VilaWeb - Diari escola: Transgenic Foods

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divendres, 26 d'abril de 2024

> Genetically Modified Organisms

> Risks

> Organic Agriculture

dilluns, 31 de maig de 2004

Genetically modified foods have recently been dedicated a lot of media attention, especially around two decisions taken within the European Union; decisions which have added fuel to the debate about so-called genetically modified organisms, known by the initials GMO.

Firstly, was the European Union ruling regarding labelling of genetically modified foods, which makes it compulsory to specify if a product has been genetically modified. This ruling, in force since 19th April, is based on the concept of traceability, according to which it is obligatory to declare the use of genetically modified organisms at each stage of the food chain.

So what exactly does that mean? Well, for example, that the farmer who has cultivated maize from genetically modified seeds has to inform the manufacturer who will use the maize to make another product; in turn, the packaging of the manufactured product has to include a label indicating that it has been made with genetically modified maize, even though in the final analysis of the product no type of genetic modification is detected.

On the 19th May, though, the European Commission gave marketing authorisation for a type of genetically modified maize: the maize Bt-11, from the Swiss firm Syngenta. It has thus put an end to a moratorium in force since 1998, which did not allow authorisation for this type of product. The European Commission decision received severe criticism from ecology groups and even European Union governments, such as France and Germany.

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Genetically Modified Organisms

+ DNA is a molecule which carries genetic information.

Genetically modified organisms denote those animals and plants containing a gene which has been introduced into the cells artificially. This is the same as saying that the DNA (initials for deoxyribonucleic acid), the molecule which carries genetic information, has been purposely altered. The genetic modification is applied to crops like soybean, maize, rape and pumpkins, with the aim of making them more resistant to herbicides, attack from insects, disease, frost, drought..., and to increase both the nutritional qualities and the size.

Risks

+ Genetic modification is applied to different crops.

The majority of the state authorities consider that genetically modified foods require specific evaluation to measure the risks to human health and to the environment. According to the World Health Organisation, genetically modified foods which can already be found on the market have passed the required evaluations and it is probable that they do not present risks to human health. Now, the same organisation has stated that it is not possible to say, in general, that genetically modified organisms are all still innocuous; the assessment has to be done individually, case by case. And, in fact, the potential risks to the environment and human health are the subject of permanent debate, with postures which are, at times, confrontational.

Organic Agriculture

+ Organic agriculture encourages biological diversity.

In response to the implications of the modernisation of agriculture, since the 1960s there has been a progressive increase in what is called organic agriculture. This is an agrarian production system which encourages biological diversity and avoids making use of chemical products. Among the techniques employed are the rotation of crops to prevent soil erosion, the use of organic fertilizers, control of pests with parasites or pathogenic micro-organisms and the complementing of agricultural and livestock activities. The products resulting from organic agriculture are perhaps not quite as attractive as the others, apart from being more expensive, but, that said, they have more flavour and are less contaminated.

MATERIALS

Seguretat alimentària
Format:Web
Informació de la Comissió Europea relativa a la seguretat alimentària.
EUFIC
Format:Web
Web del Consell Europeu d'Informació sobre l'Alimentació, organisme que ofereix informació científica sobre aliments i temes relacionats amb la nutrició.
Agricultura ecològica
Format:Web
Espai centrat en la producció agroalimentària ecològica.
GM Food
Format:Web
Pàgina de la BBC dedicada als organismes i aliments modificats genèticament: història, riscs, beneficis, guia del consumidor...
Ecologistes en Acció Catalunya
Format:Web
Informació d'aquesta entitat ecologista sobre manipulació genètica i organismes modificats genèticament.
L'enginyeria genètica
Format:Web
Pàgina divulgativa sobre enginyeria genètica i transgènics, amb activitats didàctiques incloses.
Coneguem la genètica
Format:Web
Una introducció a la genètica.

QUE HO SABIES?

The first genetically modified crop dates from 1983, when a tobacco plant was modified with the aim of making it resistant to an antibiotic. Eleven years later, in 1994, the first marketing of a genetically modified crop (a variety of tomato) went ahead in the United States.
Last May, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) demonstrated a favourable attitude towards the use of genetic modification to combat world famine. The FAO, though, bemoaned the fact that biotechnological research has not focused enough on the products cultivated by poor farmers, like the potato, cassava (source of tapioca), rice, millet and wheat.
Apart from organic agriculture, there is also organic livestock farming, which looks to guarantee healthy feed and living conditions for the livestock: appropriate surroundings and environment, freedom of movement, diet coming from organic crops, respect for natural growth rates...