This document discusses genetically modified foods (GM foods) and addresses several key questions:
- What are GM foods and what are some potential dangers and advantages?
- What are the positions of the US and Europe on GM foods?
- Which crops are genetically modified and what countries produce them? Specifically, the document notes that the US is the largest producer and Europe opposes GM foods due to health and environmental concerns.
- What GM foods and ingredients are commonly found in Spanish and Catalan products according to labeling laws? Corn, soy, oils and bread are mentioned.
2. What is genetically modified food
Which are the dangers ?
Which are the possible advantages?
Which is the position of the USA?
Which is the position of Europe? Which crops are
genetically modified and what are they used for?
Which is the situation in Catalonia?
Which food has genetically modified elements
Labels and genetically modified food in Spain?
3. The term Genetically Modified Food, also called
biotech food, means crop plants that have been
modified in the laboratory to improve preferred
traits, such as resistance to herbicides and cold
weather or improved nutritional content.
4. - It can cause allergy to human body
- The crop modified can affect its around. A transgenic product can contamina
to a
non-transgenic product causing an ecological imbalance.
- Toxicity
- The stability of the inserted gene
- Industrial agriculture uses synthetic fertilizers and agrochemicals that
contaminates our crops and water, necessary resources we need to cultivat
healthy products in the future.
- Transgenic crops can't feed the whole world: it's only the 4'5% of the product
- They use synthetic fertilizers that contributes to worsening climate change.
5. GM foods involve a number of undoubted
benefit to humans: GM foods, new drugs such
as the obtaining of insulin for diabetics, new
therapies…
Increase resistance against pest and diseases
Climate tolerance (Drought, cold weather etc)
Increases food supply
6. USA is the most producer of transgenic products, moreover, the pretesting in
the united states in not obligatory. The U.S. Government receives all the
benefits of that production.
In the United States, there are three different government agencies that
have jurisdiction over GM foods.
- The EPA: evaluates GM plants for environmental safety.
- The USDA evaluates whether the plant is safe to grow.
- The FDA evaluates whether the plant is safe to eat.
The EPA is responsible for regulating substances such as pesticides or toxins.
The USDA is responsible for GM crops that is not responsibility of the EPA.
The FDA has been concerned with pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food
products and additives, not whole foods.
7. Right now there is a “battle” whether or not genetically modified
food should be permitted in the market. The EU position: “Keep it
out. We prefer organic, which is much healthier. The risk of
genetically modified foods to health and the environment
outweigh the benefits. Only the multinational biotech companies
will benefit, dominating the world food supply and squeezing out
traditional farmers.
8. Catalonia is the second territory of the EU that
produces more transgenetical products (especially
corn with 26,000 hectares).
In the Catalan government has a game like ICV (its
main features is environmentalism) and they
didn't do anything to prohibit it.
The Catalan Government ignores all studies
recommend ban GMOs.
9.
10. Normally, in Europe a transgenic product should be written on the label.
In Spain it is obligatory but in some countries like USA is not
obligatory. In Spain there are transgenical products banned in the
European Union but some countries in the EU will accept them.
The most common transgenical products are:
- Pasta
- Flour
- Cereals (Corn)
- Oils
- Margarine
- Bread
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Soy
This is the percent of GM products:
Soy: 85% Corn: 20% Cotton: 0,9%
