CHEKA VERANO

CONSUMER EDUCATION
MSFS-PWU
TOPIC OUTLINE

• What is GMO
• Why grow GMOs
• 10 GMO products available today
• GMO’s safety
• GMO and Environment
• GMO’s issue
• Labelling of GMO
WHAT IS GMO?

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are living

organisms whose genetic material has been artificially
manipulated in a laboratory through genetic
engineering. This creates combinations of plant, animal,
bacteria, and virus genes that do not occur in nature or
through traditional crossbreeding methods.

https://www.nongmoproject.org/gmo-facts/
WHY GMO?

•Resist to insect pests;

•Tolerant to herbicides ; or
•Resistant to viral, fungal and bacterial
infections.
Source : Leon Brimer chemical food safety ; Mette Tingleff
Skaanild Chapter 29 page 269-272 GMO and Food
EXAMPLE OF 1ST GENERATION GM CROPS AND
THEIR GENETIC MODIFICATION
CROP GENETIC MODFICATION

Maize Insect protection

Herbicide tolerant
Oilseed rape Herbicide tolerant
Papaya Virus resistant
Potato Insect protection
Virus resistant
Soy Herbicide tolerant
Squash Virus resistant
Sugarbeet Herbicide resistant
Tomato Virus resistant
Delayed ripening
 THE 10 GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS AVAILABLE
TODAY INCLUDE: ALFALFA, APPLES, CANOLA, CORN
(FIELD AND SWEET), COTTON, PAPAYA, POTATOES,
SOYBEANS, SQUASH AND SUGAR BEETS.
ALFALFA NORMALLY USED FOR GARNISHING
FOOD
WHY GROW GMOS?
GMOs are created to achieve a desired trait, such as resistance to a pest
or tolerance to drought conditions. GM crops were created for:
1. Insect resistance 5. Enhanced nutritional content.
2. Drought tolerance 6. Reduced food waste
3. Herbicide tolerance 7. Improved manufacturing processes.
4. Disease resistance

https://gmoanswers.com/genetically-modified-organisms-101
WHY GROW GMOS?
1. INSECT RESISTANCE

This category of traits provides farmers

with season-long protection against target
pests, reduces the need for pesticide
applications, and lowers input costs.

https://gmoanswers.com/genetically-modified-organisms-101
WHY GROW GMOS?
2. DROUGHT TOLERANCE

GM crops that express drought tolerance

have better moisture retention and can
better endure drought conditions without
the need for additional irrigation.

https://gmoanswers.com/genetically-modified-organisms-101
WHY GROW GMOS?
3. HERBICIDE TOLERANCE

• Crops developed to tolerate specific herbicides

allow farmers to fight weeds by applying targeted
herbicides only when needed and enable them to
use conservation tillage production methods that
preserve topsoil, prevent erosion, and reduce
carbon emissions.
https://gmoanswers.com/genetically-modified-organisms-101
WHY GROW GMOS?
4. DISEASE RESISTANCE

• Through genetic engineering plant breeders can

enable plants to resist certain diseases, like the
papaya ringspot virus (PRSV). The GM Rainbow
Papaya, developed to be resistant to PRSV, allowed
Hawaiian papaya farmers to recover from an
outbreak of this devastating disease that crippled
their industry. https://gmoanswers.com/genetically-modified-organisms-101
WHY GROW GMOS?
4. ENHANCED NUTRITIONAL CONTENT.

Genetically modified soybeans with an enhanced oil

profile, much like olive oil, have been developed and
are longer lasting and trans-fat free. EXAMPLE ½
population are going blind due to the lack of Vit A.
In this part of the world (Golden Rice) with an
increase level of pro-vit A will be beneficial
https://gmoanswers.com/genetically-modified-organisms-101
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3flJQzP0dI
WHY GROW GMOS?
6. REDUCED FOOD WASTE

Genetic engineering has been used to modify potatoes

and apples in order to eliminate superficial browning and
bruising (potato only) when the produce is cut or
handled. These traits can help reduce the amount of
produce thrown away by producers, processors, retailers
and consumers

https://gmoanswers.com/genetically-modified-organisms-101
WHY GROW GMOS?
7. IMPROVED MANUFACTURING PROCESSES.
Certain biotech corn varieties enable more efficient
biofuels production by improving the process through
which cellulose and/or starch is broken down and
converted to fuel. This helps reduce the
environmental impact of the manufacturing process
by decreasing the amount of water, electricity, and
natural gas needed to produce biofuel.
https://gmoanswers.com/genetically-modified-organisms-101
OKAY, BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN IN
PRACTICAL TERMS?
• GMOs allow use of less land, less water and less chemicals, reducing
their impact on the environment—even more so that traditional crops
in many cases.
• GMOs can mimic needed manufacturing processes - such as the
creation of rennit for cheese - without use of traditional methods
which historically/traditionally required the use of animal stomachs.
• GMOs allow for growth of crops in many parts of the world where
the environment is otherwise harsh and in which growing populations
would struggle to grow enough to meet demand.
OKAY, BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN IN
PRACTICAL TERMS? CONT’…

• GMOs can be nutritionally enhanced to supplement

nutrients for at-risk populations whose diets are lacking in
key nutrients because of the difficulty of growing varied
crops in harsh conditions.
• GMO crops help to keep food costs down and help to
minimize inflationary increases in other associated crop or
food production costs. BUT….
HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT GMOS ARE SAFE FOR
USE AND CONSUMPTION?

• GMO crops are studied extensively to make sure they are

safe for people, animals and the environment
• GM seeds take an average of $136 million and 13 years
to bring to market due to the research, testing and
regulatory approvals conducted by government agencies
in the United States and around the world.
GMO SAFETY

• GMOs available today are as safe as their non-GMO counterparts.

• They do not cause new allergies, cancer, infertility, ADHD, autism or any other
diseases or conditions.
• The safety of GMOs has been affirmed by:

https://gmoanswers.com/genetically-modified-organisms-101
 GMO Safety
• GMOs available today are as safe as their non-GMO counterparts.
• They do not cause new allergies, cancer, infertility, ADHD, autism or any
other diseases or conditions.
• The safety of GMOs has been affirmed by:
 GMOS & THE ENVIRONMENT

• Between 1996 and 2015, crop biotechnology was responsible for an additional 180.3 million tons of
soybeans, 357.7 million tons of corn, 25.2 million tons of cotton lint and 10.6 million tons of canola, without
having to bring more land into production. To produce the same amount of crops without GM technology,
farmers would have needed to cultivate 48 million additional acres of land.
• In 2015, 58.9 billion pounds of atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions were reduced by conservation
tillage and decreased fuel use made possible by genetically modified crops. That’s equal to removing
nearly 12 million cars from roads for one year.
 GMOS & THE ENVIRONMENT CONT.
• With an estimated world population
Learn more about the environmental
of 9.7 billion by 2050, farmers will benefit of GMOs here:
need to produce up to 70 percent
more food than they do today to
satisfy global demand. GMOs help
farmers to use less land, fewer inputs
and less energy while producing the
food needed to meet this demand.
 Modern Agriculture – GMOs Globally

• GMO crops are grown around the world by

approximately 18 million farmers, most of
them in developing countries.
• In total, more than 75 countries import,
grow and/or research GMOs, and in 2016,
26 countries (seven industrial and 19
developing) planted biotech crops.
• As of 2016, the top five countries growing
GMOs in terms of crop area are the United
States, Brazil, Argentina, Canada and
India.
FUTURE OF GMOS
Beyond food production, genetic engineering has many applications that benefit
us and our planet, including medicine, plant restoration and disease resistance.
LABELING OF FOODS DERIVED FROM
GENETICALLY ENGINEERED PLANTS
• Foods derived from genetically engineered plants must meet the same safety, labeling, and
other regulatory requirements that apply to all foods regulated by FDA.
• As articulated in its 1992 “Statement of Policy: Foods Derived from New Plant Varieties,” the
agency is not aware of any information showing that foods derived from genetically
engineered plants, as a class, differ from other foods in any meaningful or uniform way. These
foods also don’t present different or greater safety concerns than their non-genetically
engineered counterparts. However, if a food derived from a genetically engineered plant is
materially different from its traditional counterpart, the labeling of that food must disclose
such differences.

https://www.fda.gov/food/food-genetically-engineered-
plants/labeling-foods-derived-genetically-engineered-plants
LABELING OF FOODS DERIVED FROM
GENETICALLY ENGINEERED PLANTS CONT’..
• FDA has required additional labeling of food derived from a GE source where it
found that compositional differences resulted in material changes.
• For example, when FDA learned during a consultation that a new canola oil had
increased lauric acid content compared to conventional canola oil, we required the
oil to be labeled “laurate canola oil.”
• Similarly, soybean oil containing higher levels of oleic acid than conventional
soybean oil must be labeled “high oleic soybean oil.” Also, soybean oil containing
significant levels of stearidonic acid must be labeled “stearidonate soybean oil”
because stearidonic acid is not found in conventional soybean oil.

https://www.fda.gov/food/food-genetically-engineered-
plants/labeling-foods-derived-genetically-engineered-plants
LABELING OF FOODS DERIVED FROM
GENETICALLY ENGINEERED PLANTS CONT’..
• On July 29, 2016, the President signed into law the National Bioengineered
Food Disclosure Standard (Public Law No. 114-216) which, in part, directs
USDA to establish a national standard to disclose certain food products or
ingredients that are "bioengineered." As a result, the regulations USDA issues
will establish requirements for labeling of human food products derived from
biotechnology. Questions regarding such requirements should be directed to
USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service.

https://www.fda.gov/food/food-genetically-engineered-
plants/labeling-foods-derived-genetically-engineered-plants
WHY DOESN’T FDA REQUIRE LABELING FOR FOODS
FROM GENETICALLY ENGINEERED PLANTS?

• FDA recognizes that many consumers are interested in whether food

ingredients are derived from genetically engineered plants, and has issued
guidance for manufacturers who wish to voluntarily label their foods as
containing or not containing such ingredients. Read more on How FDA
Regulates Labeling of Food from Genetically Engineered Plants.

https://www.fda.gov/food/food-new-plant-varieties/questions-
answers-food-genetically-engineered-plants
HOW FDA REGULATES FOOD FROM GENETICALLY
ENGINEERED PLANTS
• We regulate human and animal food from genetically engineered (GE) plants like
we regulate all food. The existing FDA safety requirements impose a clear legal duty
on everyone in the farm to table continuum to market safe foods to consumers,
regardless of the process by which such foods are created. It is unlawful to produce,
process, store, ship or sell to consumers unsafe foods.
• FDA’s role is to ensure that everyone in the farm to table continuum is meeting this
obligation. We encourage producers of new foods and food ingredients to consult
with FDA when there is a question about an ingredient’s regulatory status. This
general practice extends to foods produced using genetic engineering techniques.

https://www.fda.gov/food/food-new-plant-varieties/how-fda-
regulates-food-genetically-engineered-plants
BIOTECHNOLOGY CONSULTATION PROGRAM

• FDA created the Plant Biotechnology Consultation Program in the 1990’s to

cooperatively work with GE plant developers to help them ensure foods made
from their new GE plant varieties are safe and lawful. In this program, we
evaluate the safety of food from the new GE crop before it enters the market.
• Although the consultation program is voluntary, GE plant developers routinely
participate in it before bringing a new GE plant to market. FDA completed its
first plant biotechnology consultation in 1994.

https://www.fda.gov/food/food-new-plant-varieties/how-fda-
regulates-food-genetically-engineered-plants
FDA POSTS THE RELEVANT INFORMATION AND
DOCUMENTATION TO THE BIOTECHNOLOGY CONSULTATIONS
ON FOOD FROM GE PLANT VARIETIES SECTION OF ITS WEBSITE
FOR PUBLIC VIEWING. THE POSTING INCLUDES THE
FOLLOWING ITEMS:
• Submission date
• Developer name and contact information
• Basic information about the GE plant variety
• The FDA response letter
• A memo summarizing the data and information FDA evaluated
This is only a brief summary of the consultation process.

https://www.fda.gov/food/food-new-plant-varieties/how-fda-
regulates-food-genetically-engineered-plants
 HOW FDA REGULATES FOOD FROM GENETICALLY
ENGINEERED PLANTS
• The final consultation phase begins once a GE plant developer completes its safety
assessment and submits a summary of the assessment to FDA.
• FDA evaluates the data and information in the summary to identify any unresolved
food safety and nutritional issues or other legal considerations. Some examples of
questions we ask in this evaluation include:
• Does food from the GE plant contain a new toxin or allergen?
• Is food from the GE plant as nutritious as that from its traditionally bred counterpart?

https://www.fda.gov/food/food-new-plant-varieties/how-fda-
regulates-food-genetically-engineered-plants
HOW FDA REGULATES FOOD FROM GENETICALLY
ENGINEERED PLANTS
• If FDA identifies an issue that needs to be addressed, we work with the
developers to get the information needed to resolve it.
• When all safety and other regulatory issues are resolved, and the data and
information logically support the conclusion that food from the new plant
variety will be as safe as food from conventionally bred varieties, we
conclude the consultation with a letter to the GE plant developer. The letter
reminds the developer that they remain legally obligated to ensure the safety
of the food products they bring to market.

https://www.fda.gov/food/food-new-plant-varieties/how-fda-
regulates-food-genetically-engineered-plants
HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=7TMCX
YP8XU4
• Insertion of foreign DNA sequence in a food commodity could cause
concerns because of direct toxicity or transfer of gene. Altering the normal
protein may result in the change of protein that leads to toxins or allergens.
Although, the toxicity level of the GM product was being tested by the rat
or mice. There is a lack of supporting pieces of evidence for the safety of
this experiment due to the metabolites profile of the rat as compared to the
human. However, there are FAO/WHO runs their decision tree in identifying
any hazards may occur. Meanwhile, food that has been derived from the
GM crops have to be labeled (Council Regulation (EC) No. 1139/98 to
enforce the legislation methods for detection can be developed.

Source : Leon Brimer chemical food safety ; Mette Tingleff

Skaanild Chapter 29 page 269-272 GMO and Food
Cheka Verano
MSFS-PWU