-->| Agribusiness companies that had invested billions of dollars in the future of such technology hailed golden rice as a tremendous victory in the war over genetically modified foods, a fine example of how this new generation of biotech foods would save the world from starvation and malnutrition. Opponents quickly took up their own war cry, denouncing golden rice as a corporate hoax. For them, golden rice would become a rallying slogan in their struggle to put an end to the use of genetic engineering in agriculture. |
| Are these concerns well founded? Yes. There is much evidence to support that these food issues have the potential to not only harm our health but also alter the composition of the foods we eat in ways that may not be beneficial to us or the environment. In this chapter, we will discuss these food safety concerns in detail.
Foodborne Illnesses
Foodborne illness is caused by consuming contaminated foods or beverages. Many people do not think about food safety until a food-related illness affects them or a family member. |
 They were anxious to air a scientist's opinion on the safety of genetically modified foods and were particularly keen to hear from Pusztai. They knew that his team was the only one in the world conducting thorough feeding trials on GM foods.
Their request brought Pusztai's conflict to a head. The traditional code of practice of a scientist dictates that he remain silent about his findings until he can present them at a conference or via publication. But his codes of ethics dictated that he warn the public immediately about his findings. |
 Genetically Modified Foods Update." www.mercola.com/2001/jul/25/ gm_foods.htm.
9a Fagan, John, Ph.D. "Assessing the Safety and Nutritional Quality of Genetically Engineered Foods. A Science Based Precautionary Approach," Molecular Biology Dept., Maharishi University of Management, 1000 N Fourth Street, Fairfield, Iowa 52557. 515.472.8341.
9b Fagan, John, Ph.D., Genetic Engineering: The Hazards; Vedic Engineering: The Solutions. 1995, Maharishi International University, 1000 N. Fourth St., Fairfield, Iowa 52557. Cost: $12.00 (Amazon.com). |
| GE foods caused the bacteria in the human intestinal tract to adopt the genes of the genetically modified foods. No one knows what the long-term effects this will have in the human body. What will this do to the function of the intestines? Will the EPA consider this type of change signifiuur loxic world: A wane up call cant enough to constitute a significant alteration so GE products will be labeled? 5la'b At this time we do not know.
• It must be understood that the genetic engineering food industry determines if a product is safe, not our government. |
 To those who campaign today against genetically modified foods, the Green Revolution is an agricultural cautionary tale, a vivid lesson not only on the specific dangers of monocultures but also on the way world farming has changed from a publicly financed, farmer-driven occupation that allowed even the poorest peasant to take part into a raw industrial enterprise, the mass production not of machines and widgets but of food. |
 She has also publicly advocated the widespread distribution of genetically modified foods.
The contemporary question is, can we trust these people to meet in secret and "re-engineer" an electrical generating future which will affect all of us on this planet? My answer to this action is a firm "no" and begs the question that we need a global governance to limit the excesses of private industries and their sympathetic governmental collaborators.
With the appointment of practicing corporate ideologues rather than defenders of the public interest, this indeed is a dark day in American affairs. |
 He knew of a test developed by GeneticID, a company in Iowa, that could identify "foreign" genes in genetically modified foods. Using that test, Friends of the Earth examined corn
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FIGURE 2. The chain of production, distribution, and marketing of StarLink corn through the food system in zooo. |
| Not least, the StarLink affair contributed to further loss of confidence in the food biotechnology industry and in the ability of government agencies to protect the public by regulating genetically modified foods.
The Safety Issue: Allergenicity
The driving force behind these events was the idea that some people might be allergic to the StarLink protein. Food allergies, although rare, can be extremely dangerous and sometimes fatal to susceptible individuals. |
| These chapters describe the origin of disputes about genetically modified foods that arise from conflicting interests and values.
The concluding chapter takes up a third area: food bioterrorism—the deliberate poisoning or contamination of the food supply to achieve some political goal. Questions about food bioterrorism take us into the realm of emerging food safety hazards that might be used as biological weapons: mad cow disease, foot-and-mouth disease, and anthrax. |
| Taylor, a lawyer, moved to the USDA from the FDA; there, his previous employment with Monsanto raised conflict-of-interest questions about his role in setting policy for regulation of genetically modified foods (see chapter 7). His actions at the USDA raised no such questions. In late September 1994, six weeks after assuming leadership of FSIS, Mr. Taylor gave his first public speech in his new job to an annual convention of the American Meat Institute. |
| For these reasons some European countries have wisely banned genetically modified foods until we understand their true impact on the environment and our bodies.
The numbers speak for themselves, as we begin to exceed more and more limits to sustainability. We've somehow lost our common sense about our relationship with the natural environment and therefore our collective future. The twentieth century was our most violent and heedless one, and continues to escalate into the current century. |
| The research presented was in no way adequate to demonstrate that the genetically modified foods described were safe for human or animal consumption. All of them failed to produce sufficient evidence. Pusztai made the phone call.
"I told the minister, on the basis of what we had seen so far, even with just two and a half hours of review, I advised him to be extremely cautious and not accept it," said Pusztai. "And then he said something on the phone which I found really amazing: 'I don't know why you are telling me this, Professor James has already accepted it.'"
Pusztai was stunned. |
| Charles proposes a mix of scientific solutions (such as ending greenhouse emissions) and intuitive approaches which respect nature rather than overwhelm her—for example, going to organic farming instead of genetically modified foods. These words stand in stark contrast to the silence of royalty steeped in the control of the world's money and resources.
While I happen to be on the side of radical change versus gradual reform, we will need to create more gatherings like those described above to discuss remedies. |
 Yet another issue is irradiated and genetically modified foods. New research suggests that irradiation of food produces previously nonexistent chemicals that have now been shown to have potentially carcinogenic effects. Irradiation of food also inactivates many of the important nutrients in food, specifically antioxidants (vitamins A, C, and E) and B-complex vitamins. No long-term studies of the health effects of irradiated food in humans have been conducted. Foods currently FDA-approved for radiation include wheat, wheat flour, fruits, vegetables, meats, poultry, teas, and spices. |
| FDA policy was based on the assumption that genetically modified foods were stable. Nutrient levels were not supposed to vary.
But these findings were completely eclipsed by Pusztai's other, more disturbing discoveries. He found that rats which were fed GM potatoes suffered damaged immune systems. Their white blood cells responded much more sluggishly than those fed a non-GM diet, leaving them more vulnerable to infection and disease. Organs related to the immune system, the thymus and spleen, showed some damage as well. |
 One of the clearest independent voices in the sometimes raucous debate about genetically modified foods is Rachels Environment and Health Weekly, published bv the Environmental Research Foundation in Annapolis, Maryland. In 1999, the journal noted,
"Neither Monsanto nor any of the other genetic engineering companies appears to be developing genetically engineered crops that might solve global food shortages. Quite the opposite. |
| There are now laws in the United Kingdom requiring the labeling of genetically modified foods, and almost every major food chain in the country has pledged to be "gene-free." Yet amazingly, the industry has continued to forge ahead unabated in the United States, where the federal government, rather than testing and regulating the industry, has been its cheerleader.
The Lancet, widely recognized to be one of the most prestigious medical journals in the world, describes the situation candidly:
"It is astounding that FDA has not changed their stance on genetically modified food.... |
| The treaty placed the burden on the producers of genetically modified foods to demonstrate safety before such foods are widely deployed, emphatically repudiating the prevailing U.S. practice of requiring critics to prove that transgenics are dangerous. It was the first time nations had ever agreed on an attempt to prevent environmental problems before they begin. The world was saying it had had enough of the "Deploy now, ask questions later" approach that placed industry aspirations above public interest and safety. |
| With the controversy over genetically modified foods spreading across the globe and taking a toll on the stocks of companies with agricultural-biotechnology businesses," said the daily chronicler of the business world, "it's hard to see those companies as a good investment, even in the long term."40
The Journal had a point. In 1996, the United States had sold $3 billion worth of corn and soybeans to Europe. But in the next few years, as the consumer backlash in Europe gained momentum, those exports shrank to $1 billion. |
| As he left office in 2001, Glickman even began advising biotech companies to consider labeling genetically modified foods.'9
With each passing month, public resistance continued to gain strength and stature. In 2000, the Wall Street Journal announced that investors were losing all confidence in agricultural biotechnology. |
 Will I feel that I am being impolite if I criticize Monsanto for its opposition to labeling of genetically modified foods? This ethical dilemma is not easily resolved, even by people sensitive to the issue.
Research Studies
Whether nutrition professionals are compromised by support from food companies is a troubling issue, but an even more troubling question is whether corporate sponsorship affects the conduct of nutrition research or its results. Research funds are scarce, and researchers are always looking for funding sources. |
 What Are genetically modified foods?
Genetically modified (GM) foods, also known as genetically engineered (GE) foods, are those that contain genetic material from another plant, animal, or bacteria, which changes the way they grow so they can battle bugs, fend off viruses, survive pesticides, and stay fresh longer. |
| Groups like the Pew Initiative and IFIC conduct frequent surveys to try to capture changes in attitudes over time.3
Despite substantial differences in the surveys—when they were conducted, who asked the questions, how the questions were worded, what they probed, and who answered them—the results are remarkable for their overall consistency. I think the following statements constitute a fair summary: Most people do not know very much about the scientific basis of food biotechnology but are intrigued by its promises. |
| Here's why." The story noted that it was "no wonder the biotech industry sees Golden Rice as a powerful ally in its struggle to win public acceptance. No wonder its critics see it as a cynical ploy."22 Cynics might indeed raise eyebrows at the advertisement shown in figure 14, a component of the biotechnology industry's public relations campaign in 2001. The advertisement features a photograph of a child of indeterminate ethnicity eating a "vitamin-enriched" breakfast cereal presumably made from Golden Rice. |
| It is astounding how casually the federal agencies have taken the transition to genetically modified foods. Before the first altered foods came onto the market, the FDA determined that these foods were "substantially equivalent" to traditional foods, and therefore should be regarded and regulated as if they were no different. |
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