TIt’s been 30 years since tomatoes were first sold as genetically modified crops in the United States, but many people remain skeptical of scientifically engineered foods. A 2020 Pew Research Center survey found that only 27% of Americans say they feel genetically modified foods are safe to eat, 38% say they are unsafe, and 33% don’t know. answered.
It’s not just a US phenomenon. In the Philippines, for example, activists are protesting the production of golden rice, a type of genetically modified rice that was harvested on a large scale for the first time last year. Unlike regular rice, golden rice is designed to contain beta-carotene, an additive intended to combat vitamin A deficiency and associated vision loss. But opponents say the rice has not been properly tested and that there are safer and healthier ways for people to get vitamin A. “Golden rice is in no way a solution to the wide and deep wounds of hunger and poverty,” says a MASIPAG representative. A Philippine-based farmer-led group opposed to golden rice told TIME in a statement.
Golden Rice is just the latest example in a long history of anti-genetically modified organisms (GMO) sentiment. Protesters have been tearing up fields planted with genetically modified crops and marching in the streets for years to criticize companies that produce GMOs. Much of the public’s concern appears to stem from concerns that gene editing could introduce new toxins into old foods. Make food more allergenic. Or they could cause genetic mutations that cause disease in humans who eat these modified plants and animals. Some people have come to believe that eating genetically modified foods leads to organ damage after animal studies in the 1990s disproved it.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Agriculture, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency work together to regulate GMOs and ensure that they meet food safety standards, but many argue that GMOs are safe. Despite this, many people remain wary of GMOs. Scientifically fortified foods. “Technophobia is a very common problem,” says Trey Malone, an agricultural economist at the University of Arkansas. “This rosy reminiscence assumes that things were better in the past. It feeds into a belief system that creates a backlash against gene-edited and GMO foods.”
What many people don’t realize, Malone says, is that humans have been tinkering with food for a long time. Even thousands of years ago, farmers saved the best seeds they harvested and used them to optimize future yields, sometimes crossing them with other plants to produce even more desirable crops in the future. did. Modern corn would not exist without this type of breeding. So are bananas, apples, and broccoli as we know them today. Many of the produce varieties available in grocery stores today, such as pluots and broccolini, are also the result of crossing two species to create new varieties.
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Genetic modification is a related but more scientifically advanced process that involves making targeted adjustments to a plant or animal’s DNA to change or create specific traits. The process can be used to change a food’s flavor, nutritional content, appearance, or protection against pests such as insects that kill crops, resulting in foods such as Fresh Del Monte’s pink pineapples and never-brown Arctic apples . But while these flashy products make a lot of headlines, they actually only make up a small portion of GMOs sold in the United States.
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Fred Gould, a professor of agriculture at North Carolina State University and chair of the 2016 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report on genetically modified crops, frequently leads educational sessions on GMOs. He likes to show people pictures of the produce aisle at the supermarket and ask how many of the vegetables in the picture are genetically modified. He got as many guesses as his 90%, but zero correct answers.
There are several genetically modified fruits and vegetables on the market, including summer squash, papaya, and the aforementioned pineapples and apples. And within the past decade, the FDA has approved genetically modified salmon (which grows faster than regular fish) and pork that is free of certain allergens. However, in the United States, processed foods such as cooking oils, soy products, sweeteners, and snack foods are much more likely to contain GMOs. Most of the soybeans, corn, sugar beets, and canola grown in the United States are genetically modified, primarily for resistance to insects and pesticides. These crops are used to make many of the processed foods that most Americans eat every day.
By eating these foods, the average American is participating in a “natural experiment” for decades, Gould says. People in the United States and Canada have been eating GMOs for decades, but they are consumed less frequently overseas. If GMOs were associated with serious health problems, researchers would expect them to be reflected in comparisons of the health status of North Americans compared to Europeans. But “when you look at the data, you don’t see any indication,” Gould said. In fact, researchers have found evidence of increases in cancer, obesity, kidney disease, gastrointestinal disease, autism, and food allergies associated with GMOs in the United States and Canada compared to Europe. do not have. Studies in animals have also shown no evidence that consuming GMOs causes genetic mutations, organ damage, or fertility problems.
“We are very cautious about saying there is no impact. We have not found There is no impact,” Gould said. It’s always possible that new risks will emerge over time, but based on the science to date, that seems unlikely, he said.
Malone agrees that based on available research, there is no clear reason to fear genetically modified foods, and there are many reasons to embrace them. Gene editing can not only increase the nutritional value of food, but also streamline production processes and improve sustainability, he says. Research suggests that planting genetically modified crops may increase yields, allowing farmers to produce more food on less land while reducing the use of chemical pesticides. On the other hand, genetically modified salmon, which grow faster, theoretically require fewer resources to raise than conventional fish.
In Malone’s view, innovations like this are the biggest reason people embrace GMOs, especially now that it’s clear that the status quo isn’t good for the planet or people. “The planet’s production systems are realizing that they have to confront climate change. We’re going to have to adapt,” says Malone. “Agriculture can be part of the solution.”