Genetically Engineered Foods
... of the human food supply. They are not subjected to rigorous pre-market safety testing. And THEY ARE NOT LABELED. Already a genetically engineered food supplement, genetically engineered tryptophan, has killed 37 people and disabled 1500 others. New toxins and allergens in foods. Proof already exists that allergens can be transferred to plants through genetic engineering. Due to genetically modified food’s unique and unknown nature, there is potential for adverse health side effects. It is impossible to predict the impact of genetic food; it is a matter of waiting for and observing future consequences. The cross-species transfers being made, such as between fish and tomatoes, would not happen in nature and may create new toxins, diseases, and weaknesses. An example of a possible health damaging effect is resistance to widely used antibiotics. A new type of maize is currently being produced in the UK. Maize is attacked by the corn borer mite, which chews through the stalks. Genetically modified maize has been produced to be repellent to the mite. The marker gene in the new maize is resistant to a type of antibiotic called ampicllin. Scientists are concerned that when this maize is eaten, the gene will come in contact and be passed to bacteria living in the human gut. These bacteria would then be resistant to the antibiotic. There is only a slight chance of this occurring, but there is always a first time. Transferring animal genes into plants also raises important ethical issues for vegetarians and religious groups. It may also involve animal experiments that are unacceptable to many people. Once a genetically modified organism has been released into the environment it can reproduce, move and even mutate. After its release, it cannot Page. 3. be recalled. Unlike chemical or nuclear contamination, genetic pollution is perpetual. It can never be reversed or cleaned up; genetic mistakes will be passed on to all future generations of a species. The huge areas of genetically identical crops will influence the evolution of local pests, plants, wildlife, and disrupt surrounding ecosystems. There is no way of stopping genetically engineered plants from breeding with wild plants and contaminating them with foreign DNA strains. If we allow the development of genetically modified food to continue we are consequently handing our lives over to the Biotech companies. Supporters of genetic engineering say the gene splicing process is accurate and precise. In fact, the process of inserting genes is quite occurring by chance and can damage normal genes. Many weaknesses in plants, animals, and humans have their foundations in minute flaws in the genetic code. Consequently, the random damage resulting from gene insertion will inevitably result in irreversible damage. Genetically modified food activists, such as federal Agriculture Minister, Mr. Mark Vaile, promise genet technology will supply plentiful amounts of food to starvation stricken areas in the Third World. If biotech corporations are addressing world hunger through genetically engineered food, then they are only attacking sympto...