Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

1
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

• What are they how they affect health, bodies,
  animals the environment

2
Agenda

• What are GMOs?
• Where are GMOs grown labeled?
• Why are GMOs made?
• Who makes GMOs?
• How are GMOs made?
• Do GMOs affect the environment?
• Why do some people avoid GMOs?
• How to avoid GMOs
• More information, Q A

3
Raise Your Hand

• Do YOU know what a GMO is?
• Genetically Modified Organism
• Genetic Engineering
• Genetically Modified
• Hint its NOT evolution

4
GMO What is it?

• DNA from two different species are combined to
  create a new species
• Examples that exist
• Goat spider
• Salmon ocean pout
• Soybean BT (bacteria)
• Corn bacteria

We EAT this daily!


5
GMO What is it?

• US Crops Main food for US
• Corn Cornstarch, corn syrup, corn oil
• Soy Soymilk, tofu, soy lecithin
• Canola Canola oil
• Sugar beets Sugar
• Cotton Cottonseed oil, tampons
• Squash Zucchini, crooked neck
• HI Papaya Papaya from Hawaii
• Main ingredient of US
  raised cows, pigs chickens

80 of what you buy in the grocery store contains
GMOs
6
GMO Where are they grown?

• GM crops food introduced in mid 1990s
• 2005 world production map of GMOs. Solid orange
  - produce more than 95 of GMO productsOrange
  stripes - produce commercialized GMO products.
  Orange dots - participating in experimental GM
  crops. Image by pixeltoo

7
GMO Where are they labeled?
8
GMO Why are they made?

• Pest/insect resistant crops
• Ex BT Corn or BT Soy
• Weed resistant crops
• Ex Round-up Ready
• Increased yields for first 2-3 years, then
  decreasing yields thereafter
• Chemical fertiziler chemical plant chemical
  crop
• Crops need more more chemicals to control the
  superweeds
• Agent orange resistant crop is awaiting approvals
• 2009 Failure to Yield, UCS Study
• Rodale Institute, Chemical vs. Organic, 30-yr
  Farming Trial

9
GMO Who makes them?

• Bio-tech companies(Monsanto, Dow AgroSciences,
  ConAgra, DuPont)
• Make chemical fertilizer and chemical-resistant
  crops
• Sell both products to farmers
• FDA role
• Expects the bio-tech companies to test their own
  products

10
GMO How are they made?

• Equipment
• DNA gun
• Petri Dish

• Ingredients
• Species 1 DNA
• Species 2 DNA
• Virus
• Promoter
• Marker Gene

11
GMO Do they affect the environment?

• Increased herbicides in ground water
• Cross pollination with other plants
• Contaminates organic crops
• Increased super weeds
• Push heirloom crops into extinction
• Creates nutrient-deficient soil
• Kills insects

GMO crops DO NOT feed the world
12
GMO Why do some people avoid them?

• No long term human feeding studies done
• It kills bugs (we have good bugs in our digestive
  tracts)
• Unpredictable side effects of genetic
  engineering
• Increased infertility and miscarriages amongst
  farm animals when fed GMO feed

13
GMO How to Avoid GMOs

• Buy Organic, when products contain corn, soy,
  canola, sugar, cotton, squash, hawaiian papaya
• Look for the NON GMO Verified Logo
• Download free app from www.nongmoshoppingguide.com
  
• Avoid at-risk ingredients

14
GMO More information, QA

• Local Label GMOs Chapter (http//www.labelgmos.org
  / ),
• Email me at sas.hadden_at_gmail.com
• More information
• Movies
• Food Inc.
• King Corn
• Genetic Roulette
• Future of Food
• Interview
• Dr. Mercola Interviews Dr. Don Huber about GMO
  (2 parts) http//www.youtube.com/watch?vX4swW9OF
  mf8
• Websites
• GMO crops sources http//www.responsibletechn
  ology.org/gmo-basics/gmos-in-food
• GMOs FAQs - http//www.responsibletechnology.org/f
  aqs
• Educational Brochures and more -
  http//seedsofdeception.com/store/

Must watch movies!