What are GMOs?

What are GMOs?

A GMO is "an organism that has been modified by the insertion of DNA by human intention. It is usually DNA which has been modified or ‘engineered’ to suit a particular purpose (recombinant DNA is the same thing). The DNA can be from a foreign organism, from the same organism or it may be a sequence synthesized in a laboratory." (Lynn M. Hartweek, Ph.D., Agronomy Department, University of Wisconsin, Madison, May 1997)

GMOs are "made with techniques that alter the molecular or cell biology of an organism by means that are not possible under natural conditions or processes."(National Organic Standards Board)

How do consumers feel about genetic engineering (GE)?

An ABCNews.com random poll of 1,024 adults conducted nationwide during June 2001 showed that 93% favor mandatory labels on genetically modified foods, with 57% saying they’d be less likely to buy foods labeled as genetically modified, and 5% saying they’d be more likely to purchase it. At the same time, 52% said they’d be more likely to buy food that is labeled as having been produced organically.
Seventy-five percent of Americans polled in a January 2001 survey for the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology said they want to know whether their food contains GE ingredients. Of those polled, 46% did not know what to think about the safety of GE foods; of those with an opinion, half believed GE foods are safe, and half believed they are unsafe. Full survey results were posted at http://www.pewagbiotech.org/ In a subsequent survey conducted in June 2001 for the Pew Initiative, 45% of poll respondents said they were not confident in the government’s ability to ensure consumer safety of GE foods.

What are potential concerns over genetic engineering in agriculture?

The large biotechnology companies are the ones who benefit from the production of GE crops, and have a vested interest in selling their products to the world. They are taking steps to make farmers more dependent on their seeds and chemicals through such developments as Terminator and Traitor technologies. Terminator technology renders crops sterile after one growing season. Traitor technology makes crops "commit suicide" unless the farmer sprays a particular chemical on them. Certainly the developers of these products are not putting farmers first.

Also, there are many uncertainties over long-term ecological consequences of using genetic engineering in agriculture. For instance, a study at the Max-Planck-Institut für Züchtungsforschung in Germany showed that planting genetically modified potatoes changes the bacterial communities in soil. [Thomas Lukow, Peter F. Dunfield, and Werner Liesak, "Use of the T-RFLP technique to assess spatial and temporal changes in the bacterial community structure within an agricultural soil planted with transgenic and non-transgenic potato plants," FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. 32 (3), 241-247 (2000)]

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