Non-browning apples. Franken Salmon.
There's a storm brewing on the shelves of Canadian grocery stores, one that takes aim at genetically engineered (GE) foods, also known as genetically modified organisms GMO.
It's one that's sparked heated debate, pitting scientist against scientist and farmer against farmer. On Wednesday (Nov. 20), the nationwide debate hit Squamish.
The two men featured in a national speaking tour against GMOs gave a presentation at the Squamish Adventure Centre. Dr. Thierry Vrian is the former head of biotechnology at Agriculture Canadas Summerland Research Station, while Dr. Shiv Chopra is a former Health Canada scientist who, in 1998 and 1999, testified in front of the Canadian Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestrythat he was pressured by supervisors to approve multiple drugs of questionable safety.
After extensively researching GMOs, Vrain said he could no longer sit on the sidelines. The first GMO crop was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1994. Today, GMO ingredients can be found in most foods in Canadian stores.
GMOs are a money-making scheme, Vrain said. Mega-companies develop and patent GMO seed and then develop herbicides to which the plants are resistant. And while Vrain said he's concerned about health impacts of GMOs themselves, he's taking aim at the herbicides.
Most people just look at genetic engineering as the problem, but there is the issue of the toxic herbicides, he said, adding there are also antibiotics in some GM products.
Approximately 80 per cent of the food North Americans eat contains herbicides and 15 per cent are engineered to resist certain insects, he noted. The world's largest seed company, Monsanto, owns approximately 86 per cent of GMO seeds planted globally. It also produces the herbicide Roundup that couples with its products, Vrain said.
The European Union has some of the world's strictest regulations for genetically engineered food. Vrain said he hopes Canada can take a page out of the Europeans' book.
They do not allow the [GE] food to be on the grocery stores unlabelled, he said.
The duo has 28 talks scheduled on the western tour. Chopra said he hopes the presentation will initiate a push for change. To date, Canadian officials have shirked their responsibilities in properly questioning the technology, he said, noting the system is rife with corporate lobbying.
Citizens need to knock on municipalities' doors, Chopra said. By banning GMO foods within their boundaries, local governments can stimulate local agriculture, creating jobs and healthier citizens, he noted.
The municipalities have the power to use it or not, Chopra said.
The anti-GMO movement has some scientists scratching their heads, including UBC professor and plant molecular biologist Brian Ellis. Since gene splicing techniques were introduced to the food industry 20 years ago, countless studies have shown no health effects as a result of GMO products, he said, adding that the overwhelming body of work indicates the technology is safe.
In over a decade of product from [GMO] crops, I have yet to see any reputable studies on human health impacts, Ellis said.
One of the government's criteria for a genetically engineered plant or animal is that it's the equivalent of its non-modified counterpart, he said, adding the item's composition and nutritional information is closely compared to the non-modified product.
Many of the modifications have brought benefits for consumers, from nutritional components to pharmaceutical advantages.
One thing that has been a very important target for the food oil industry is changing the fatty acid composite so it is healthier, Ellis said.
The Bacillus thuringiensis proteins used in plants as biological pesticides are not toxic to humans, he said, noting they target a limited number of insects. Antibiotics are introduced into the product as a selection marker during its engineering, but aren't present in the end product, he added.
Nobody eats these plants, Ellis said. It's for the breeding process.
Herbicides used on GMO crops are generally less toxic than those sprayed on regular crops, Ellis said, noting Roundup, for example, is a fairly benign product.
[The herbicides] target a specific enzyme that does not occur in warm-blooded animals, he said.
Some of Europe's stringent GMO regulations can be attributed to posturing, Ellis said. Banning the products or requiring them to be labelled is a way for the continent to keep American products out of Europe, he said. However, Ellis said he would like to see GMO labelling in Canada, allowing consumers to make up their own minds, just as farmers have to right to plant the GMO crops or not.
By not labelling it, people are feeling they don't have any control, Ellis said.
