Opinions of Peter Belmont
Speaking Truth to Power
| On the Varieties of Genetic Modification |
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by Peter A. Belmont / 2014-01-03
Some people (and I am one) would like the USA to require useful labelling disclosing the GM nature of food. Unhappily, we anticipate that the USA will prevent (or fail to require) such labelling. Level 1: GM by Selective Breeding One type of GM of foods is selective breeding. It has been practiced for thousands of years. In NYC, our out-door green-markets sell the most amazing variety of apples these days—far more than are sold by supermarkets—and each variety is in a sense a genetic modification of earlier (and evidently different) apples. These “Luther Burbank” modifications have long been regarded as “natural”. They were made-by-man, by selective plant breeding, hybridizing, etc. Just as all the breeds of dogs (or cattle or sheep) in the world today came about by selective breeding, hybridization, etc. All regarded these days as “natural”. That is, they are regarded as not being “genetically modified”. But of course, they were. Every human being has a genetics of his or her own, depending on both parents, but more or less unique. The result of selection. If there were a degree of genetic modification, selective breeding would be level “1” whereas naturally occurring plants and animals (are there any anymore?) would be level “0”. Level 2-7: The Intermediate Levels of GM When geneticists introduce a gene from one variety of a plant or animal into another of the same species, they are doing little more than what Luther Burbank did. But since it is not done by selective breeding, I’d give the result a Level “2” to Level “3” depending on how many genes were transferred. Cross-species gene transfer (between related species) (as from a tiger to a house-cat) might get a Level “4” to Level “5”. Cross-species gene transfer between unrelated species (but plant to plant or animal to animal) might rate Level “6” to Level “7”. Level 8-10: The Most Extreme GM I’d reserve the high numbered levels for genetic transfers from plants to animals or vice-versa. These would be Level “8” to Level “9”. If the men in the white coats can manufacture genes that do not occur anywhere in nature, which were not taken from an existing living plant or animal, then GM using such a man-made (as opposed to man-selected) gene would top the list as Level “10”. I don’t know whether these possibilities exhaust the types of genetic modification now practiced. Perhaps they’ll figure out how to put micro-processors into food plants or animals. We’d presumably want new Level numbers in that case. I’d really not want to buy or eat anything labelled GM-11. Why Consumers Care about GM There are various reasons for consumers to wish to have proper food labelling as to GM. In each case, consumers would wish to use proper labels to avoid (or seek) foods, to use labels to help them “vote with their purchases”. Without proper labels, they cannot do that. Think of that—a democracy where you cannot vote intelligently. If labels are forbidden (or even if they are not required), that’s what we’d have in this regard. How such labelling would work is another question, especially for food sold by restaurants and fast-food outlets, by street vendors, and in manufactured (packaged) foods. When you buy an ice-cream cone, how would you expect the “conista” to advise you of the GM aspect of the ingredients of her ice-cream? Well, if they can say “organic”, then they can say “GM-1”. One reason consumers care about GM foods is a concern for the safety of the consumer. The consumer may regard GM foods as unsafe to eat. [1] Another reason for consumers to be concerned about GM food is a concern for the health and safety of the natural world, the biosphere, threatened—as they may believe—by the introduction of the GM crops or animals. For example, if farmed salmon is a GM animal, its modified genetics may “get out” into the natural world, resulting in injury to naturally occurring salmon or to other fish. Another example: Monsanto’s GM corn had its modified genes “get out”, spread (by natural pollination by bees and such) to corn fields neighboring those of farmers using the GM seeds. A third reason for consumers to be concerned about GM food is a concern for the health and safety of the farm-workers and food-processors who handle the GM foods in the field and factory. ----------- [1] And as to food safety, consumers would also wish to see labelling as to contamination of food by (residues of) pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc., and by antibiotics and the like. |
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