GM foods explained

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GM foods explained

• Presented by MADGE
• Mothers are Demystifying Genetic Engineering

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Who is MADGE?

• A network of mothers concerned about the
  introduction of GM foods and crops

• We want to be confident about the safety of our
  food
• We believe we have the right to know what is in
  our food

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Getting to know you

• Hands up if
• You are a mother
• You are a farmer
• You are a councillor
• You feel like you already know a lot about GM
• You feel like you dont know much about GM at all

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GM on our plates in our fields

• The Victorian government lifted the moratorium on
  growing GM crops in 2008
• Farmers can now grow GM canola
• Whats the situation?
• Where are GM foods on our plates?
• Where are GM crops in our fields?

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GM Crops in Australia
Non GM canola
GM canola

• Can you tell the difference?
• Neither can we and thats the problem!

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The supermarket challenge

• Are any of these foods GM?

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Most GM foods arent labelled

• You may have heard that GM foods are labelled,
  but
• Most GM foods dont need to be labelled, because
  of exemptions to labelling laws
• Food from restaurants and food outlets
• Meat, dairy and eggs from animals fed GM
• Highly refined foods like sugars, starches
  oils
• Additives, processing aids flavours
• Accidental GM contamination up to 1 of
  ingredients

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DNA, Genes Proteins

• DNA - the instructions for life
• Genes thought of as sections of DNA with
  instructions for making particular proteins
• Proteins are large organic compounds that perform
  essential jobs and participate in every process
  within cells.

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Genetic modification is not the same as
traditional selective breeding

• Traditional selective breeding involves the union
  of 2 complete sets of whole chromosomes DNA and
  all its binding proteins packed together
• Idea of GM take a gene with a specific
  characteristic from one species and insert it
  into a host plant to give it that
  characteristic
• Like moving lego blocks around simple!

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Selecting and Inserting the genes

• Genes, or pieces of DNA code, may be from a wide
  variety of life forms, or may be synthetic, or
  both
• They are chosen for a specific purpose or need
• There are two methods of inserting DNA
• The Agrobacterium Method
• The Gene Gun Method
• Lets demonstrate

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Is it really that simple?

• Last year, 300 scientists from 4-year research
  project called ENCODE found that
• The idea of one gene - one protein is wrong
• Genes can combine in different ways to make
  different proteins
• Every part of the DNA is used
• we remain too ignorant of how the genome works
  to anticipate all the consequences, subtle or
  obvious, immediate or long-term, of those
  manipulations
• Professor David Suzuki, 2007 (Geneticist, Author,
  Environmentalist)

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Are GM foods safe to eat?

• We dont know because
• Our government regulatory authorities dont
  independently test GM crops for health impacts
  before approval
• They make safety assessments by reviewing test
  data submitted by biotechnology companies
• There is no monitoring of the effects of GM food
  on public health

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GM Crop Food Approvals - Australia
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)
Genetically Modified Foods Their Approval
Status, http//www.foodstandards.gov.au/foodmatter
s/gmfoods/gmcurrentapplication1030.cfm
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Hospital admission rates for anaphylaxis in
Australia have increased dramatically

• Hospital admission rates for anaphylaxis -
  financial years 1993-94 to 2004-05

Rate per million population Paediatric food
allergy trends in a community-based specialist
allergy practice, 1995-2006, Raymond J Mullins,
MJA Vol. 186 No. 12 pp 618-621
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Anaphylaxis Admissions vs GM Crop Approvals

• Is there a link between allergy increases and the
  introduction of GM foods?

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Is there evidence of possible harm from GM foods?

• There are only a small number of independent
  safety studies of GM foods, but they have shown
  adverse effects
• Dr Judy Carman, nutritional biologist and
  epidemiologist
• Effects have been found on the liver, kidney,
  pancreas, testes, digestive system, respiratory
  system, immune function (including allergy) and
  reproduction

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Many scientists are concerned

• Governments should never have allowed these
  products into the food chain without insisting on
  rigorous testing for effects on health
• Editorial, The Lancet, 29 May 1999
• There have been no studies into whether any of
  the millions of people who have been hospitalized
  or died since GM crops were introduced got ill
  due to eating these crops
• Dr Judy Carman, Canberra Times, 28 July 2008

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World Scientists Statement

• Scientists are extremely concerned about the
  hazards of GMOs to biodiversity, food safety,
  human and animal health, and demand a moratorium
  on environmental releases in accordance with the
  precautionary principle.
• The statement has been signed by 828 scientists
  from 84 different countries, including
• Dr. David Bellamy, Biologist and Broadcaster,
  London, UK
• Prof. Liebe Cavalieri, Mathematical Ecologist,
  Univ. Minnesota, USA
• Dr. Thomas S. Cox, Geneticist, US Dept. of
  Agriculture (retired), India
• Dr. Tewolde Egziabher, Spokesperson for African
  Region, Ethiopia
• Dr. David Ehrenfeld, Biologist/Ecologist, Rutgers
  University, USA
• Dr. David Suzuki, Geneticist, David Suzuki
  Foundation, Univ. British Columbia, Canada
• Dr. Vandana Shiva, Theoretical Physicist and
  Ecologist, India

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Questions we are entitled to ask

• Why havent studies showing adverse health
  effects of GM foods in animals been repeated?
• Why dont our Government authorities carry out
  independent animal feeding studies before
  introducing GM crops into our food system?
• Why arent all GM foods labelled to facilitate
  traceability in the food system and monitoring of
  public health effects?

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Crop and seed contamination

• Occurs through wind insect pollination
• Canola seeds are the size of 100s and 1000s -
  contamination can occur during harvesting,
  storage and transport
• In Canada, 32 of 33 certified non-GM canola seed
  stocks were contaminated
• Agronomy Journal 95, 2003
• 216 cases of GM contamination have been recorded
  in 57 countries worldwide

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Chaos on the ground

• Liability insurance - who pays?
• Only VIC NSW have lifted GM canola bans
• Non-GM farmers have concerns about the plan
  for segregating GM from non-GM crops
• Harvesters are concerned because it takes a week
  to decontaminate a harvesting machine
• Beekeepers need to certify what their bees have
  fed on
• How can farmers certify crops as non-GM if they
  dont know where GM crops are growing?

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Who owns our food? Seeds patents

• Farmers gardeners have developed saved
  swapped seeds for 1000s of years
• Now domestic international laws grant patents
  to corporations to own seeds
• Farmers cant save patented seeds
• In the 1970s there were 1000s of seed
  companies, now 10 companies own 57 of world
  trade in seed

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Being a food detective
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First the good news

• We have lots of wonderful food in Australia that
  isnt GM
• Fruit vegetables
• Pasture-fed meats dairy
• Australian-grown cereal crops (except canola
  from November)
• Foods labelled Product of Australia
• But ingredients like additives enzymes may be
  imported may be GM
• Cottonseed could be GM canola from November
• Many producers have GM-free policies look
  for the labels or call the information lines
• Organic foods are GM-free

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What foods might be GM?

• Australian cottonseed oil, vegetable oil
  (from November) canola oil
• Find out what your chips are cooked in
• All other GM will be imported, mostly from the
  Americas
• The main international GM crops are soy, corn,
  canola and cotton
• Look out for soy lecithin/protein, corn/maize
  syrup/starch think laterally!
• A handful of soy lecithin is thrown into almost
  everything processed
• Food additives processing enzymes

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How can I avoid GM foods?

• Eat unprocessed foods
• make your own out of lovely Australian
  ingredients
• Except for cottonseed oil and soon canola
• Use the Greenpeace True Food Guide
• Look for products labelled GM-free
• Buy from local farmers markets
• Buy organic
• Ring information numbers on food packaging
• Be a food detective!

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If youre concerned, what else can you do?

• Be informed - sign up to the MADGE newsletter
• Go through your cupboards, and contact food
  manufacturers to find out whether your foods
  contain GM ingredients
• Tell MADGE what you find out, so we can let
  others know
• Tell food manufacturers and retailers how you
  feel about GM foods
• Tell food manufacturers and retailers how you
  feel about GM foods
• Right now, Australian food companies are deciding
  whether to use GM canola in their products
• Tell your State and Federal politicians your
  concerns
• Sign the Greenpeace GM Food - Our Right to Know
  petition

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GM Food - Our Right to Know

• At the very least it is imperative that any GM
  produce be labelled
• Stephanie Alexander
• People have a right to know what they are eating
• Margaret Fulton
• If we are to get GM canola, it should be
  labelled, and if it is not labelled, we should
  all ask why
• Dr Rosemary Stanton, Nutritionist

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Its our food, we need to act

• Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
  committed citizens can change the world
• Margaret Mead