Are genetically modified foods a necessary evil?

Are they necessary? Are they even evil?

This is a very hot debate, and not just in farming circles. We’re talking about food, and the food you eat is a very personal choice. Many people have very strong opinions about genetically modified (GM) foods.

Opinions are one thing. And everyone should have one.

But science and facts are something else. Not everyone understands the science behind GM foods.

And that is where the trouble comes in.

What you eat, and what your food options are, are very personal questions. Because they are so personal, they are also very emotional. And in the GM food debate, emotion tends to trump science.

I was encouraged to see a speech by Mark Lynas to the Oxford Farming Conference earlier this month. I’m going to start by saying that I don’t know Mark Lynas. I have never met him, and am not familiar with his earlier work. But I understand that he used to be one of the most vocal anti-GM people around. And it appears that he has changed his tune. I also do not have first-hand knowledge of some of the research and facts he cites in his speech. But you can bet that I’m going to do some research of my own.

Can you imagine the kind of strength it took to recognize that he had to do more research to back up his opinion; realize that the research did not back up his original opinion; and then come out publicly to share his new thoughts?

I strongly encourage you to read his speech (and watch the video) for yourself. I’m going to share with you here what I think are the highlights.

In addition to his opinion on GM foods, Mr. Lynas also has strong opinions on climate change. He has written two books on the subject (Six Degrees and High Tide), and did extensive research into the scientific publications on climate change while writing these books. He realized there was a huge discrepancy in the way he was treating climate change (evaluating the science and facts) versus the way he was treating GM foods (operating primarily based on emotion, without considering the science).

Mr. Lynas says that one of the big reasons he was originally against GM foods was emotional. The idea of mixing genes, especially genes from different species, sounded experimental, unnatural, and even scary. A natural knee-jerk reaction to something like this is to be afraid and to avoid (perhaps even condemn) this kind of technology. Especially when it comes to our food.

Once he realized he was treating these two issues so very differently, he started investigating the science behind GM foods and shares this research in another book. He learned that:

• Pest-resistant cotton and corn need less insecticides than non-GM varieties.
• Farmers who use GM crops have fewer inputs (fertilizer, insecticides, etc) than farmers who use non-GM crops. This means the farmers have fewer output costs ever year.
• Farmers have not been saving seeds to plant next year since hybrid technologies became common. The introduction of GM crops did not change this.
• Countries like India and Brazil who do not allow GM crops have a large trade in pirated Bt cotton and roundup ready soybeans (GM varieties).
• GM technologies are more precise than conventional breeding, or hybridization. In hybridization, two entire genomes are mixed together and the hope that you get the result you want. In GM, a few specific genes are targeted and transferred.
• Gene transfer between species is common. It happens in viruses, plants, insects, and even humans. It is part of nature.

The growing human population means that we need to at least be open to the idea of using new technologies to grow our food supply. By the year 2050, there are expected to be 9.5 billion people in the world. And we are going to need to produce double the amount of food every year to feed them.

(I know the population growth and fertility issue is also highly controversial. I’m going to leave this one alone. Frankly, it is out of my expertise, and I don’t feel qualified to comment. Mr. Lynas has more information in his speech. I encourage you to read it and do your own research into this area.)

Another reason why some people feel strongly that we should not be growing GM crops is that because the GM seeds are “controlled” by big companies like Monsanto. Here’s the scoop.

It can take up to $140 million dollars and over 5 years to go through the process of bringing a new variety of GM crop to market.

Researchers need to find the trait, and the specific gene that codes for that trait, they are looking for. They need to do research into the best way to transfer this gene. They need to figure out how to transfer it, they need to grow the plant, and then do research on the plant they grow and the food it produces.

We have put these time and financial constraints on the development of this technology. And now we wonder why only big companies with deep pockets are trying to work on this. How can you expect smaller companies to be able to afford the time, energy, and money that needs to go into the development of this product? And how can you expect companies to give this away, when they have millions of dollars invested before the first “new” crop is sold?

Over the last 15 years, it is estimated that over three trillion meals containing GM foods have been eaten. And there has never been a single substantiated case that definitively links harm or disease to GM food. Mr. Lynas says that “you are more likely to get hit by an asteroid than to get hurt by GM food.”

He finished his speech with this:

The risk today is not that anyone will be harmed by GM food, but that millions will be harmed by not having enough food, because a vocal minority of people in rich countries want their meals to be what they consider natural.

I know GM foods and genetically-modified organisms (GMO) in general are a hot topic, and many people have very strong opinions. I also know that there is a lot of confusion about GM foods.

I’m planning on doing a series here talking about GM crops and GM foods. What do you want to know about GM foods? What questions do you have? Let me know in the comments below, or email me privately. I may not respond to all your questions here, but I will definitely use them as the basis for my series later this year.

{I do not work for Monsanto, or any other company that produces or sells seeds. I did include affiliate links to Mr. Lynas’ books in this post.}