Ever notice how every other kid is deathly afraid of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Statistically, food allergies in children under 18 years old have risen, according to a study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. It reports an increase of 18 percent in the ten-year period between 1997 and 2007.
The usual suspect Monsanto states on its website that the rise is likely due to people consuming more, different types of food, an increase in reporting food allergies, and children not being exposed to allergens at an early age.
Despite the long list, not one states the possibility that what has also increased in recent years is the amount of genetically modified foods that Americans are consuming on a regular basis. As of 2004, 70 percent of American corn, soy and canola were contaminated with transgenic varieties, according to the “Gone to Seed” report by the Union of Concerned Scientists. Monsanto claims that this should not be a concern.
“The risk of a new protein being a food allergen is very low,” states the website, which also posits “There is no need for, or value in testing the safety of GM [genetically modified] foods in humans.”
Since 1996, the main genetically engineered foods on the market have been soybeans, canola, corn, sugar beets, squash and papaya. Various exporting restrictions have stopped both GE rice and wheat.
To date, there has been no long-term study on the effects of GMOs on the population and the lack of labeling makes the tracing of potential allergens in GE food very complicated. Most allergens are proteins and the genes inserted into GE food are proteins, which also change the protein structure of the source.
“It’s pretty clear that there’s potential for genetic engineering to change the allergenicity of some food and introduce new allergies. There should be no dispute,” says Doug Gurian-Sherman, Ph.D., senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
An allergic reaction is an immune response, and studies have found a relation between GE food and immune reactions.
In Australia, GE peas containing a seemingly harmless protein from beans were given to mice.
“Mice showed an immune response similar to allergies,” says Sherman. The product was discontinued, but Sherman says that allergen would’ve gone undetected by the required U.S. tests.
Most genetically engineered crops contain genes from viruses, fungi or bacteria, which are not typically consumed by humans.
“The tests that we have to determine whether something like that would be an allergen are far from perfect. They’re pretty limited, they haven’t changed since the mid-’90s and they’re not entirely reliable,” says Sherman, adding that one bacterial gene, BT, has been shown to cause allergies, but the reactions were from inhaling it rather than eating it.
Sherman worked at the EPA until 2001 evaluating the safety of GE crops. From experience, he says the system is corrupt. Not only does the staff at regulatory agencies start doing research with the assumption that GE crops are safe, but GE seeds are patented and companies can either stop independent research, or provide stipulations on whether the data can be published or how research can be done. Sherman says, “Even pro-GE scientists have complained to the EPA saying they couldn’t do the experiments how they wanted to.”
Other ethical problems surrounding the issue of GMOs include funding for university research by the biotech industry, which might put into question the studies’ objectivity, and the industry’s presence in the government.
“They’ve got their people in the Administration. Agencies are inundated with personnel from the biotech industry, people who work for Monsanto or trade organizations [such as] CropLife,” says Sherman, adding that the things that are happening under the new Administration are unprecedented. Not only was GE alfalfa approved despite the Courts ruling against it, but the first GE animal ever might soon be given a green light by the FDA.
The United States Department of Agriculture approved transgenic alfalfa in late January and removed the restrictions that may have protected organic farmers from contamination. GE seeds are sterile to prevent the genes from spreading, but the technology apparently doesn’t work. The alfalfa is so-called “Roundup Ready” so it can withstand the herbicide used by companies like Monsanto.
Jay Dee Hanson, senior policy analyst at the nonprofit Center for Food Safety, says that GE salmon has the lowest Omega-3 fatty acids of any salmon ever and “it may cause more allergic reactions than any salmon ever. The GE fish has one gene from another kind of fish and salmon is a classic allergen to begin with.”
Hanson says that soybeans are already a known allergen and genetically modifying the crop can make it more allergenic. He adds that studies have already pointed to the potential toxicity of GE soy, but there have been problems reaching conclusions.
There’s no way to make sure that processed food does not contain GMOs, but buying organic is one way to reduce the amount that you are consuming.
Robin Jones, mercantile buyer at LifeSource Natural Foods says, “If it’s organic, in theory it can’t be GMO. The best thing to do is scream at the government, tell your Senator and Representative that you don’t want genetically modified food. The more noise you make, the better chance we have at getting things changed.”
MORE INFO
The Organic Consumers Association is seeking volunteers to gather signatures for its Truth-in-Labeling petition to “mobilize 1,000,000 people against Monsanto.” Find it at organicconsumers.org.
The Center for Food Safety has a convenient shopper’s guide to avoid GMOs, available as an iPhone application. Find it at http://truefoodnow.org/shoppers-guide.
