Why GMO's Are Necessary, and other Myth-busting Tidbits
Through the majority of this project, we have focused on reasons why a person should avoid genetically modified foods and stick to an organic-only diet. Again, our plan was not to put forth a bias, but to present both sides of the argument so that you, the reader, is able to make an informed decision for yourself regarding your food choices. In this section we will cover the pro's of GMO's, and hopefully give you things to consider other than the perceived benefits of an organic diet.
Myth or Fact: You've heard that genetically modified foods contain many chemicals (such as pesticides) that are harmful to humans.
This is perhaps one of the most argued points of genetically modifed food, and one of the biggest reasons why those of you who choose to stick to an organic diet do so. Surprise! This may come as a complete shock to some of you, but according to greenfacts.org, and Andrew Fortier, author of "Potential GMO Benefits", many GMO foods actually make it possible to use fewer pesticides (2011, 2010). The genes that are injected into many plants (such as the well-known and controversial Bt gene found in many crops) makes the plants pest-resistant, so that there is even less of a need for the heavy duty chemical pesticides and herbicides. According to Andrew Fortier, this also reduces the risk of the presence of parasites, such as E. coli and salmonella (2010). You want to be healther and avoid those chemicals? Perhaps genetically modified foods could be the way to go - remember to blame the pesticide, NOT the GMO. Consider this myth BUSTED!
Myth or Fact: Genetically modified foods can help to increase crop yields.
FACT. Although there are misconceived notions of how this is actually attained, genetically modified foods do in fact increase the crop yield. They do no necessarily cause plants to produce more food -instead, they make it possible for the crops to be grown closer together, therefore twice as much food can be harvested per acre. Fortier has also stated that the modified genes in GMO's makes "shorter growing periods" possible (2010). This makes it possbile for more crops to be grown and harvested in a season, which will also account for the increase in crop yields that has been generated by the implementation of GMO's.
Gene alterations in crops also make them much more resilient and able to withstand growing in environments that their organic counterparts would not be able to handle. Drought could no longer be a problem. Nutrient-depleted soil could no longer be a problem. The ability for the growth of plants under any environmental circumstance could even tackle the problem Wendell Berry presents in "The Pleasures of Eating" of the urbanized consumer being taken out of the agricultural equation (2011). If plants can be grown in any number of enviroments, we could in theory bring consumers and crops closer together as they once were. Urbanized consumers, or even consumers who are not living in ideal agricultural goldmines (take the Phoenix metropolitan area, for example), can once again be brought to rejoin the agricultural process with the help of GMO's.
Myth or Fact: GMO's are cheaper than organic foods.
Yet another Fact - genetically modified foods are cheaper than organic foods. Go into any typical grocery store, and compare the "organic" food section to the "conventional" food section, and you'll see what we mean. Even Jessica's mother (the Hodgkins Lymphoma survivor from our interviews) eventually switched back to non-organic foods due to the price difference. The price difference between the two is directly related to the crop yields of GMO's versus the yield from an organic crop, and the expensive farming practices involved in raising a purely organic crop. Do you want to be able to afford to eat your veggies? Stick to conventional foods, and you'll be sure to get all of your nutrients.
Myth or Fact: GMO's do not contain as many nutrients as organic food.
One of the many underrated benefits of our abilities to manipulate genes is the fact that we are not only able to increase crop yield size and create plants that are pest-resistant, we are also able to inject other needed nutrients into our crops. According to "GMO Foods are Safe" and Fortier, Vitamins A and C have been added to rice in Asia, and in other cases, the nutrients that are found in meats can be genetically inserted into plants (2003, 2010). We can now come to the conclusion that genetically modified foods can in fact be engineered to be even more enriched with nutrients than their organic counterparts. Another Myth bites the dust!
Myth or Fact: You've heard that genetically modified foods contain many chemicals (such as pesticides) that are harmful to humans.
This is perhaps one of the most argued points of genetically modifed food, and one of the biggest reasons why those of you who choose to stick to an organic diet do so. Surprise! This may come as a complete shock to some of you, but according to greenfacts.org, and Andrew Fortier, author of "Potential GMO Benefits", many GMO foods actually make it possible to use fewer pesticides (2011, 2010). The genes that are injected into many plants (such as the well-known and controversial Bt gene found in many crops) makes the plants pest-resistant, so that there is even less of a need for the heavy duty chemical pesticides and herbicides. According to Andrew Fortier, this also reduces the risk of the presence of parasites, such as E. coli and salmonella (2010). You want to be healther and avoid those chemicals? Perhaps genetically modified foods could be the way to go - remember to blame the pesticide, NOT the GMO. Consider this myth BUSTED!
Myth or Fact: Genetically modified foods can help to increase crop yields.
FACT. Although there are misconceived notions of how this is actually attained, genetically modified foods do in fact increase the crop yield. They do no necessarily cause plants to produce more food -instead, they make it possible for the crops to be grown closer together, therefore twice as much food can be harvested per acre. Fortier has also stated that the modified genes in GMO's makes "shorter growing periods" possible (2010). This makes it possbile for more crops to be grown and harvested in a season, which will also account for the increase in crop yields that has been generated by the implementation of GMO's.
Gene alterations in crops also make them much more resilient and able to withstand growing in environments that their organic counterparts would not be able to handle. Drought could no longer be a problem. Nutrient-depleted soil could no longer be a problem. The ability for the growth of plants under any environmental circumstance could even tackle the problem Wendell Berry presents in "The Pleasures of Eating" of the urbanized consumer being taken out of the agricultural equation (2011). If plants can be grown in any number of enviroments, we could in theory bring consumers and crops closer together as they once were. Urbanized consumers, or even consumers who are not living in ideal agricultural goldmines (take the Phoenix metropolitan area, for example), can once again be brought to rejoin the agricultural process with the help of GMO's.
Myth or Fact: GMO's are cheaper than organic foods.
Yet another Fact - genetically modified foods are cheaper than organic foods. Go into any typical grocery store, and compare the "organic" food section to the "conventional" food section, and you'll see what we mean. Even Jessica's mother (the Hodgkins Lymphoma survivor from our interviews) eventually switched back to non-organic foods due to the price difference. The price difference between the two is directly related to the crop yields of GMO's versus the yield from an organic crop, and the expensive farming practices involved in raising a purely organic crop. Do you want to be able to afford to eat your veggies? Stick to conventional foods, and you'll be sure to get all of your nutrients.
Myth or Fact: GMO's do not contain as many nutrients as organic food.
One of the many underrated benefits of our abilities to manipulate genes is the fact that we are not only able to increase crop yield size and create plants that are pest-resistant, we are also able to inject other needed nutrients into our crops. According to "GMO Foods are Safe" and Fortier, Vitamins A and C have been added to rice in Asia, and in other cases, the nutrients that are found in meats can be genetically inserted into plants (2003, 2010). We can now come to the conclusion that genetically modified foods can in fact be engineered to be even more enriched with nutrients than their organic counterparts. Another Myth bites the dust!
Myth or Fact: GMO's present a higher risk of exposure to allergens and other toxins.
Since GMO's seem virtually unavoidable, you'll be happy to hear that they do not present a higher risk of allergies and other toxins. According to Monsanto, "there is no evidence to link allergenicity to currently authorized GM crops" (2011). The corporate GMO giant has also made it clear that genes are not taken from foods that are common allergens and inserted into other plants. The chances of a new allergen being intoduced to your plate from a new GMO is also slim to none, since Monsanto has also stated that the portion of proteins that are allergens in the human diet is extremely small compared to the numbers of different kinds of proteins that we do eat (2011). We can safely say that this claim is a Myth.
Since GMO's seem virtually unavoidable, you'll be happy to hear that they do not present a higher risk of allergies and other toxins. According to Monsanto, "there is no evidence to link allergenicity to currently authorized GM crops" (2011). The corporate GMO giant has also made it clear that genes are not taken from foods that are common allergens and inserted into other plants. The chances of a new allergen being intoduced to your plate from a new GMO is also slim to none, since Monsanto has also stated that the portion of proteins that are allergens in the human diet is extremely small compared to the numbers of different kinds of proteins that we do eat (2011). We can safely say that this claim is a Myth.
"We could choose farming methods that truly address our real concerns - safety and sustainability - not simply satisfy an arbitrary marketing label." (Duffield 2011).
Despite everything that I have read in the last few weeks while working on tihs project, I have to say that I am on the fence on this issueof Organic vs. Inorganic. I see inorganic foods as a stepping stone to solving issues of world hunger. I see that for every idea that has been brought up against genetically modified foods, there is an equally strong argument that clears the air and states that there has not been any evidence to support these claims.
The only argument for organic foods that has not been cleared by a "lack of evidence" is what will happen to our bodies down the line as a result of all of the changes to our diet. I can't help but wonder if all of these ideas of bodily harm are as preposterous as the belief in the Y2K bug. Bottom line is, no one knows, and with any new technology, there are bound to be gliches. History as proven this time and time again, but history as also shown our capabilities in adapting to changes and pressing forward with even more advanced controversial technology. As for now, I still have yet to grow a third arm from my forehead for consuming GMO's on a daily basis, and I have yet to see the same things happening to those who are older and younger than I am. I don't know that I could ever even give a one-sided answer unless I tried to swtich to an organic-only diet myself to see what kind of changes that may or may not take place with my health. It's an experiment that I would be more than happy to try, but the previously mentioned problem of affording the darned expensive organic foods does not put me in any position to make this work.
I have given my thoughts on the matter - now I would like to give a professional a turn in the spotlight. Casey has interviewed Tracy Duffield from Duffield's Farm - a farm in our local area that does not use organic farming practices.
