GMOs: How Did We Get Here?

Genetically Modified Organisms, also known as GMO's: what do we really know about them? They are a hot-button topic and have been popping up more and more in recent news stories. The most recent coverage follows the California GMO labeling ballot which will be voted on in November. The "Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act" will require all foods that contain GMOs to be labeled as such.  Petitioners got more than twice the required number of signatures to get this issue on the ballot. And as of recent polls, a staggering 95% of voters plan to vote in favor of labeling GMO foods. Word on the street is that there are a slew of lobbyists and high-powered PR professionals that are being paid big money in order to convince the public otherwise, allowing GMOs to continue to be seamlessly integrated into the food system, with Americans none-the-wiser. If the bill passes later this year, it's likely that the trend will continue and other states will eventually benefit from the bill. But how did we get here? How is it that we are finding ourselves needing to battle so hard just to know whats in our food?


Before 1900, people pretty much ate what was hunted and gathered in nature.  Around the turn of the century, European plant farmers began hone the techniques of using genetic theory in order to genetically manipulate various species via natural breeding. This process was called "classic selection". The discovery of DNA in 1953 and later tinkering with its properties began, leading the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that genetically modified organisms could be patented. As you know, once something can be owned, it can be exploited.

Though Europe got a bit of a head start, it wasn't until 1987 that the first field tests on genetically modified foods were being conducted in the United States. In 1992, the first genetically modified food (a tomato, engineered to be firmer for longer) was approved for commercial production by the US Department of Agriculture.  That same year, the FDA ruled that genetically modified foods were considered not inherently dangerous (safe until proven otherwise) and such foods were given GRAS status (Generally Recognized As Safe). This essentially gave companies free range to create, sell and hide products that were not thoroughly tested for safety.

Apparently, you can thank Dan Quayle. The FDA ruling was declared a part of Quale's "Regulatory Relief" agenda. This was a rare example of down-regulating from a governmental perspective, and an unfortunately one at that. This initiative of regulatory relief concerning GMOs, by the way, went against scientific consensus at the time. So, since no companies are required to preform safety testing, and many companies even forbid the safety testing of their crops, data on GMO products is limited. However, we do have some evidence to suggest that at the very least, GMOs haven't delivered on their promises to provide better crop yields, increased nutritional value and draught-tolerance. A project that started with wholesome claims about supposed virtues of GM foods, has become a highly-criticised business, wrought with regulatory failings and more recently, human safety concerns. Here is a summary of the safety of GM foods to date. We have evidence that GM salmon isn't so great (read here to see the Consumers Union report on the GM salmon), Monsanto's GM corn is causing organ failure in rats, and GM crops, like alfalfa are requiring greater amounts of more toxic pesticides, which ideally people would avoid eating anyways. And these additional pesticides that GM foods require, are creating superweeds that are devastating farms, just as icing on the cake. And the negative impacts of GM crops doesn't end there. There are environmental concerns as well. Here are some more.

The odds are against the American public. The Obama administration recently appointed a couple of GM food advocates powerful FDA positions. And because GM foods are already a deep-seeded part of our food supply, its not a matter of just calling them out, but then actually getting them out that is going to be a challenge. 95% of all soy grown in the US last year was genetically modified and two thirds of the corn and cotton was as well. Cotton, keep in mind is often used for its cottonseed oil in processed foods as a fat source. GM foods are essentially ubiquitous in our food system, even "natural" foods contain them.

You can do your best to eat a standard diet while avoiding GMOs by utilizing tips about how to understand packaged-food labeling, but the only sure way at this point in time to avoid GMOs is to buy and eat exclusively organic foods. Trends in Europe show that GM labeling drives products off the market; lets hope thats true! To see how you can get involved in the fight against GM foods, check out the Non-GMO Project and Millions Against Monsanto, and keep checking out Innate Response's Facebook page and Twitter feed for the latest.

Labels: FDA, GMO, herbicides, monsanto, non-GMO, pesticides