Does anyone want GM food?

Answer is NO!

-CONSUMERS : consumers around the world want GM food labelled and most don't want it at all; 84 percent of Australians said they worried about eating GM foods and 92 percent of canadians were concerned about the long term risks of them.

-RETAILERS: in Britain, all the major spermarket chains refuse to sell GM food; in fac, the British Retail Consortium have told Prime Minister they will refuse to stock GM foods even now GM corps are commercialised.

-TOP CHEF: In the late 1990s, more than a hundred top chefs and food writers undertook not to use GM foods, and to urge other chefs and restaurants to follow suit. Euro-Toques, an association of topnEuropean chefs, ran a similar campaign.

-Famers: Even famers are not keen on GM corps - and the more they learn about them the more they are turning against them.

BBQ beef

I have finally tried beef bak kua. Haha. I bought it from Bee Cheng Hiang. The beef taste is very strong(my sis says the beef taste is stronger than beef jerky) and the meat is harder. The colour is also darker than pork bak kua. Therefore, i still prefer BBQ pork as the taste is nicer and sweeter. Luckily, i bought the individual packed ones and thus bought only 100g(mininum amt). Hehe...

Anti-GM food protest leaves 18 injured in Belgium

Environmental activists stormed a field of genetically modified potatoes in Belgium Sunday, breaking through a security cordon in a raid that left police and protesters injured, authorities and organisers said.

Police said they briefly detained around 40 people taking part in the "Field Liberation Movement", which aimed to destroy the research crop in the northwestern town of Wetteren, according to Belga news agency.

Around 10 officers were slightly injured, according to police, while organisers said eight on their side were manhandled.

More than 200 people took part in the protest but only a few managed to sneak through fences and a police line protecting the field, said Franciska Soler, of the Volunteer Reapers of France which participated in the event.

"A certain number of potato plants were destroyed," Soler told AFP.

Jo Bury, the director of the VIB science research institute that planted the potatoes, said around 100 scientists had tried to talk the activists out of raiding the field.

While GM foods are common in places such as the United States and Brazil, they are highly divisive in Europe.

Just two GM crops are authorised on European soil -- a maize strain for animal feed and a potato for paper-making.

An internal survey conducted by the European Commission, the European Union's executive arm, showed last month that 13 out of 27 EU states see no benefit from GM crops.

Source:

http://www.expatica.com/be/news/belgian-news/anti-gm-food-protest-leaves-18-injured-in-belgium_152783.html

labelling GM food

Agribusiness industries believe that labeling should be voluntary and influenced by the demands of the free market. If consumers show preference for labeled foods over non-labeled foods, then industry will have the incentive to regulate itself or risk alienating the customer.

Consumer interest groups, on the other hand, are demanding mandatory labeling. People have the right to know what they are eating, argue the interest groups, and historically industry has proven itself to be unreliable at self-compliance with existing safety regulations. The FDA's current position on food labeling is governed by the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act which is only concerned with food additives, not whole foods or food products that are considered "Generally Recognized As Safe". (GRAS) The FDA contends that GM foods are substantially equivalent to non-GM foods, and therefore not subject to more stringent labeling. If all GM foods and food products are to be labeled, Congress must enact sweeping changes in the existing food labeling policy.

advantages of GM food

1. Pest resistance
Crop losses from insect pests can be staggering, resulting in devastating financial loss for farmers and starvation in developing countries. Farmers typically use many tons of chemical pesticides annually. Consumers do not wish to eat food that has been treated with pesticides because of potential health hazards, and run-off of agricultural wastes from excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers can poison the water supply and cause harm to the environment.

2. Herbicide tolerance
For some crops, it is not cost-effective to remove weeds by physical means such as tilling, so farmers will often spray large quantities of different herbicides (weed-killer) to destroy weeds, a time-consuming and expensive process, that requires care so that the herbicide doesn't harm the crop plant or the environment. Crop plants genetically-engineered to be resistant to one very powerful herbicide could help prevent environmental damage by reducing the amount of herbicides needed.

3. Disease resistance
There are many viruses, fungi and bacteria that cause plant diseases.

4. Cold tolerance
Unexpected frost can destroy sensitive seedlings. An antifreeze gene from cold water fish has been introduced into plants such as tobacco and potato. With this antifreeze gene, these plants are able to tolerate cold temperatures that normally would kill unmodified seedlings.

5. Drought tolerance
As the world population grows and more land is utilized for housing instead of food production, farmers will need to grow crops in locations previously unsuited for plant cultivation. Creating plants that can withstand long periods of drought will help people to grow crops in formerly inhospitable places.

6. Nutrition
Malnutrition is common in third world countries where impoverished peoples rely on a single crop such as rice for the main staple of their diet. However, rice does not contain adequate amounts of all necessary nutrients to prevent malnutrition. If rice could be genetically engineered to contain additional vitamins and minerals, nutrient deficiencies could be alleviated.

7. Pharmaceuticals
Medicines and vaccines often are costly to produce and sometimes require special storage conditions not readily available in third world countries. Researchers are working to develop edible vaccines in tomatoes and potatoes. These vaccines will be much easier to ship, store and administer than traditional vaccines.

p.s. for disadvantages, refer to discussion board

GM rice & DEHP products

A news article on Yahoo about: GM rice spreads, prompts debate in China.

1. BEIJING (AFP) – Genetically modified rice has been spreading illegally for years in China, officials have admitted, triggering a debate on a sensitive aspect of the food security plan in the world's most populous nation.
2. Backers of GM rice argue that it is more drought-resistant, offers better yield, and -- in the case of the variety containing the Bt gene -- allows pesticide use to be dramatically cut.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110615/wl_asia_afp/chinafoodenvironmentbusinessfarm_20110615005027

Thankfully, i think the problem in 1 will not occur in Singapore as the rules here are very strict, hence imported foods have to go through stringent tests. However, there are always loopholes/human errors which are hard to avoid. This brings me to another articles on: HSA taking proactive measures to test health products from Taiwan for DEHP - http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1133767/1/.html

As for point 2, i think its good to have GM rice as we will not have to worry about rice shortage or inflation during bad season. Pesticides use will also be cut which is good to us. In fact, i think it may be better to have GM vegetable as currently, pesticide use is common in veg and sometimes cooked veg will still have the chemical/pesticide taste.

However, this issue is a very controversial topic due to its advantages and disadvantages. Hence, i think till now, i still do not have a specific stand as to whether to support or to oppose GM foods.

GM Toxins

1. Whole GM Bt Toxins Found in Human and Foetal Blood – GM crops and imports must be haltedGM Freeze
Press release
Immediate Release   20 May 2011

2. GM food toxins found in the blood of 93% of unborn babiesGM firms claimed toxins were destroyed in the gut
By Sean Poulter
Daily Mail
20th May 2011
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1388888/GM-food-toxins-blood-93-unborn-babies.html

3. Toxic pesticides from GM food crops found in unborn babiesToxic pesticides which are implanted into genetically modified food crops have lodged in the blood of pregnant women and their unborn babies, research shows.
By Andy Bloxham
The Telegraph
20 May 2011
http://bit.ly/jLBEN9

Source: http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/13174-whole-gm-bt-toxins-found-in-human-and-foetal-blood-gm-crops-and-imports-must-be-halted

Above are articles related to the recent findings and controversial issues of GM crops. The findings are known to be inconclusive or unreliable by the spokesperson for the GM industry. However, GM Freeze which is a organisation opposed to GM farming, argued over the potential damage that GM crops can do to our health by conducting the research study.

List of GM Foods

Rapeseed - Resistance to certain pesticides and improved rapeseed cultivars to be free of erucic acid and glucosinolates. Gluconsinolates, which were found in rapeseed meal leftover from pressing, are toxic and had prevented the use of the meal in animal feed. In Canada, where "double-zero" rapeseed was developed, the crop was renamed "canola" (Canadian oil) to differentiate it from non-edible rapeseed.

Honey - Honey can be produced from GM crops. Some Canadian honey comes from bees collecting nectar from GM canola plants. This has shut down exports of Canadian honey to Europe.

Cotton - Resistant to certain pesticides - considered a food because the oil can be consumed. The introduction of genetically engineered cotton plants has had an unexpectedly effect on Chinese agriculture. The so-called Bt cotton plants that produce a chemical that kills the cotton bollworm have not only reduced the incidence of the pest in cotton fields, but also in neighboring fields of corn, soybeans, and other crops.

Rice - Genetically modified to contain high amounts of Vitamin A. Rice containing human genes is to be grown in the US. Rather than end up on dinner plates, the rice will make human proteins useful for treating infant diarrhoea in the developing world.

Soybean - Genetically modified to be resistant to herbicides - Soy foods including, soy beverages, tofu, soy oil, soy flour, lecithin. Other products may include breads, pastries, snack foods, baked products, fried products, edible oil products and special purpose foods.

Sugar cane - Made resistant to certain pesticides. A large percentage of sweeteners used in processed food actually comes from corn, not sugar cane or beets. Genetically modified sugar cane is regarded so badly by consumers at the present time that it could not be marketed successfully.

Tomatoes - Made for a longer shelf life and to prevent a substance that causes tomatoes to rot and degrade.

Corn - Resistant to certain pesticides - Corn oil, flour, sugar or syrup. May include snack foods, baked goods, fried foods, edible oil products, confectionery, special purpose foods, and soft drinks.

Sweet corn - genetically modified to produces its own insecticide. Officials from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have said that thousands of tonnes of genetically engineered sweetcorn have made their way into the human food supply chain, even though the produce has been approved only for use in animal feed. Recently Monsanto, a biotechnology food producer, said that about half of the USA's sweetcorn acreage has been planted with genetically modified seed this year.

Canola - Canola oil. May include edible oil products, fried foods, and baked products, snack foods.

Potatoes - (Atlantic, Russett Burbank, Russet Norkatah, and Shepody) - May include snack foods, processed potato products and other processed foods containing potatoes.

Flax - More and more food products contain flax oil and seed because of their excellent nutritional properties. No genetically modified flax is currently grown. An herbicide-resistant GM flax was introduced in 2001, but was soon taken off the market because European importers refused to buy it.

Papaya - The first virus resistant papayas were commercially grown in Hawaii in 1999. Transgenic papayas now cover about one thousand hectares, or three quarters of the total Hawaiian papaya crop. Monsanto, donated technology to Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, for developing a papaya resistant to the ringspot virus in India.

Squash - (yellow crookneck) - Some zucchini and yellow crookneck squash are also GM but they are not popular with farmers.

Red-hearted chicory - (radicchio) - Chicory (Cichorium intybus var. foliosum) is popular in some regions as a salad green, especially in France and Belgium. Scientists developed a genetically modified line of chicory containing a gene that makes it male sterile, simply facilitating the production of hybrid cultivars. Today there is no genetically modified chicory on the market.

Cotton seed oil - Cottonseed oil and linters. Products may include blended vegetable oils, fried foods, baked foods, snack foods, edible oil products, and smallgoods casings.

Tobacco -The company Vector has a GMO tobacco being sold under the brand of Quest® cigarettes in the U.S. It is engineered to produce low or no nicotine.

Meat - Meat and dairy products usually come from animals that have eaten GM feed.

Peas - Genetically modified (GM) peas created immune responses in mice, suggesting that they may also create serious allergic reactions in people. The peas had been inserted with a gene from kidney beans, which creates a protein that acts as a pesticide.

Vegetable Oil - Most generic vegetable oils and margarines used in restaurants and in processed foods in North America are made from soy, corn, canola, or cottonseed. Unless these oils specifically say "Non-GMO" or "Organic," it is probably genetically modified.

Sugarbeets - May include any processed foods containing sugar.

Dairy Products - About 22 percent of cows in the U.S. are injected with recombinant (genetically modified) bovine growth hormone (rbGH).

Vitamins - Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is often made from corn, vitamin E is usually made from soy. Vitamins A, B2, B6, and B12 may be derived from GMOs as well as vitamin D and vitamin K may have "carriers" derived from GM corn sources, such as starch, glucose, and maltodextrin.

Human Breast Milk From a Cow? Genetically Modified Milk Could Hit Stores In 3 Years

A dairy farm in China claims to have successfully genetically modified cows so that they produce human breast milk. If government approval is granted, the cow-produced “human” milk could be on supermarket shelves in China in three years. Maybe the breast milk ice cream shop was on to something.

If the genetically modified milk gets the stamp of approval, it will likely spark plenty of debate surrounding genetically modified food in general, and where the line is when it comes to ethics.

We were (and still are) admittedly a bit turned off by the prospect of eating something made from human breast milk, but the reality is that humans are the only animals who drink milk from another animal. And that’s something that’s not lost on nature. If you look at the rise of lactose-free dairy products and soy milk on store shelves, it’s no secret that not all humans are equipped to properly digest cow’s milk. Meaning that even if it seems weird, reaching for a bowl of breast milk ice cream is probably more natural than reaching for a pint of cow’s milk ice cream.

While that might be the case, milking women like cows is unlikely to gain popularity outside of a fetish community or two, meaning even if you are willing to splash breast milk on your cereal your options for finding a gallon are pretty limited.

Consider that China has a billion people to feed, and that a certain portion of those people might not be able to digest cow’s milk, and it becomes a little easier to understand why someone has undertaken this little experiment in the first place. Throw in the fact that many Chinese parents haven’t forgotten the tainted formula scandal that led to a formula manufacturer being sentenced to death (the plastic laced formula killed some of the babies who drank it), and there’s definitely a market.

Is the milk safe for human consumption? Presumably that’s what Chinese officials are testing for. Is it really human breast milk? Scientifically, this hasn’t been proven, so it’s difficult to say if the milk really is identical to what a child would get from a nursing mother. Let’s say it is; the bigger question is if enough consumers would be willing to put their initial reactions aside for farmers to milk the genetically modified food opportunity.

cr:skynews

Advantages of GM food

Some of the advantages of GM foods?

The world population has topped 6 billion people and is predicted to double in the next 50 years. Ensuring an adequate food supply for this booming population is going to be a major challenge in the years to come. GM foods promise to meet this need in a number of ways:

Pest resistance: Crop losses from insect pests can be staggering, resulting in devastating financial loss for farmers and starvation in developing countries. Farmers typically use many tons of chemical pesticides annually. Consumers do not wish to eat food that has been treated with pesticides because of potential health hazards, and run-off of agricultural wastes from excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers can poison the water supply and cause harm to the environment. Growing GM foods such as B.t. corn can help eliminate the application of chemical pesticides and reduce the cost of bringing a crop to market.

Herbicide tolerance: For some crops, it is not cost-effective to remove weeds by physical means such as tilling, so farmers will often spray large quantities of different herbicides (weed-killer) to destroy weeds, a time-consuming and expensive process, that requires care so that the herbicide doesn't harm the crop plant or the environment. Crop plants genetically-engineered to be resistant to one very powerful herbicide could help prevent environmental damage by reducing the amount of herbicides needed. For example, Monsanto has created a strain of soybeans genetically modified to be not affected by their herbicide product Roundup. A farmer grows these soybeans which then only require one application of weed-killer instead of multiple applications, reducing production cost and limiting the dangers of agricultural waste run-off.

Disease resistance: There are many viruses, fungi and bacteria that cause plant diseases. Plant biologists are working to create plants with genetically-engineered resistance to these diseases.

Cold tolerance: Unexpected frost can destroy sensitive seedlings. An antifreeze gene from cold water fish has been introduced into plants such as tobacco and potato. With this antifreeze gene, these plants are able to tolerate cold temperatures that normally would kill unmodified seedlings. (Note: I have not been able to find any journal articles or patents that involve fish antifreeze proteins in strawberries, although I have seen such reports in newspapers. I can only conclude that nothing on this application has yet been published or patented.)

Drought tolerance/salinity tolerance: As the world population grows and more land is utilized for housing instead of food production, farmers will need to grow crops in locations previously unsuited for plant cultivation. Creating plants that can withstand long periods of drought or high salt content in soil and groundwater will help people to grow crops in formerly inhospitable place.

Nutrition: Malnutrition is common in third world countries where impoverished peoples rely on a single crop such as rice for the main staple of their diet. However, rice does not contain adequate amounts of all necessary nutrients to prevent malnutrition. If rice could be genetically engineered to contain additional vitamins and minerals, nutrient deficiencies could be alleviated. For example, blindness due to vitamin A deficiency is a common problem in third world countries. Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Institute for Plant Sciences have created a strain of "golden" rice containing an unusually high content of beta-carotene (vitamin A). Since this rice was funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, a non-profit organization, the Institute hopes to offer the golden rice seed free to any third world country that requests it. Plans were underway to develop a golden rice that also has increased iron content. However, the grant that funded the creation of these two rice strains was not renewed, perhaps because of the vigorous anti-GM food protesting in Europe, and so this nutritionally-enhanced rice may not come to market at all1.

Pharmaceuticals: Medicines and vaccines often are costly to produce and sometimes require special storage conditions not readily available in third world countries. Researchers are working to develop edible vaccines in tomatoes and potatoes. These vaccines will be much easier to ship, store and administer than traditional injectable vaccines.

Phytoremediation: Not all GM plants are grown as crops. Soil and groundwater pollution continues to be a problem in all parts of the world. Plants such as poplar trees have been genetically engineered to clean up heavy metal pollution from contaminated soil.

Genetically modified cattles

Chinese researchers have made headlines by genetically modifying a herd of 300 cattle to produce milk that is somewhat akin to human breast milk.

The scientists inserted a human gene into the cows' genetic information, and the animals' mammary glands now imbue their milk with large quantities of lysozyme, a protein that is abundant in human milk, but not the bovine variety. Aside from giving the modified cow milk the strong, sweet taste that you may or may not remember from your infancy, the introduction of lysozyme makes the milk much healthier and more nutritious, according to Ning Li of China's Agricultural University in Beijing, who led the research.

To help improve malnutrition among children, Li and his colleagues hope to get the modified milk through the testing phase and onto the Chinese market within three years.

But is the "transgenic" (genetically modified) milk actually healthier? And is it safe?

Initial research suggests it is indeed safe and may provide significant health benefits, experts say. But much more testing must be done — and will be done — before you see human/cow milk on the market in the United States.

Looking for more information? Please visit http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43356950/ns/technology_and_science-science/

Video on GM food

Saw this interesting video in youtube about GM foods.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar4KapvE3RY&feature=related

There's is a part which mention a cow gene being inserted into horse cell. At this point of time, i feel that genetic modification, especially in animals, is just a bad idea. Both a cow and a horse has its own special characteristics, modifying it may not give both chracteristics in one perfectly. Furthermore, we do not know what harmful consequences will it cause. Its like cow+horse=corse which is so weird.

B.t. corn

B.t. is Bacillus thuringiensis, a naturally occurring bacterium that produces crystal proteins that are lethal to insect larvae. B.t. crystal protein genes have been transferred into corn, enabling the corn to produce its own pesticides against insects such as the European corn borer.
Pollen from B.t. corn caused high mortality rates in monarch butterfly caterpillars. Monarch caterpillars consume milkweed plants, not corn, but the fear is that if pollen from B.t. corn is blown by the wind onto milkweed plants in neighboring fields, the caterpillars could eat the pollen and perish. Although the Nature study was not conducted under natural field conditions, the results seemed to support this viewpoint. Unfortunately, B.t. toxins kill many species of insect larvae indiscriminately; it is not possible to design a B.t. toxin that would only kill crop-damaging pests and remain harmless to all other insects.

source: http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php

Enviropigs

I read this article about genetically modifying pigs that will be more environmentally friendly. check it out below.

" It is assumed that the Canadian Government Department will approve genetically modified pigs, the Enviropig, the first transgenic animal created to solve an environmental problem.

University of Guelph, the sole owner and producer of the animals, has successfully produced the Enviropig, using approved containment procedures, thereby abiding by the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.

Environment Canada will announce approval of the strain known as enviropigs, after being approved by Health Canada, before the pigs enter the food market.

The Yorkshire pigs were developed by researchers in Ontario at the University of Guelph, who spliced in genes from mice to decrease the amount of phosphorus produced in the pigs' dung to as less as 30-65%, which has been problematic in surface and groundwater around large livestock operations.

Steven Liss, Associate Vice-President for research at the University of Guelph told that an application had been sent to the U. S. Food and Drug Administration and added that the University of Guelph will continue to breed the animals under strict confinement and control measures. "

what do you guys think about this article? the purpose of it is to solve the problem of harmful gases that can affect the water surrounding livestock.

Follow up on Preschool poisoning case

The cause of the food poisoning outbreak in the preschools last month is out!
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/salmonella-found-food-supplied-pre-schools-125944288.html

The culprit is Salmonella Enteritidis!

A Health Ministry statement said that interviews with the food handlers employed by the caterer indicated that the same trays were used to hold raw and cooked foods.

This may be a possible cause of cross-contamination, if the trays were not cleaned properly and as meat, seafood and poultry were also being prepared in the same area, it increased the risk of cross-contamination.

To reduce the recurrence of similar incidences in future, NEA will also step up its engagement with caterers. It will issue advisories on best practices in food safety management, food storage, preparation and serving.

It didnt occur to me that not using the same trays is sooo important as my helper will use the same plates/chopping board sometimes. I think i should inform my helper about it as i do not want to risk being sick. However, i think this is much more important for caterers as the amount of food they handle is so much more, thus the higher the risk. At this point of time, i think perhaps its human nature that people tend to be worried and start being careful and strict only after an accident has happened.

Food company should not be trusted

Came across the news of the mass usage of plasticiser DEHP in Taiwan food industries. They used this harmful substance as a thickening agent to cut cost for products like custard cream, jams, jellys and fruit juices. They were much more cheaper with the better thickening effects compared to the safe ingredients that were supposedly to be used in the respective food products. If the DEHP stays in the body long enough, it is most likely to cause some issues in the reproductive organs of both men and women. It is also carcinogenic and thus it is rather shocking to read this news on the papers one day. Certain of the products are seen in Singapore during special food fairs, and was wondering when these companies added such harmful stuff into the products. Wonder how much has fellow Singaporeans been ingesting this????!!!