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Click on a headline to read the story.
December 2003:
DNA in food persists in the digestive tract for hours
after a meal
November 2003:
Pesticide use in the United States increasing as a result
of GE crops
November 2003:
More U.S. farmers are following the rules for Bt refuges
October 2003:
U.S. imposes tighter enforcement in wake of violations
by biotech companies
October
2003: Monsanto pulls out of Europe
October 2003: British
field trials of GM crops show two will affect wildlife
October 2003:
Mexico finds StarLink and other GM genes in 9 states
September 2003: Brazil
will allow farmers to grow GM crops
September
2003: People in U.K., U.S., and Europe still uneasy
about GM food
September 2003:
Dispute over decision not to publish all reports on
GM trials
September 2003:
Percentage of GE plantings in the U.S.
July 2003: EU
approves comprehensive labeling law
News
Updates--StarLink corn in the food supply
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News Updates for January through June 2003
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News Updates for July through December 2002
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News Updates for January through June 2002
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News Updates for April through December 2001
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News Updates for January through March 2001
Archive:
News Updates for September through December 2000
Archive:
News Updates for March through August 2000
December 2003: DNA in food persists in the digestive
tract for hours after a meal
DNA in food is not completely digested for up to 18
hours after a meal and can be taken up by cells that
line the digestive tract, according to research on the
fate of DNA and proteins in food. The findings are of
special interest because of concerns about the effects
of genetically engineered food on humans and animals.
Scientists (Palka-Santini
et al., 2003) in Germany tracked identifiable DNAs
and proteins as they traveled through the digestive
system of mice. The proteins disappeared after about
30 minutes as they were digested, but small amounts
of DNA could be detected up to 18 hours after a meal.
Previous research by Schubbert et al. (1994,
1997,
1998)
shows that DNA from food can enter the bloodstream of
mice and travel to various body organs. Research by
Forsman
et al. (2003) detected rabbit DNA in the blood of
people who had recently eaten rabbit meat. To study
this phenomenon, scientists use particular segments
of DNA that can be easily tracked, but it seems likely
that the same phenomenon occurs to the DNA in all the
meats and vegetables that humans and animals eat. Further
research will be needed to determine the final fate
of the DNA that enters the bloodstream after a meal.
For more information about eating DNA, see our
discussion on this site.
[Top]
November 2003: Pesticide
use in the United States increasing as a result of GE
crops
The use of pesticides on crop land is increasing as
a result of widespread planting of genetically engineered
crops, principally GE soybeans resistant to the herbicide
Roundup, according to the Northwest Science and Environmental
Policy Center. Charles Benbrook, an agricultural economist
and director of the center, says Bt corn and Bt cotton
reduce pesticide use, but Roundup Ready soybeans increase
pesticide use by far larger amounts. Roundup Ready soybeans
are engineered so that Roundup can be sprayed on them
without damage to the crop. Farmers who grow Roundup
Ready soybeans reduce their use of other herbicides,
which are typically much more toxic to wildlife and
to people, and increase their use of Roundup, which
is less toxic to wildlife and people. A news story on
Benbrook’s report is available at http://archives.foodsafetynetwork.ca/agnet/2003/11-2003/agnet_nov_25.htm#story2.
The full report, “Impacts of Genetically Engineered
Crops on Pesticide Use in the United States: the First
Eight Years,” is available at http://www.biotech-info.net/technicalpaper6.html.
[Top]
November 2003: More U.S.
farmers are following the rules for Bt refuges
Eight percent of United States corn farmers are still
failing to comply with the federal rules for planting
Bt corn, despite increased efforts on the part of the
biotech seed industry, but compliance is improving.
The annual survey on compliance, conducted by an independent
firm for the Agricultural Biotechnology Stewardship
Technical Committee, shows that 92 percent of Bt corn
farmers planted a suitable refuge for insects to help
delay the development of resistance to the toxin that
protects Bt corn. Federal rules govern the size and
location of the refuge. When the first survey was done
in 2000, 29 percent of farmers were breaking the rules.
That number changed to 13 percent in 2001, 14 percent
in 2002, and dropped again to 8 percent this year. The
seed industry has stepped up publicity campaigns about
the need for refuges, and rules are now in place that
make it possible for seed suppliers to refuse to sell
Bt corn seed to farmers who repeatedly fail to comply
with the refuge requirements. A story on this year’s
compliance survey is available at http://archives.foodsafetynetwork.ca/agnet/2003/11-2003/agnet_nov_13-2.htm#story0.
See also our news items on the previous surveys in 2002,
2001,
and 2000.
[Top]
October 2003: U.S. imposes
tighter enforcement in wake of violations by biotech
companies
The United States government has established a new
compliance unit to ensure that biotechnology companies
and university researchers follow regulations when dealing
with GM plants. There have been 115 violations since
1990, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
although none of the violations resulted in harm. In
widely publicized events over the past year, Pioneer
Hi-Bred was fined $72,000 for a violation at its test
site for rootworm-resistant corn in Hawaii, and Prodigene
was charged more than $3 million in fines and expenses
for improper handling of a pharmaceutical corn test
in the American corn belt. The new compliance program
will try to prevent violations in hopes of improving
consumer confidence. Articles on the new compliance
unit are available at http://archives.foodsafetynetwork.ca/agnet/2003/10-2003/agnet_oct_19.htm#story0
and http://archives.foodsafetynetwork.ca/agnet/2003/10-2003/agnet_oct_20-2.htm#story0.
[Top]
October 2003: Monsanto
pulls out of Europe
Monsanto, a giant in the world of GM crops, has decided
to close its operations in cereal foods in Britain and
western Europe. Expectations that GM wheat would soon
become profitable were not met, and a sizeable percentage
of European consumers continues to express opposition
to GM foods. Articles on the announcement are available
at http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1064022,00.html
and http://archives.foodsafetynetwork.ca/agnet/2003/10-2003/agnet_oct_15-4.htm#story5.
[Top]
October 2003: British field
trials of GM crops show two will affect wildlife
GM beets and GM oilseed rape (similar to canola) will
affect wildlife in and around cultivated fields, according
to the results of multi-year tests carried out in Britain.
The two GM crops were engineered to tolerate applications
of herbicide to kill weeds. Fewer weeds resulted in
less cover for insects and fewer seeds for birds to
eat, according to the tests. A herbicide-resistant GM
corn that was also tested did not affect wildlife. Britain's
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has called
for a ban on the crops. The results of the field trials
are available in eight papers published in the journal
and on the web site of the Royal Society's Philosophic
Transactions: Biological Sciences. Articles on the field
trial results are available at http://archives.foodsafetynetwork.ca/agnet/2003/10-2003/agnet_oct_16.htm#story0
and http://www.guardian.co.uk/gmdebate/Story/0,2763,1064295,00.html.
On the web, the full texts of all eight papers are available
at www.pubs.royalsoc.ac.uk/phil_bio/news/fse_toc.html.
[Top]
October 2003: Mexico finds
StarLink and other GM genes in 9 states
Tests of corn samples from nine Mexican states show
that GM genes have entered the native corn populations
of Mexico despite a ban on growing GM corn. Samples
contained
- Bt-Cry1ab/1ac, the gene commonly used in insect-resistant
corn,
- Bt-Cry9c, the gene used in StarLink corn, which
is banned for human consumption in the United States
and which was taken off the market in 2000 after tests
revealed that it was present in supermarket foods,
and
- CP4 EPSPS, the gene that provided resistance to
glyphosate herbicides such as RoundUp.
The samples were collected under the direction of
several groups, including the Center for Studies on
Rural Change in Mexico, the Center for Indigenous Missions,
the Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration,
the Center for Social Analysis, Information and Popular
Training, the Union of Organizations of the Sierra Juarez
of Oaxaca, the Jaliscan Association of Support for Indigenous
Groups, and individual representatives of farming communities
in several Mexican states. More than 400 samples of
native corn in rural areas were tested with commercially
available protein detection kits, using a method known
to scientists as the ELISA. One hundred and five samples
were tested by members of the groups that collected
the samples, with the help of scientists from the National
Autonomous University of Mexico. An additional 305 samples
were tested by the laboratory Fumigaciones y Mantenimiento
de Plantas S.C. The samples showing the presence of
GM genes came from the states of Chihuahua, Morelos,
Durango, Mexico State, Puebla, Oaxaca, San Luis Potosi,
Tlaxcala, and Veracruz. A press release is available
at http://archives.foodsafetynetwork.ca/agnet/2003/10-2003/agnet_oct_14-2.htm#story3.
[Top]
September 2003: Brazil will
allow farmers to grow GM crops
Brazil has announced a one-year "emergency" period
during which farmers will be allowed to grow GM crops.
Although Brazil has seen its trade increase with European
countries as a result of its official GM-free policy,
there have been complaints that the policy has not reflected
reality. For several years, farmers in southern Brazil
have been smuggling GM seeds across the border with
Argentina, where GM crops are grown legally. Monsanto,
one of the big GM companies, has been pressing for royalty
payments on the GM soybeans grown in Brazil, and the
U.S. has complained that Brazilian farmers gain an unfair
price advantage when they do not pay royalties on black-market
GM seeds. The change in policy is a reversal for new
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose party opposed
GM crops before it came to power. Da Silva's environment
minister and environmental groups are opposing the move,
while pro-business ministers support it. Stories on
the announcement are available at http://www.guardian.co.uk/gmdebate/Story/0,2763,1050042,00.html
, http://archives.foodsafetynetwork.ca/agnet/2003/9-2003/agnet_september_25.htm#BRAZIL
and http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfm?fuseaction=news&doc_id
=6201&start=1&control=208&page_start=1&page_nr=101&pg=1.
[Top]
September 2003: People
in U.K., U.S., and Europe still uneasy about GM food
Opinion soundings released in September show that segments
of the public in Europe and the United States continue
to be uneasy about GM foods. The debate "GM Nation?"
in Britain gauged public opinion in cities and villages
around the country. More than 37,000 people provided
comments in addition to the people who participated
in live debates. One of the major objections to GM crops
was that the spread of transgenes via pollen would put
an end to non-GM farming, given the lack of space for
buffer zones between adjacent crops on the island. Many
people worried that the government had already decided
to proceed with commercialization of GM crops and was
sponsoring a sham public debate to give the appearance
of considering public opinion. That fear was given some
support by the publication of leaked letters appearing
to show that UK representatives intend to support proposed
European Union guidelines that require member countries
to allow GM farming.
A story on the results of the "GM Nation?" debate
is available at http://www.guardian.co.uk/gmdebate/Story/0,2763,1048807,00.html.
The executive summary of the report is available at
http://www.gmpublicdebate.org/ut_09/ut_9_6.htm#summary.
The full report is available at http://www.gmpublicdebate.org/docs/GMNation_FinalReport.pdf.
A brief article on the leaked documents is available
at http://archives.foodsafetynetwork.ca/agnet/2003/9-2003/
agnet_september_21.htm#LEAKED.
Consumer opinion in the United States has not changed
much over the last two years, according to a poll by
the Pew Initiative. People continue to have little knowledge
of GM technology and to underestimate the likelihood
that they have eaten GM food. The results are available
at http://pewagbiotech.org/research/2003update/.
Results of a similar poll done two years ago are available
at http://pewagbiotech.org/research/gmfood/survey3-01.pdf.
A New Zealand marketing survey on the possible international
trade impacts of GM food production in New Zealand found
that European sentiment continues to be strongly negative
toward GM products. Genetic engineering of animals was
viewed very negatively, while the use of GM pasture
plants as feed for animals also was perceived as objectionable.
The survey recommended that the New Zealand
- defer commercial release of GMOs associated with
farm animals,
- exercise "great caution" in approving GMOs in crops
that are exported to European markets because of the
perceived potential for accidental mixing of GM with
organic or conventional produce,
- pursue GM applications in non-food areas such as
forestry and pharmaceuticals.
The full report, Trust and Country Image, done by the
business school at the University of Otago, is available
at http://marketing.otago.ac.nz/Marketing/
trustandcountry/trustandcountry.pdf.
[Top]
September 2003: Dispute
over decision not to publish all reports on GM trials
Scientists who supervised the trials of GM crops in
Britain have complained that the Royal Society has declined
to publish one of the nine reports they submitted for
publication. The rejected report is claimed to be the
paper that is most accessible to the public, summarizing
the other eight reports, which are of a more technical
nature. The Royal Society says the ninth report was
rejected because it contained no new information. A
brief article on the decision not to publish is available
at http://archives.foodsafetynetwork.ca/agnet/2003/9-2003/agnet_september_22.htm#UK.
[Top]
September 2003: Percentage
of GE plantings in the U.S.
The latest U.S. government figures for the usage of
GE crops indicate that herbicide-tolerant soybeans and
herbicide-tolerant cotton are the most popular crops
with farmers. Herbicide-tolerant soybeans are grown
on approximately 80 percent of the U.S. soybean acreage,
while herbicide-tolerant cotton is grown on about 60
percent of the U.S. cotton acreage. The data, obtained
through a telephone survey, are current for the 2003
growing season. A graph comparing GE acreage of corn,
cotton, and soybeans from 1995 through 2003, along with
state-by-state acreages, is available at http://www.ers.usda.gov/data/BiotechCrops/.
[Top]
July 2003: EU approves
comprehensive labeling law
The European Parliament has approved legislation that
establishes a "farm to fork" tracking and labeling system
for all GM foods. The legislation covers both human
food and animal feed, and includes all products of GM
origin. Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner
David Byrne said the new regulations will enhance consumer
confidence. A story on the labeling law is available
at http://archives.foodsafetynetwork.ca/agnet/2003/7-2003/agnet_july_3.htm#WALLSTROM.
Further information on the legislation is available
at http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/health_consumer/library/press/press298_en.pdf.
[Top]
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News Updates for January through June 2003
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News Updates for July through December 2002
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