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Few food issues have provoked as much controversy as genetically modified organisms (GMOs), or as they are more commonly referred to today, genetically engineered (GE) foods. Depending on which side of the debate one listens to, GE foods are either the greatest agricultural achievement in history, or quite simply, a recipe for disaster. More and more, farmers, scientists, activists, and consumers are lining up with the latter, calling for outright bans on introducing GE seeds into the environment, or at least a moratorium until a great deal more research may be done. The question goes far beyond whether or not these foods pose any health threat to consumers -- although that is a major issue among the dissenters. The argument also has to do with the effect of GE crops on the environment and the adverse impact on the integrity of organic farming, a movement that has taken root across the country in a big way. Organic food is the only segment of the overall food industry that is growing each year, and as GE foods are anathema to that method of agriculture, farmers and consumers are naturally concerned. From the great failure of herbicide-resistant GE seeds to the looming scenario of the so-called "Franken-foods," we'll dive into the eddy of controversy swirling around this topic and see if we can't, well, separate the wheat from the chaff.

Field of Dreams
You have to know something is wrong when famine-plagued countries in Africa refuse to take our genetically engineered foods. Even normally conservative organizations like the Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA) have called for a complete ban on GE foods, especially those known as "pharm-crops." According to Terrain, an environmental quarterly for Northern California, biotech companies are using GE techniques to turn crops such as corn, rice, and tobacco into little factories for producing medically useful compounds. Critics, however, argue that this presents a real threat to non-GE food crops through seed mixing or pollen drift. One such example has been to place a human spermicide into corn seeds, a concept that has been met with raised eyebrows among manufacturers.
"Believe me," said Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety and editor of the book Fatal Harvest: The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture, "Kellogg's doesn't want a report coming out saying there is spermicide in their Corn Flakes!"
Basically, two issues surround GE foods -- the question of whether we should be utilizing such technology in the first place and to what extent, and the mandatory labeling of any food that contains GMOs. The European Union already has rules in effect for the labeling of GE foods, which is why they don't want unlabeled foods coming to them from the U.S. Labeling may not solve the problem of GE foods, but at least it gives consumers a choice in what they eat. Right now, an estimated 80 percent of the food crops in the United States and Canada -- at least in corn, canola, soy, and cotton -- are genetically engineered with herbicidal properties. In other words, the seeds have been implanted with a gene that produces a naturally occurring pesticide (nonchemical pesticide) with the intention of making the plants resistant to pests in the field without the use of chemicals. Sounds like a good idea, right? The problem is that when it is in the plant all the time, insects become accustomed to it and, just like Darwin told us, the strong survive. The result is that eventually stronger and stronger pesticides will be needed. Of course, companies like Monsanto are all ready with super-strong chemicals to kill "super weeds and insects."
"It has been one of the great failures of agriculture," says Kimbrell. "The technology has never been about increasing crops (it actually decreases the crops), but has been about the convenience to the farmer. What you have here is a technology that has been rushed because a few giant companies saw the opportunity for huge profits, and they saw those profits for awhile, but now they are declining rapidly. Monsanto will probably lose millions of dollars this year. Their stock is already way down."
Another potentially dangerous development in GE foods has been in the field of antibiotics. In order to gauge whether or not a newly introduced gene has taken hold in its new host plant, researchers implant a "tracer" made up of antibiotics. The problem -- just like the pervasive use of antibiotics in livestock -- is that people who consume the plant then build up a resistance to the antibiotics, effectively rendering the medicine useless when they become sick and really need them. Again, effective labeling would at least give consumers a choice in the food they buy to bypass such problems.
"Several years ago, the Organic Trade Association (OTA) called for a moratorium on GE foods," said Holly Givens of the OTA. "Some of the consequences have already arisen, such as GE seeds showing up in fields where they were not used, forcing farmers to use more pesticides rather than less."
In California, where agriculture is a huge part of the state's economy, Mendocino County has become the first in the country to ban outright the growing of GE crops. This has been a watershed moment for GMO legislation, and several other California counties may be following suit. Trinity County has already passed a similar ban with Marin, Sonoma, San Luis Obispo, and Humboldt Counties close behind. State senators in Vermont passed a resolution last March that would hold biotech companies liable if GE crops contaminate other crops. And, while many people still believe there is great potential in the GE technology, more than 600,000 people have written to the FDA in support of GMO labeling, according to Kimbrell and the Center for Food Safety. That is the largest response to any food issue in American history, and these were not e-mails -- respondents were required to write letters with their signatures.
"Our basic heritage is at risk," maintains Bob Scocroft, executive director of the Organic Farming Research Foundation. "It creates an unwarranted impact on our agriculture, with gene fragments drifting off into the seed supply. Ten thousand years of seed conservation could be threatened. Recently, the Rice Council approved implanting rice with a human gene. Another farmer who was trying to sell 500 bushels of soybeans for animal feed found that it was full of Hepatitis C virus, contaminated from a GE crop. In the UK, the tipping point was mad cow disease. Now they don't believe the food scientists. We've always been so proud that Americans spend less on food than most countries [certainly less than European countries]. Now we see that you get what you pay for. Chicken feathers and cement dust as cattle feed."

Hope Springs Eternal
So what's next in the continuing saga of GE foods? According to the Center for Food Safety, GE crops will diminish, with corn already going down.
"We're 30 or 40 years away from knowing how to do this [GE foods]," insists Kimbrell. "The food scientists haven't even come close to coming up with anything that benefits the consumer and where the foreign market is concerned, there is simply too much risk."
"Not too much is going to happen this year," says Craig Winters of the Campaign to Label GE Foods. "Homeland Security is taking the focus at the moment, but Dennis Kucinich has reintroduced the GE food labeling bill and Kerry says if he gets in, he will push for labeling. Lately, the focus has been on the pharmacological crops and in preventing the contamination of organic fields. If the Senate goes to the Democrats, Tom Harkin says he would hold hearings on the contamination of organic foods."
According to a press release from Alissa Ostrowski of Mintel Research, "Overall, the organic foods and beverages market grew 81 percent between 2001 and 2004 to reach over $5.3 billion." The report goes on to say that one segment -- that of fruits and vegetables -- grew by a whopping 65.5 percent over the past two years and a third of those who responded to their survey said that concerns for food safety have helped spur this trend. Indeed, half of the respondents said they are concerned about genetically modified foods, and that organic farming methods that exclude the use of GMOs and hormones, as well as chemical fertilizers and pesticides "produce a safe final product" that has led consumers to opt for organic foods over nonorganic ones.
"Vote with your food dollars," insists Givens. "All these things -- genetic engineering, growth hormones, and so on -- are not allowed in organic foods. There is a great deal that is unknown regarding the use of GE foods and there is great potential for disaster."
"Food choices can be so empowering," added Kimbrell. "In shopping for food, you can make a change tomorrow, whereas there are lots of other issues that can make you feel quite helpless. We've been working to build relationships between farmers and the people. We noticed with alarm that supermarkets were pulling out of inner cities with alacrity. The bodegas are selling food with prices comparable to Whole Foods, without the quality."
Overall, there is a great deal of hope in regard to the GE issue. As larger companies see the writing on the wall so to speak, they are either starting organic divisions or buying up existing organic companies.
"Whatever you think of General Mills," says Scocroft, "they are bringing organic foods to the masses through their purchases of companies like Muir Glen, Cascadian Farms, and Small Planet Foods. This can only be good news for the environment."
In the specialty food business, tremendous opportunities exist for growth in the organic foods sector, and in working with small farmers who care about the health of their consumers, whether they are certified organic or not. The current backlash against GE foods makes it even more important to assert the origins of your food selection and to promote the farmers and responsible food manufacturers, both here and abroad, that you buy from. Vote with your food dollars.

For Further Study
The most comprehensive look at the industrialization of the food chain has been compiled into Fatal Harvest: The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture (Island Press). It not only comprises a detailed look at virtually every aspect of commercial American agriculture (a sequel dealing with farm animals is being completed right now), but it also brings together some of the most eloquent thinkers on the subject, such as Wendell Berry, Wes Jackson, Douglas Tompkins, Joseph Mendelson, Alice Waters, Kimbrell, and many others. It is a book that everyone who cares about the food they eat and the planet they walk on should read.
Following are some Web sites that may prove useful in your own research or to help you get involved in the debate:
www.ofrf.org –
The site for the Organic Farming Research Foundation contains their formal policy statement, and their latest organic farmers' survey results, plus much more.
www.ota.com –
The Organic Trade Association's site contains the American Organic Standard, policy statements, and information pertaining to organic foods and trade events.
www.thecampaign.org –
The site for the Campaign to Label GE Foods, an area in which Europe is far ahead of us. This is more than simply the right to know, but a real safety net for people whose health could be seriously comprised by eating certain GE foods.