we should be permitting this throughout our foodchain. This is a shocking commentary for agricultural seed stock and most likely will have a disasterous outcome in the natural balance of plant production. Indeed, there is a genuine concern that once that genni is out of the bottle....
Dr. Wayne Parrott via Best Food Facts - 10/12/2011
Jerry - Safety of agricultural products is always of paramount importance. The claim that animals abort after eating food treated with Roundup seems to be coming from claims made by a retired professor from Purdue University. His entire claim is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nHCw36wIhs. As of yet, no one has been able to replicate professor Huber's claims. Furthermore, his former fellow faculty at Purdue have released a statement at http://www.btny.purdue.edu/weedscience/2011/glyphosatesimpact11.pdf repudiating his claims. The faculty at Iowa State has also released a statement to the effect: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/CropNews/2011/0225hartzler.htm For an overview, see http://pesticidetruths.com/2011/03/02/purdue-university-discredits-own-professor-environmentalist-col-ret-don-m-huber-glyphosate-animals-and-miscarriages-no-scientific-data-fearmongering/ Responsible scientists get their data peer-reviewed, and then publish in a scientific journal. They do not publish-by-press release or by Youtube. Additionally, extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. Dr. Huber claims the discovery of a new disease fungus the size of a virus, which infects various different plants and livestock. A disease that infects many different types of plants and animals has never been discovered. Furthermore, as of yet, Dr. Huber has shared ZERO data with the community. Until Dr. Huber releases his data, or until somebody can replicate his results, we are much better off relying on the decades of safe use of Roundup. Given how widespread the use of glyphosate is, our animal herds would have stopped reproducing around the country if these claims were true.
jerry sanders - 10/08/2011
There is data that wheat that was grown in a field that had roundup ready cause cattlt to abort half.a herd's calf crop.
Linda - 10/05/2011
You have a choice. Know your local grower & her/his practices or grow some of your own. Be sure to get your seed from a source that ONLY sells non GMO seeds.Buy organic when you need to.
Dawn - 08/04/2011
Did you know farmers are on their 16th crop of GMO?
jill - 08/04/2011
What role does GM food have in the increase of food allergies and ADD in children? Has anyone resarched that? Gm foods are not the same as non-GM foods. They are a freak of nature, produced to withstand tons of Monsanto's Round-up. How can that be healthy for anyone? Monsanto is destroying our planet.
Best Food Facts - 08/04/2011
Kathleen Boring - Please stay tuned to the rest of the Food for Thought blog posts throughout the month of August. Our Food System Experts will answer your question on the differences between GMOs and Hybridization.
Tara - 08/04/2011
We need to be so careful with GMOs. We do not know the long term results. It is alwayss interesting to me that cultures that do not have GMOs do not suffer the same illnesses as those that do.
Kathleen Boring - 08/03/2011
Whats the difference between GMOs and Hybridization. I thought they were doing Tomatoes so they would last longer. I think they have to be very careful. They go to far and lose the taste of things.I worry about cloning animals. We know in fish farms, they have lost the nutricion. I have mixed feelings.
Best Food Facts - 08/03/2011
Barbara - Please check back throughout the month of August to read the rest of our posts about GMOs, with information coming from our Food System Experts.
SueR - 08/03/2011
We eat GMO foods everyday. You can't get around it. We would not have the foods we eat had they not been genetically modified. Everything is: food, flowers, animals, etc. Ever hear of a Labradoodle???
Bryan - 08/03/2011
I don't get it a these people are upset with pesticides. So they found a way to make food with out pesticides and they still will not eat it. I say more for us that like food with out the bugs or pesicide residue.
Barbara - 08/03/2011
Is everything just about money? What about the long-term impact on our health? What about the long-term impact on our environment? Without healthy bodies and environment what good is money!
HyRaizel - 08/03/2011
I think that GM food is bad!!!!
Chris - 08/03/2011
GM food is no different than non-GM food. If a farmer can produce more for less money, then we're all the better for it.