Quick Fix or Sustainable Cuisine: Toward an Ecology of Eating.

• Author: Margulis, Charles

With recent attention in the popular press, more people are aware of the presence of genetically engineered foods in our diets and are asking the question, "Are these foods safe?" Because long-term studies and tests have not been done, it is essential that we educate ourselves regarding the risks from genetically engineered foods.

Food Safety Risks of Genetically Engineered Crops

Many engineered foods contain genetic material that has never before been part of the human diet, and virtually all such foods involve genetic recombination that would be impossible through conventional breeding methods. The process of genetic engineering inserts foreign genes, as well as promoter and marker genes, into random locations in the food crops' genome. This creates additional unknown risks. Some of the potential health threats of transgenics include:

Allergies: There is clear evidence that allergens can transfer unexpectedly via genetic engineering. [1] In one example, a Brazil nut gene was inserted into a soybean to improve the protein profile of the bean. Scientists believed that the inserted protein would be harmless to people with nut allergies. Yet allergy tests proved otherwise. In this case, the genetic transfer was from a source known to cause allergies; most engineered foods involve proteins that have never been thoroughly tested for allergenicity. The Food and Drug Administration only requires labeling of genetically altered food if a known allergen is involved, a policy that Dr. Marion Nestle, chair of the Nutrition and Food Studies Department at New York University, has criticized as appearing "to favor industry over consumer protection." [2]

Antibiotic Resistance: Many transgenic plants contain antibiotic resistance "marker" genes, which may contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance among disease-causing bacteria. Transfer of genetic material from plants to bacteria and fungi has been demonstrated, and a recent study concluded that the widespread cultivation of transgenic plants containing antibiotic resistance genes would favor the spread of resistance. [3,4]. Proponents of the technology claim that these genes only confer resistance to antibiotics that are no longer widely used. Yet Novartis markets transgenic corn containing a gene for resistance to ampicillian, which could confer resistance to one of today's most widely used classes of antibiotics. [5] Moreover; at least one marker gene in use has been found to confer cross-resistance to other commonly used antibiotics, and relatively common mutations in marker genes resistant to antiquated antibiotics can also lead to cross-resistance, to currently useful antibiotics, making a marke r that is presumed safe into a more risky one. [6,7].

Toxic Effects: The unpredictability of genetic engineering means that unintended and potentially toxic effects are quite possible. A...