By LINDSEY SCHIBELHUT, Staff Reporter.
Are Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s) safe? This is the question Michigan Sugar Co. and Dr. Cathleen Enright attempted to answer at the Saginaw Valley State University GMO discussion on Thursday Jan. 15. At the event, executive vice president of food and agriculture for the Biotechnology Organization Cathleen Enright, gave a presentation on the benefits and safety of biotechnology, while also addressing audience questions and concerns over the issue. The event was free and open to the public.
During Enright’s speech she spoke about different aspects of genetic modification including:
- The history of cross breeding plants within a species by farmers and scientists in the 1700’s
- Farmers being able to grow more on less land
- The nine crops which are on the market from GMO seeds which are: rainbow papaya, field corn, canola, soybean, alfalfa, cotton, sugar beets (including MI beets), sweet corn, summer squash
- The role of GMO’s in our society
- Addressing the images people may see on the internet regarding GMO’s
“Genetically Modified food is not new,” says Enright, “Humans have changed the genetic makeup of all the crops we grow and the livestock we raise.”
GMO’s are defined as “intentionally making a copy of a gene for a desired trait from one plant or organism and using it in another plant” according to a pamphlet provided by the speaker from gmoanswers.com. Some concerns expressed were if the modifying of food (whether or not long term) leads to cancer and if they have contributed to the bee and butterfly population reductions. Other questions were whether the GMO plants are able to produce viable seeds for replanting annually or if they only have a one year use. These one year seeds must be purchased over and over again.
“The farmer has been able to grow more with less [in reference to using biotechnology seeds],” Enright says, “Less land, less water, less fertilizer, less pesticides, less fossil fuels, it’s great for the bottom line, and for our communities.”
Enright went on to explain that soon we’ll be seeing “non-browning” potatoes and apples. This would help people keep food longer, instead of throwing them away.
She says a number of food safety organizations including the World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), American Medical Association (AMA), etc. have determined that the “science is settled” on Genetic Engineering (GE) safety.
“Hundreds of independent studies confirm there is not a credible study to support any health or safety concern,” says Enright.
After the presentation, Enright opened the floor to audience questions. Those questions included whether GMO’s were a factor in the deaths of bees, questioning the toxicity of herbicides and pesticides, etc. However, Enright kept answering audience concerns with a lot of “No, that’s not true” or “that study has been debunked” which didn’t sit well with Laura Jeanne Kehn when she asked about a glyphosate study done by MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology.) She also received a “debunked” answer from Enright.
Kehn, 62, a farmer’s market owner from Frankenmuth, took to the microphone, stating, “I would challenge SVSU to put a real debate on here and bring you back. I would love to see a valiant debate with a thousand people and hash this out the way it should be hashed out with facts on both sides.”
Kehn said after the presentation, “In America we have choices and we have spin doctors, a real debate needs to be had. Although I did learn tonight the chasm between genetically modified foods and non-genetically modified is broader than I realized.”
Rachael Ramirez, 43, who works at “Healthy Habitz” in Frankenmuth, stated, “I came here tonight to get more education to share with customers. There are not enough long term studies to prove the safety of GMO’s. Dr. Enright is a very good speaker, and did a good job at promoting GMO’s. However, it was a one-sided talk, and it needs to be balanced.”
Ramirez concluded, “I learned more about the nine different foods that are currently genetically modified on the market right now.”
So are GMO’s safe? The question seems to be harder to answer than originally thought. Missing from the question and answer session was a discussion on GMO’s in Michigan Sugar Company sugar beats.
“GMO’s are not a silver bullet, but they are a tool to keep in the toolbox,” concludes Enright.
