Month: September 2022

EUROPE RESISTS GMOs. "The European Union (EU) may have the most stringent GMO regulations in the world. All GMOs, along with irradiated food, are considered "new food" and are subject to extensive, case-by-case, science-based food evaluation by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)." http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulation_of_genetically_modified_organisms_in_the_European_Union View in LinkedIn

GMOs IN EUROPEAN ANIMAL FEED. "As of August 2012, the European Union had authorised 48 GMOs. Most of these were for animal feed imports or for feed and food processing. There is also a safeguard clause that Member States may invoke to temporarily restrict or prohibit the use of GMOs ... By 2012, seven countries had submitted safeguard clauses." http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulation_of_genetically_modified_organisms_in_the_European_Union View in LinkedIn

EUROPEAN LABELING MANDATE. "All food (including processed food) or feed which contains greater than 0.9% of approved GMOs must be labelled. Twice GMOs unapproved by the EC have arrived in the EU and been forced to return to their port of origin. It was reported in 2012 that the EU imports about 30 million tons a year of GM crops for animal consumption." http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulation_of_genetically_modified_organisms_in_the_European_Union View in LinkedIn

ANALOGY. "Over 99% of GMO acreage is engineered by chemical companies to tolerate heavy herbicide (glyphosate) use and/or produce insecticide (Bt) ... Predictably, just like overuse of antibiotics in confined factory farms has created resistant "supergerms" ... we now have huge swaths of the country infested with "superweeds" and "superbugs." http://lnkd.in/dv-C3TS View in LinkedIn

GMO CORN APPROVED IN EUROPE. "One GM maize –MON 810– is commercially cultivated in the EU. This product's genetic modification aims to protect the crop against a harmful pest – the European corn borer ... It represents 1.56% of the 9.6 million hectares of maize cultivated in the EU, and 0.26% of the 57.4 million hectares of GM maize cultivated worldwide." http://ec.europa.eu/food/plant/gmo/legislation/future_rules_en.htm View in LinkedIn

GMO POTATO IN EUROPE WITHDRAWN. "In 2010, a GM starch potato, known as "Amflora" potato, was authorised for cultivation and industrial processing in the EU. It is no longer cultivated in the EU since 2011." http://ec.europa.eu/food/plant/gmo/legislation/future_rules_en.htm View in LinkedIn

US GMOs ON THE MARKET. "The majority of genetically engineered plants - corn, canola, soybean, and cotton - are typically used to make ingredients that are then used in other food products ... include cornstarch in soups and sauces, corn syrup ... and cottonseed oil, canola oil, and soybean oil." With voluntary labeling supported by the FDA. http://lnkd.in/dJDYeCj View in LinkedIn

US SUPERMARKET FOODS ARE STRONGLY GMO. "Currently, up to 85% of U.S. corn is genetically engineered (GE), as are 91% of soybeans and 88% of cotton (cottonseed oil is often used in food products). It has been estimated that upwards of 75% of processed foods on supermarket shelves – from soda to soup, crackers to condiments – contain genetically engineered ingredients." http://lnkd.in/dJz75jb View in LinkedIn

IS A LOW RISK ENOUGH? "We conclude that, although fragments of DNA large enough to contain an antibiotic-resistance gene may survive in the environment, the barriers to transfer, incorporation, and transmission are so substantial that any contribution to antibiotic resistance made by GM plants must be overwhelmed by the contribution made by antibiotic prescription in clinical practice." http://lnkd.in/dPz5wQq View in LinkedIn

NOT QUITE A CONSENSUS VIEW. "Our gut already contains ... bacteria carrying resistances to kanamycin and ampicillin ... (The) antibiotic marker genes in GM crops. There is a huge reservoir of ampicillin resistance genes in soil and these can be readily transmitted to gut bacteria. Current medical opinion is that the antibiotic markers used in ... crops do not pose any infectious disease risk." http://lnkd.in/dQZFyGp View in LinkedIn