food biotechnology ethics clark ford, ph.d. food science and human nutrition iowa state university
TRANSCRIPT
Food Biotechnology Ethics
Clark Ford, Ph.D.
Food Science and Human Nutrition
Iowa State University
What is Food Biotechnology?
• Food technology based on biology– Ancient food biotechnology:
• Fermentation by microbes– Cheese– Beer– Wine– Bread
– Modern food biotechnology• Tissue culture• Genetic engineering
– Different from plant and animal breeding
http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/2006/10/061017091752.jpg
Genetic Engineering
• Genetic Engineering involves manipulating DNA molecules
• DNA from one species is spliced into the DNA of another species– Called: Recombinant DNA
• Genetically Engineered organisms are called:– Genetically Modified
– Transgenic
Milestones in Food Biotechnology
• 1953: Structure of DNA discovered
• 1973: First gene cloned
– in microbes
• 1977: Asilomar Conference in USA
– Recombinant DNA safety
– Regulation
– Risk assessment
– Containment
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Who Regulates Food Biotechnology?
• FDA – Food and Drug Administration
• Determines safety for human consumption
• USDA– U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Determines safety of GMO agriculture
• EPA– Environmental Protection Agency
• Determines environmental safety
• NIH– National Institutes of Health
• Sets guidelines for Recombinant DNA experimentshttp://healthcare.zdnet.com/images/fda-logo.jpg
Milestones in Food Biotechnology
• 1990: Recombinant Chymosin Approved by FDA– First biotech product for human
consumption
– Enzyme for cheese making
– Originally from calf stomach
– Bovine gene expressed in GRAS microbes
• Generally Recognized As Safe
– In 80% of U.S. cheese
http://homepages.ius.edu/SRICKARD/cheese2.jpg
Other Products from Genetically Engineered Microbes
• Food enzymes– Bread– HFCS Sweeteners
• Amino acids• Peptides
– Nutrasweet
• Flavors• Organic acids• Polysaccharides• Vitamins
Milestones in Food Biotechnology
• 1994: FDA approves
“Flavr Savr” Tomato– Prolonged shelf life
– Improved quality
– Voluntarily labeled
http://www.lhup.edu/smarvel/Seminar/FALL_2003/Malawskey/tomaten.jpg
Other Genetically Engineered Plants
• Agronomic traits– BT Corn
– Roundup Ready Soy
– Disease Resistance
• Food quality • Nutrition• Metabolic products• Vaccines
http://whyfiles.org/241GM_2/images/soybean_field.jpg
Bt Corn
• Natural insecticide from Bacillus thuringiensis
• Non-toxic to humans• Target insect:
– Corn borer, root worm
– Boll worm
• reduces insecticide use– reduces mycotoxins in corn
• 47% U.S. Corn crop Bt (2007)• 59% U.S. Cotton crop (2007)http://pfisterhybrid.com/images/sections/5.jpg
Bt Concerns
• Bt pollen harms non-target species?
• Bt crops select for resistant insects
• Bt pollen can drift to organic fields
• Food system failed to keep BT Starlink corn out of human food products
Monarch butterfly: endangered?
http://members.tripod.com/c_rader0/greg040.gif
Herbicide Resistance
• Roundup Ready soy, corn, canola, cotton
• Allows post-emergence herbicide spraying
• Increases yield• Facilitates no-till farming• 91% U.S. Soy (2007)• 70% U.S. Cotton (2007)• 52% U.S. Corn (2007)http://cropwatch.unl.edu/photos/cwphoto/soy_harvest2002_2b.jpg
Herbicide Resistance Concerns
• Encourages herbicide use– Groundwater contamination– Kills beneficial soil microbes
• Cross-pollinates weeds• Fosters dependence on
Agrochemcial companies
Disease Resistance
• Canola • Cantaloupes• Cucumbers• Corn• Rice• Papaya• Potatoes• Soybeans• Squash• Tomatoes• Wheat
Genetically engineered papaya resistant papaya ringspot virus
http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/2008/04/080423131624.jpg
Health and Nutrition
• Golden Rice– Vitamin A and Iron enhanced
– Seeds given to the poor for free
• Improved Amino Acid Balance– Soy (needs Methionine)
– Maize (needs Lysine)
• Banana Vaccines
http://wwwdata.forestry.oregonstate.edu/orb/images/Marketing/TIME.jpg
Metabolic Products
• Idea: use crops to produce inexpensive– Pharmaceuticals
• AIDS vaccine in corn
– Metabolic products
• Problems:– Containment
• Cross pollination• Accidental mixing into
food supply
http://foodhazard.com/genetically-modified-foods/
Genetically Engineered Animals- not approved for food -
• Transgenic Fish– Salmon
• Grows 4-6 times faster
• Environmental concerns
• May escape, outcompete natural species
• Transgenic Mammals– Cows, Sheep, Goats
• Pharmaceutical production in milk
http://www.gatewayva.com/biz/virginiabusiness/magazine/yr1997/aug97/cover.html
Milestones in Food Biotechnology
• 1999: GM corn and soybean products are present in 80% of processed foods in USA– Corn:
• starch, high fructose corn syrup, oil
– Soy:
• oil, Lecithin, protein
http://nadav.harel.org.il/cola/image/CokeClassic.jpg
Milestones in Food Biotechnology
• 1999: European Union requires GM labels– blocks import of GM corn, beans
• Ban lifted 2004
– but no change in anti-GM sentiment in Europe
– Affects African export crops• Paternalism
Milestones in Food Biotechnology
• 1999: Gerber and Heinz baby foods GM-free
• 2000: Mc Donalds and Frito-Lay products GM-free
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Milestones in Food Biotechnology
• 2000: USDA Organic Foods Standards– Must be GM-free
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Milestones in Food Biotechnology
• 2002 Zambia refuses GM maize as food aid– To help 2.5 million in
food shortage
– Calls GM food “poison”
– Heavily influenced by European attitudes about GM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38232000/jpg/_38232577_levy150.jpg
Zambian President Mwanawasa
Global GM crops (2004)
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GM crops in Africa (2004)
http://www.eoearth.org/upload/thumb/5/5e/Fig_4_GM_status_in_Africa.JPG/350px-Fig_4_GM_status_in_Africa.JPG
Milestones in Food Biotechnology
• 2007: 300 million acres worldwide– Planted in Genetically Modified
crops• 55% in USA
– Soy– Corn– Cotton
• India, China
– Canola
• 12 million farmers– 90% are small farmers in
developing countries• Growing cotton in India, China
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTWDR2008/Images/2795086-1190749255849/4218354-1191601573880/GMOs-E1.gif
Adoption of GMOs Worldwide
Milestones in Food Biotechnology
• 2008: Cloned Animals approved by FDA – For human consumption
• Goal: quality meat, milk• Best animals cloned• Not transgenic
– Is that next?
– Label not required• Considered same as
normal meat, milk• Not in stores yet
– Not certified organic (USDA)http://www.scq.ubc.ca/the-new-macdonald-pharm/
Controversy over Biotech Foods
• Debate pits consumer and ecology groups – against Multinational Corporations
• Many farmers, scientists, government agencies– caught in the middle
Arguments for Genetically Engineered Food
• Potential to:– Increase productivity– Increase purity– Increase safety– Improve nutrition– Improve food quality– Improve sustainability– Benefit ecosystem
• Process not inherently harmful
• Similar to traditional Plant and Animal breeding
• Unless misused, outcome expected to be beneficial– Is a powerful technology
that could help humanity
• Bad ideas weeded out by the market, regulation, lawsuit
--Paul Thompsonhttp://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/images/thompson_paul.jpg
Arguments against Genetically Engineered Foods
• Food safety risk? – unintended consequences
• Safety risk for environment– could spread
• Genetically Engineered label – not required in U.S.A.
• Playing God– not natural
• Benefits multinational corporations– not consumers– not developing nations
GMO vs normal Salmon of same age
http://www.primidi.com/images/aquabounty_salmon.jpg
Frankenstein Foods: Unintended Consequences?
• Potential GMO food safety problems:– Random gene insertion– Unknown toxins?– New gene products?– Unknown allergies?
• No evidence of GMO food safety problems
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Food Allergies
• 90% of Food allergies:– Eggs
– Fish
– Shellfish
– Milk
– Peanuts
– Soybeans
– tree nuts
– wheat
• GM foods avoid genes from these sources
Peanut proteins can cause severe food allergies!
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Arguments for Labeling
• Not equivalent to non-GM• Must use Precautionary principle
• Is uncertainty in risk assessment
• Labeling indicates process used• Consumer right to know and choose
• Country’s right to know and choose
Arguments against labeling
• Suggests non-existent hazard• Expensive to segregate crops
and change labels• FDA labels required if change
in:• Allergenicity• Nutrition• Food Quality
Will GM crops feed the world?
• Yes:– GM crops are size neutral
• Small growers can benefit– Don’t need large combine
– Reduced inputs• Herbicides, pesticides
– Lower costs
– Increased yields• Disease resistance
• Reduced weeds
– Increased profitsInsect resistant maize, Kenya
http://img.radio.cz/pictures/networkeurope/080215-bt-corn-africa.jpg
Will GM crops feed the world?• No:
– Biotech from companies targets the wealthy• Intellectual property expensive• Public research in developing countries
– must develop GMOs for the poor
• Poor that cannot compete driven from land– undernutrtion
– Poor really need• Land• Water• Roads• Education• Credit
– Green revolution agriculture unsustainable• Monoculture• Erosion• Fertilizer and pesticide runoff pollution• Neocaloric (requires fossile fuels)
International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, India
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GMOs for developing countries
Will GM crops feed the world?
• "While feeding the hungry is a laudable goal, current record feed stocks in the U.S. is still not finding its way to those who need it the most.
• Therefore, the real reasons for hunger is not necessarily the lack of food but the lack of income to purchase and the absence of an infrastructure to get the food to those who need it the most.
• If the hungry cannot be fed with current worldwide overproduction, what guarantee is there that additional productivity will solve the problem?"
-- American Corn Growers Association