At least, I think so. After 3 hours spent studying the seed packet that came with an 8-page usage and warning label, finding definitions of the multi-syllable words I’d never heard of, visiting the website of the company that produced this seed, being led to subsidiary company websites, trying to translate all the corporate-speak that exists on these sites, looking up all the information possible about the fungicide that coated the outside of every seed in the packet . . . . . I cannot definitively say this is a genetically modified organism.
All indications point to yes, the seed that produced this purple pepper was genetically modified. But in the United States, seed companies and food producers are not required to tell us that. So why would they?
What is a GMO, anyway?
From Wikipedia: A genetically modified organism (GMO) or genetically engineered organism (GEO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from different sources, which are combined into one molecule to create a new set of genes. This DNA is then transferred into an organism, giving it modified or novel genes. The general principle of producing a GMO is to add new genetic material into an organism’s genome.
It’s worth noting that genetically modifying is much different from cross-pollinating, which has been going on since the dawn of time. A perfect example of cross-pollination? You. Your mother cross-pollinated (wink, wink) with your dad, their DNA came together, and 9 months later you arrived on the scene. They hoped you’d get your mother’s nose and your father’s common sense . . . but they got what they got, and you all have to live with it. It’s important to note that your parents were both human. Cross-pollination only occurs within the same species.
In the plant world, there’s no sex. Alas, there are bees. Bees take pollen from the male flower and deliver it to the female flower. They also deliver pollen from everything else they’ve stepped on during their route, but the female flower manages to use only the pollen from the male flower of her species. Cross-pollination certainly occurs naturally, but it can also occur with a farmer and a paintbrush. The paintbrush collects pollen from the male flower of a plant, the farmer carries it to female flower and drops it off. The farmer marks that flower, and when it produces a fruit, the seeds inside are saved and planted the next season. Here’s where the process differs from people: let’s estimate the fruit has 100 seeds. The farmer plants all 100 seeds — from this, all possible combinations of genes will present themselves (If you ever had to suffer through a probability section in a math class, you had this math problem. How many recessive/recessive gene plants can the farmer expect to get?). The farmer will find the plants that have his/her favorite attributes of the parent plants, and will save seeds from those plants for the next year.
GMO’s are controversial because they usually combine genetic material from different species, which is unnatural.
So why should we care if something is genetically modified?
Genetic engineering is in the process of creating ‘bananas that produce human vaccines against infectious diseases such as hepatitis B; fish that mature more quickly; cows that are resistant to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease); fruit and nut trees that yield years earlier, and plants that produce new plastics with unique properties.’ (source article)
According to the producers of GM seeds, the results of their engineering produce higher yields, more nutrients, improved resistance to disease and pests, and reduced maturation time. That seems good, right?
But.
The safety of GMOs is still up in the air – there is evidence GMOs are harming the soil microbes that help us grow food. There’s also evidence they are causing new allergens and pathogens in people. Unintended transfer of GMOs through natural cross-pollination is creating a loss of biodiversity. And, many are more concerned about effects that are still unknown. The side effects of GMOs to soil, plant, animal and human life has yet to be studied in depth.
There are ethical issues. Seeds have always been owned by no one – in fact, most of the plants we eat originally came from some of the poorest countries in the world. If all seeds become GMOs, the entire world food supply will be controlled by a few companies. Poor countries will be even more dependent on industrialized, rich countries. Plus, tampering with the intrinsic values of plants and animals just seems wrong to a lot of people. We’re messing with nature.
The pepper I grew from (likely) GMO seed is sitting in the fridge. After all the research I’ve done on its behalf, I can’t bring myself to taste it. I probably eat GMOs every day in the foods I buy at the grocery store . . although there’s no way for me to find out what those items are.
There is a grassroots movement in the United States that is calling for all products containing GMOs to be labeled as such. If you are interested in getting involved, visit justlabelit.org to send an email to the FDA.
Where do you stand on GMOs?
Other sources for this article include:
http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php
http://www.seedalliance.org/alias/
http://www.saynotogmos.org/scientists_speak.htm
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