This post is the follow-up to last week’s post about how GMO’s will affect humanitarian efforts and help to ensure food stability in families. Check the link here ->
Why Humanitarians Should Support GMO’s
However, even though GMO crops will help lower food costs and ensure food security, how do we know that they are safe? Let’s take a look at what some of the leaders in the industry about why the science states that it is safe.
According to the Alliance for Science at Cornell University, a group of scientists went through hundreds of scientific studies, interviewed producers and activists, and came to the conclusion that they “found no substantiated evidence that foods from genetically engineered crops were less safe than foods from non-GE crops”. Another example was Gilles-Eric Seralini who had published a scientific research study in September 2012 about the dangers of genetically engineered corn with lab rats. Seralini conducted his research to test the safety of GE corn in lab rats. His study published inconclusive information stating that Monsanto’s GE corn had caused multiple organ failure and cancer in the rats he used. Once published, Seralini’s scientific peers had called the study’s credibility into question. After a year-long investigation, the European Food Safety Authority released a statement that his study was defective in methodology and scientific standards. His paper was retracted, having over 700 of his peers calling to see the raw data and finding the study inconclusive. While it was determined there was no malicious intent to publish false information, Seralini suffered the ultimate scientific humiliation of having his paper retracted.
So how do we know that they’re actually safe?
Since the introduction of Genetically Engineered foods in 1996, there was a jump in the percentage of GMO foods that were fed to animals. The percentage of animals that were fed GE foods prior to 1996 was next to nothing. After 1996? Over 90 percent of animal feed now contains some kind of genetically engineered product. Some anti-GMO sites will have “research” and headlines that are stating heart wrenching facts such as “Mice fed GE corn develop horrible lesions and tumors” as clickbait to get more views. In reality however, there have been minimal effects that have been traced exclusively back to GE crops.
So science says its safe. What about the medical community? The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tests every new genome style before it goes to the grocery shelves. The American Medical Association (AMA) states that GMO products have been consumed for more than 20 years and there have been no overt consequences on human health. Even though Monsanto is the leader in biotechnology engineering in seeds and crops, they do a tremendous amount of research into the safety of GE crops.
Nothing I can write here can convince you, but if you are concerned for your safety because of this, I encourage you to do the research from credible sources. FDA, USDA, Monsanto, research papers, there are hundreds of options to find out more information about this.
Be an informed consumer.
Sources:
Alliance for Science – Cornell University
Seralini’s Study Retracted
Journal of Agriculture
Biotechnology Information
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