Biotechnology food: A gigantic experiment?

A lawsuit in the United States against Monsanto, a global player in genetically-engineered crops, has again raised the issue of just how safe such food products are, and who really wants them.

Biotechnology firms are under fire after two interest groups in the United States filed a lawsuit against Monsanto. The lawsuit alleges that Monsanto sells genetically-engineered crops without first ensuring they are safe for humans and the environment. Monsanto will not be the only company that will have to answer to the charges: Switzerland’s Novartis is among the world’s leading producers of genetically-engineered crops and seeds and will clearly also be affected by the legal procedures.

Imagine a crop that protects itself against disease and insects, a tomato that lasts weeks without refrigeration or a mango without a pip. These are innovations being touted by biotechnology companies, such as Novartis and Monsanto. By altering the genetic code of living organisms, they say they can produce better, hardier crops, which will not only feed the hungry, but protect the environment, and help stave off disease at the same time.
One of the most successful genetically-engineered crops is Novartis’ BT Corn, a pest resistant strain of maize. A gene, which protects against the European corn borer, has been added to the maize, eliminating the need for insecticides. The gene has been taken from a soil bacteria that produces toxins.

Novartis’ enthusiasm for genetically-engineered crops is shared by many farmers, particularly in the United States, where between 30 and to percent of all the maize now grown is BT Corn. Opponents of GE technology say the dangers involved in tampering with the very building blocks of life far outweigh the potential benefits. Greenpeace Switzerland says GE crops will destroy bio-diversity and encourage pests to develop resistance.

One threat to bio-diversity is cross-pollination: The danger that pollen from GE crops will be transferred to normal plants by the wind or insects. This should be a major concern for U.S. consumers, now largely dependent on GE maize. However to date, the world’s most developed democracy has held no public consultation about GE crops, and has introduced no laws to control their planting or cultivation. This is changing slowly. However, a leading seeds expert at Novartis, Dr. Arthur Einsele says, “It’s also not technically possible to distinguish between genetically-modified organisms and non-GE crops.“

On a farm near the Swiss capital Berne, Albert Remund and his wife grow crops and rear cattle. They used to depend on fertilisers and pesticides, but for the past ten years they have been farming organically. In fact, they have taken organic farming a step further: Their farm is a totally self-sustaining environment. Remund says that feed for their cattle is fertilised by manure from those same cows, and they exploit natural organisms such as worms and fungus to make compost. “It’s the ideal basis for life and growth of any form. The plants grow healthily and the insects don’t attack them and the plants don’t have typical diseases either,“ says Remund.

Organic products are becoming increasingly popular. In Europe, this has partly been driven by food scares. Surveys consistently show that the public is resolutely opposed to GE crops. In a nationwide vote in Switzerland last year, voters chose not to ban the technology outright, but the government has since refused applications for field trials.

One accusation increasingly levelled at biotech companies is that, by eating GE crops, consumers are being forced to participate in a gigantic experiment — the outcome of which may not be known for decades, even centuries. But Einsele disagrees: “Our BT Corn is probably the best tested plant in the world. Hundreds of independent scientists have reviewed our studies and confirmed the safety of BT Corn.“

But can any number of tests, no matter how rigorous, measure up to the thousands of years or more that we have had to co-exist with the organisms we eat? For the first time, we are able to manipulate the characteristics of living things before they are born. After DDT and mad cow disease, can we really expect such fundamental changes to be entirely benign?

Jeremy Rifkind is spearheading the anti-GE campaign in the U.S. He thinks the biotechnology companies are taking risks with consumers’ health. “The fact is, we are consuming genes in these plants which have never been part of the human diet. It’s very likely that some of these genes will code for proteins that will create allergenic or toxic reactions, which could even be deadly. And we won’t know until the person who has that allergy becomes ill — so the consumer is being used as a guinea pig in this genetic experiment,“ says Rifkind.

From staff member Jonas Hughes