What about GM Corn?

A few years ago, my aunt told me she had developed an allergy to corn. She was really sad about it because up until then, it had been one of her favorite foods. I was surprised, even though I knew from my "homework" on food allergies that they can develop at any age. Recently, it seems to me that the media has been giving a lot more airtime to the subject of GM foods. Genetically engineered corn, as was discussed in my Frankenfoods post, is now a staple ingredient in our food supply. Jeff Smith followed up his first report, "Genetically Engineered Foods May Cause Rising Food Allergies" with another specifically on corn and Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which is a naturally occurring pesticide that has been inserted into the DNA of corn and cotton plants.

Smith questions the safety of these practices in great detail, citing research that has shown harmful (and allergenic) effects of Bt sprays in humans and that several GM crops have provoked immune system responses in animals. Even the pollen of Bt corn has been linked to severe allergic respiratory symptoms, saying that these dangers were identified in a letter to the US FDA in 1998 by the UK Joint Food Safety and Standards Group.

He warns against the very idea of genetic engineering, sharing an incident wherein a harmless protein in one vegetable was introduced into another vegetable that then triggered inflammatory responses in lab mice saying,

"Somehow, the protein had been changed from harmless to potentially deadly, just by being created in a different plant. Scientists believe that subtle, unpredicted changes in the pattern of sugar molecules that were attached to the protein were the cause of the problem. These types of subtle changes are not routinely analyzed in GM crops on the market."

He follows this by stating, "Allergic reactions are a defensive, often harmful immune system response to an external irritant. The body interprets something as foreign, different and offensive, and reacts accordingly. All GM foods, by definition, have something foreign and different."

Ruth at Allergizer makes a really good point on the subject of GMO's in her recent post. She says "There is a lot of politics involved in the GMO market. Be careful, be discerning when reading articles on biotechnology and genetics, and make sure you are not being manipulated to believe something."

She is correct in that I am but a reader of reports and a concerned parent. I have no way to verify these allegations firsthand... nor do I make any money off of GMO's :). Ruth probably has a much better understanding of the scale of politics involved in this issue. Perhaps I am sticking out my neck and keyboard in places where it does not belong. All I know is that I do spend a lot of time thinking about what I eat and what I am feeding my family. From his article as well as in his role as Executive Director of The Institute for Responsible Technology, Smith is waging war against GM foods and genetic engineering.

Maybe one day, I'll be able to eat a whole bag of Cheetos without feeling guilty!!!