DEAR readers, you most likely have seen foods marked as non-GMO - which are foods that do not contain GMOs or genetically-modified-organisms which include plants, animals and microorganisms whose genetic material has been changed - altered or modified.
The change is not the result of normal sexual reproduction or mating and /or natural recombination processes. The procedure involves molecular biotechnology, more popularly known now as genetic engineering in which a part of the genome or genetic material of a particular organism is spliced or detached and inserted into the genome of an appropriate organism, the more closely related in terms of genus and species, the better.
The first landmark successful use of genetic engineering was the production of human insulin in the 1980s, in which part of the DNA of insulin produced by the pancreas of cows- bovine- was spliced and detached and inserted into the genome of the bacterium Escherichae coli, which started to produce commercial amounts of effective, safe and less allergenic insulin, much preferred by doctors and their diabetic patients than the insulin earlier sourced from animal sources.
Allergenicity or the propensity/tendency of GMO foods to provoke a serious allergic reaction is one of the three big concerns and issues affecting human health, especially if it leads to anaphylactic shock- low blood pressure, difficulty of breathing, heart attack.
The Codex which is a combined intergovernmental policy body of the World health organization and the FAO- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, has established very strict protocols in the assessment and evaluation of safety issues of foods. So far, no allergic reactions or adverse effects have been found related to GMO foods found and available in the market of countries which have them.
The second concern is the possible transfer of genes from the GMO foods to any of the about 75 trillion cells in the human body or to the microbes- useful- that form part of the microbial flora in the digestive system.
Again, the consensus of experts- probably luminaries in the fields of biochemistry, genetics and microbiology- is that, the dreaded transfer of genes is rather low “Outcrossing” is the term used in the migration, spread of genes from the GMO plants into conventional crops or related species in the wilds, meaning the open fields and farms as well as the likely mixing of crops derived from GMO plants and conventional seeds.
Cases have been reported where GMO crops approved for animal feeds or for industrial use were detected at low levels in the food products intended for human consumption. As for this, strict policies and strategies were adapted to reduce mixing of GMO foods with conventional products, with orders to farmers for a clear segregation of the fields where GMO crops and conventional crops are grown.
GMO foods currently available in the international market have proven safety assessment and are not likely to present risk to human health. In addition, no adverse effects have been reported as a result of human consumption of GMO foods by the general population in the countries where they are readily available. Well, as they say, life is made of choices, and that includes, food!