Food from genetically engineered crops

Food from genetically engineered crops.. QuickTime™ and a Photo - JPEG decompressor are needed to see this picture.Crop improvement has allowed food production to keep up with phenomena

Food from genetically engineered

crops Should we worry?

Maarten J Chrispeels

Genetic change resulting from crop domestication

took 10,000 years.

Teosinte (top) and corn or maize (bottom)

The March of Genetic Technology

1860 Mendel: making crosses, introducing genes

1920 Discovery of hybrid vigor

1950 Inducing mutations

1960 Tissue culture and embryo rescue

1980 Plant transformation and GMOs

2000 Genomics

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Crop improvement has allowed food production to keep up with

phenomenal population growth for the past 100 years.

Plant Breeding and Crop Yield

The scientific basis of all crop improvement is

the identification of the genes that encode

certain phenotypic characteristics.

Those genes can now be transferred more easily

(via marker assisted breeding - no GM) or

directly (through genetic engineering - GM)

Molecular agriculture makes new gene

combinations possible

Peas (on the left) that make a genetically engineered bean protein are insect-resistant and do not need to be

Creation of a GM plant relies

on a natural gene transfer mechanism

What are people’s concerns

• Is this food safe?

• Should food be labeled?

• Are there adverse

These concerns are generally true for all innovations Governments

create policies based on the

following principles:

• Promote the general welfare

• Maintain people’s rights

(individuals, groups, corporations)

• Ensure justice: burdens and

benefits must be fairly shared

Agriculture is the main cause of environmental

change and degradation

Fires burning in Northeast Brazil’s Maranhao region

Agriculture requires land clearing

Worldwide, 40 % of our food production depends on irrigation Depletion of aquifers

is occurring at twice the re-charge rate Salinization is a major consequence of

irrigation

Agriculture has narrowed the gene pool and caused a loss of biodiversity

Wild Progenitors and Relatives

Land Races

Elite Lines

Environmental Hazards from Pesticides

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Genetics is always better than chemicals:

GM Cotton with a Bacillus thuringiensis Cry gene is resistant

Reduced Pesticide Use with Insect-Protected Cotton

Manufacturing Distribution Application Financial Benefit Stewardship

 Applies 1.04 million fewer pounds of insecticide in 2.5 fewer applications per acre

 Disposes of 416,000 fewer insecticide containers

 Saves 41,250 10-hour farm work days

 Eliminates 2,150 10-hour days of aerial application

 Conserves 2.41 million gallons of fuel and 93.7 million gallons of water

 Accrues

$168 million

in economic benefits from lower production costs and increased cotton yield

 Reduces pesticide exposure risk

 Preserves beneficial insect populations

 Creates wildlife benefits

 Gives cotton producers more time for family and community activities

 Gives cotton producers peace

of mind

 Transports and stores 416,000 fewer gallons of insecticide

 Conserves 604,000 gallons

of fuel oil

 Produces fiber equivalent to that found in all consumer products derived from cotton

Consumer Benefit

 Saves 3.46 million pounds of raw material

 Conserves 1.48 million gallons of fuel oil

 Eliminates 2.16 million pounds of industrial waste

Net

Cotton

Some GM crops have the potential to mitigate the environmental impact of agriculture: less pesticide, less dust,

more biodegradable herbicides

“Roundup” tolerant soybeans can be

Planted with no-till procedures,

which eliminate plowing (dust),

Save water and use a biodegradable

herbicide

Hmm… I wonder if

there could be gene

flow?

Gene flow occurs when crops cross with wild relatives growing

in relative close proximity to the fields

Gene flow requires sexual compatibilityGene persistence requires an evolutionary advantage for the new trait

What about their nutritional value and safety?

What are the main food issues in the US?

The # 1 safety issue is bacteria (6000 deaths per yr.)

The # 1 health issues are fat, sugar and salt

Are GM foods safe and nutritious?

1 All GM foods have been extensively tested and

they are as safe as other foods in the market

place

2 GM crops can be made into convenience and

“junk” food just like organic crops and other

crops!

3 Nutrition depends on the food, not the method of

crop breeding

Every year 250,000 children become blind

because of vitamin A deficiency

Some GM crops will improve the nutritional quality of foods Such foods are now in the pipeline.

A GM soybean line, developed as a collaboration between the USDA and DuPont, is hypoallergenic in humans

The approach is to down regulate the expression of the

gene encoding the major allergenic protein (antisense)

Hmmm Shouldn’t those things be labeled?

Labels are not neutral!

Produced by Radiation Breeding!

There are no GM apples anywhere!

Is food labeled this way

nutritious?

Truthful labels can be misleading or meaningless

How to Label?

Should foods from GM crops be labeled?

Perhaps!

The US takes the view that if

foods are “substantially equivalent”,

the method of producing them

need not be on the label.

Farmers use a variety of techniques, and keeping production streams separate “from plow to plate” costs money Such separation is called “identity

Voluntary labeling works in the US for Kosher and Organic

foods

Europe requires that all food that has any ingredient that is

more than 1% GM be labeled as “GM containing”

So, what’s the bottom line?

1 GM foods are as safe and there is promise for

more nutritious food.

2 For some crops, environmental impacts are

similar or less than conventional agriculture.

3 GM is an important tool for the plant breeder

4 GM technology can solve problems that can’t

be solved in other ways at present.

5 The benefits will be spread between biotech

companies, farmers and consumers.

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GM or no GM is a false issue Sustainability is the real issue

Through science and through ethics we have come to the

realization that we are bound by the laws of Nature We must obey

those laws to make agriculture (and civilization) sustainable

Our agricultural practices must reflect our new awareness that

many practices threaten sustainability Food production must be

equitable and just, and sustainable, for all the peoples of the Earth.