The Myth of Frankenfoods

Did you know the cereal you had for breakfast is genetically modified? Those corn flakes just aren't natural. The thing is, no corn that we would recognize is in a strict sense natural. Corn started off as a small grassy plant with an inch-long fruit. Native-Americans and later, mid-western farmers manipulated the plant's genetic code to increase the size of the fruit and make the plant more hardy. These genetic modifications, of course, happened before any understanding of DNA.

But now that genetic modifications are taking place in the laboratory, consumers in Europe and, to an increasing extent, the U.S., are jittery about "unnatural" produce. Consumers' fears are irrational because there have been no scientific studies linking commercially available genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to disease. And despite the benefits to both farmers and consumers, some opponents continue leveling absurd charges against GMOs and holding them to impossible standards. In his Dec. 4 column "Biotechnology: Bad Technology" Rohan R. Gulrajani argued that GMOs are wrong because "technologies whose side effects cannot be completely controlled fail to meet all the purposes for which they were created and therefore are insufficient." This argument suggests that aspirin should be banned because of the risk of Reye's syndrome and airplanes should be grounded because of risk of a crash. Buffer zones between fields and separate processing facilities can keep genetically-modified crops completely separate from other crops. With proper care, GMOs can be completely controlled.

But what about the international spat over the presence of Cry9C, a protein produced in genetically modified StarLink corn to kill the European corn borer, a common pest? U.S. exports to Asia have suffered because of fear that Cry9C could cause food allergies. The chance that this protein could cause of food allergy is miniscule; its structure differs from known allergens and there have been no reported cases of an allergic reaction. Its presence might even be healthy: farmers need to use less pesticide if the plant provides its own protection. You may have already eaten some Cry9C in your corn flakes. The 1998 and 1999 crops were mixed with non-modified corn and released into the food supply.

GMOs do present risks, but they are not nearly as horrible as opponents make them out to be. The FDA approval process for GMOs is rigorous. Advantages such as higher crop yields and less pesticide use benefit both producers and consumers.

We've been mixing and matching genes for thousands of years. The benefits have always been enormous and there is every reason to believe things will stay that way.

--Jonathan H. Esensten