Is Genetically Engineered Food Safe? (why the research is inconclusive)
A COMPLICATED ISSUE
The controversy about genetically engineered (aka GE, GM, or GMO) food is complicated, to say the least.
Current research is inconclusive and stances of authorities are varied.
Weeding out fiction from fact is challenging, especially when the jury is still out about the long-term health and environmental impacts.
ARE GE FOODS SAFE?
GE foods are "generally regarded as safe" in the US. This is based on studies and expert claims reporting no harmful health impacts from the consumption of GE foods.
To be fair, GE technology has greatly advanced agricultural yields in the US and around the world, which increases food security and decreases food cost.
Considering those financial and production benefits, GE crops have been viewed as "safe until proven harmful".
ON THE OTHER HAND...
Opponents argue that this is the wrong approach because we do not completely understand the long-term effects of GE on human, animal, microbial, and environmental health.
Despite research supporting the safety of GE foods, many of those studies have been funded by corporations that produce GE seeds and accompanying pesticides.
WE DON'T HAVE THE RESEARCH
Suspected health consequences from GE foods (and pesticides) include immune dysfunction, gut dysbiosis, infertility, and neurological issues, but more research is needed.
This is why many scientists, consumers, and health experts argue that GE crops should be treated as "harmful until proven safe".
LABELLING GE FOODS
USDA ORGANIC: highly regulated, always non-GE & pesticide-free
NON-GMO PROJECT: indicates non-GE product, often added for marketing
BIOENGINEERED: USDA label indicates products that DO contain detectable amounts of GE ingredients
US APPROVED GE FOODS*
corn
soybeans
canola
cotton
sugar beets
apples
alfalfa
papayas
pink pineapples
summer squash
potatoes
salmon
pigs
Most processed foods contain GE ingredients in the form of high-fructose corn syrup, sugar, and refined oils (corn, soybean, cottonseed, canola/vegetable).
*Only certain varieties of these foods are GE. For example, not all apples on the market are GE.
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References
Giampietro M. (2002). The precautionary principle and ecological hazards of genetically modified organisms. Ambio, 31(6), 466–470. https://doi.org/10.1579/0044-7447-31.6.466 Retrieved from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12436844/
Guida A. (2021). The precautionary principle and genetically modified organisms: A bone of contention between European institutions and member states. Journal of law and the biosciences, 8(1), lsab012. https://doi.org/10.1093/jlb/lsab012 Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8132481/
Redden R. (2021). Genetic Modification for Agriculture-Proposed Revision of GMO Regulation in Australia. Plants (Basel, Switzerland), 10(4), 747. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10040747 Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8069435/
GMO Crops, Animal Food, and Beyond. Retreived from: https://www.fda.gov/food/agricultural-biotechnology/gmo-crops-animal-food-and-beyond
What GMO crops are currently available on the market? Retreived from: https://gmoanswers.com/gmos-in-the-us