In
This Issue:
Cropgen
Says GM-Free Unrealistic
CropGen,
a group of UK academics who comment on GM issues, have responded
to the Opinion of the EU Scientific Committee on Plants. The Opinion
stated that that the presence of unauthorized genetically modified
(GM) material in seeds is inevitable and that the EU may have to
revise its threshold for the compulsory labeling of food unintentionally
containing such material. In the Committee's view, a zero level of
unauthorized GM seed is unobtainable in practice. With the scientific
knowledge currently available, the thresholds of 0.3% for cross-pollinated
crops and 0.5% for self-pollinated...crops (being considered by the
Commission)... will only be achieved under ideal seed production
conditions. Achieving the 0.3% and 0.5% thresholds, they said, will
become increasingly difficult as GM crop production increases in
Europe.
The UK
academics likewise note that a food that is safe to eat is safe as
long as it is handled properly; how it is grown (organic, conventional
or GM) appears to make no difference. GM foods are regarded as the
safest, being the only ones to have been extensively tested in the
laboratory before being licensed for sale.
CropGen
likewise notes that environmental threat is not much to worry about.
A group at Imperial College in London recently published a ten-year
study which proved that GM versions of sugar beet, oilseed rape,
potatoes and corn do not survive untended in Britain. Leave them
alone and they disappear; they don't turn into "superweeds". So the
demand for "non-GM" products is not based on real problems but partly
at least on people being bombarded with false and disquieting information,
it argues. ¨
Surveys
Show Increasing Acceptance of GM Foods
A report
by Biotechnology Australia reveals that public acceptance of genetically
modified foods is growing worldwide. This finding was based on several
recent surveys conducted in Australia and overseas.
The publications's
spokeman, Craig Cormick, said in a food conference at Lorne, Victoria,
that consumers were more worried by pesticide, packaging or tampering
than by genetic engineering. An Australian survey conducted by Quantum
Market Research showed consumers' greatest worry was food poisoning
(72 %), pesticide use (68%), human tampering during manufacturing
(65%), followed by GM food (58%).
In the
US a food buying survey noted that consumers biggest worries were
packaging (27%), food handling (23 %), contamination or disease (16%),
and pesticides (10%). Only 2% were worried about GM food. British
consumers, on the other hand, enumerated the following worries: food
poisoning (63%), "mad cow disease"(61 %), growth hormones or growth
promoters (47%), and pesticides (46%). GM foods was identified by
43%.
Cormick
added that the number of US consumers who were prepared to eat GM
food had risen from 46% in 1999 to 48% in 2001. For the same period,
in New Zealand, figures rose from 28% to 35%.
¨
FAO
Releases Publications on Food Ethics
The Food
and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have come out recently with two
publications, the first in a new series dedicated to ethics in food
and agriculture- and a report by an independent panel of eminent
experts on the major issues and challenges facing humanity today.
The first
publication, entitled "Ethical issues in food and agriculture," introduces
ethical questions as they relate to FAO's mandate and describes a
vision for building an ethical and equitable food and agriculture
framework.
The second
publication, entitled "Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), consumers,
food safety and the environment", shares the current knowledge of
genetically engineered products in relation to consumers, including
the safety of their food and protection of their health, and environmental
conservation.
Likewise
discussed are the claims and counterclaims being made in the GMO
debate from an ethical perspective. It considers issues related to
the ownership of the necessary tools to produce GMOs, the potential
consequences of their use and the undesirable effects that their
application could have. The publication advocates interaction and
involvement of all stakeholders in the decision-making process regarding
GMOs.
FAO also
established an independent Panel of Eminent Experts on Ethics in
Food and Agriculture to advise the organization and raise public
awareness of ethical considerations associated with such vital issues
as food security and sustainable management of the earth's limited
resources. In the report, the Panel says "FAO should support developing
countries in increasing research and development related to socially
useful and environment-friendly biotechnologies, including the development
of certain GMOs.¨
Monsanto
To Donate Genetic Marker for Soybean
Monsanto
Company will donate a single Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) genetic
marker to the United Soybean Board's Technology Utilization Center.
Robb Fraley, Chief Technology Officer for Monsanto said that the
marker will quickly accelerate efforts by the Better Bean Initiative
for a high value soybean. Plant breeders will be able to more accurately
and more efficiently select for the low saturate trait. Specifically,
the marker identifies the low palmitic acid within the soybean genome.
It will accelerate the development of a high yielding soybean variety
that produces soybeans significantly lower in saturated fat. The
development of this variety will allow an already healthy product,
soybean oil, to become even healthier because it reduced the level
of fat.
The United
Soybean Board is working with public and private sector industry
partners from the food, feed and seed industries to leverage resources
and determine the most efficient way to bring these new soybean products
to market. ¨
Seoul
To Issue Guidelines for GMOs
The Korean
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry announced that guidelines to
protect the agricultural sector from generically modified organisms
will take effect this July. Under the guidelines, bio-engineered
agricultural products, whether domestic or imported, can receive
safety clearance from the said ministry before being distributed
locally.
A special
inspection committee will be set up at a designated examination center.
This committee will be composed of 15 members from the agriculture,
plant pathology, molecular biology and ecology fields. Examination
results will be up for public review for 20 days. A ministry official
said that "the guidelines are strictly voluntary. So GMO importers
do not need to go through the process. But we believe that many will
request safety approval from the ministry as consumers require some
safety assurances." ¨
US
Study: Reexamine Pest Resistance Management Models
A team
of scientists led by Bruce Tabashnik at the University of Arizona
suggests that assumptions of resistance management models have to
be reexamined. They note that most strategies for delaying pest resistance
are based on theoretical models which assume that the genes conferring
resistance are rare.
The team's
research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Science discussed their work with pink bollworm larvae (Pectinophora
gossypiella) which they collected from cotton fields in Arizona
from 1997 to 1999. They found that the frequency of the resistance
allele in the pink bollworm was not rare, but surprisingly high in
1997. However, the frequency of resistance did not increase from
1997 to 1999 and the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton remained
extremely effective against the pink bollworm throughout the examination
period.
Results
of the experiments showed that resistant pink bollworm larvae capable
of surviving on Bt cotton were not rare in some Arizona cotton fields
in 1997. Bt cotton remained effective against lepidopteran pests,
contrary to models that predicted an increase in resistance allele
frequency. Suggested factors that could contribute to the delay of
resistant pink bollworm evolution in the field are the existence
of refuges, a reduced rate of development of larvae in Bt cotton
fields, and fitness costs associated with resistance.
If properly
integrated into production systems, biotechnology applications in
agriculture can offer more sustainable and ecologically friendly
tools for increasing productivity. ¨
US
Food Industry Wants Tests for Biotech Crops
The controversy
about the GM corn, Starlink, has caused too many problems for the
food industry, says Grocery Manufacturers of America. "The U.S. government
shouldn't approve any more genetically modified crops unless there
is a way to test for them. We've learned a lot of lessons, that's
the bottom line,'' said Lisa Katic, director of scientific and nutrition
policy for the Grocery Manufacturers of America.
Associated
Press reported that biotech soy and corn are found in foods throughout
U.S. supermarkets because biotech and conventional crops are routinely
mixed together.
Many overseas
buyers will not accept foods made from biotech crops, and some countries
require such foods to be labeled, making it imperative for manufacturers
to be able to tell whether ingredients include gene-altered crops,
Katic said.
The FDA
may tighten its approval process for biotech crops in response to
consumer and food industry concerns. A mandatory review process for
new biotech products-which includes the posting of scientific data
on the Internet-has been proposed.¨ |
