food biotechnology ethics clark ford, ph.d. food science and human nutrition iowa state university

Food Biotechnology Ethics

Clark Ford, Ph.D.

Food Science and Human Nutrition

Iowa State University

What is Food Biotechnology?

• Food technology based on biology– Ancient food biotechnology:

• Fermentation by microbes– Cheese– Beer– Wine– Bread

– Modern food biotechnology• Tissue culture• Genetic engineering

– Different from plant and animal breeding

http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/2006/10/061017091752.jpg

Genetic Engineering

• Genetic Engineering involves manipulating DNA molecules

• DNA from one species is spliced into the DNA of another species– Called: Recombinant DNA

• Genetically Engineered organisms are called:– Genetically Modified

– Transgenic

Milestones in Food Biotechnology

• 1953: Structure of DNA discovered

• 1973: First gene cloned

– in microbes

• 1977: Asilomar Conference in USA

– Recombinant DNA safety

– Regulation

– Risk assessment

– Containment

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v235/milenaid/Blog%20Support/TheDoubleHelix.jpg

Who Regulates Food Biotechnology?

• FDA – Food and Drug Administration

• Determines safety for human consumption

• USDA– U.S. Department of Agriculture

• Determines safety of GMO agriculture

• EPA– Environmental Protection Agency

• Determines environmental safety

• NIH– National Institutes of Health

• Sets guidelines for Recombinant DNA experimentshttp://healthcare.zdnet.com/images/fda-logo.jpg


• 1990: Recombinant Chymosin Approved by FDA– First biotech product for human

consumption

– Enzyme for cheese making

– Originally from calf stomach

– Bovine gene expressed in GRAS microbes

• Generally Recognized As Safe

– In 80% of U.S. cheese

http://homepages.ius.edu/SRICKARD/cheese2.jpg

Other Products from Genetically Engineered Microbes

• Food enzymes– Bread– HFCS Sweeteners

• Amino acids• Peptides

– Nutrasweet

• Flavors• Organic acids• Polysaccharides• Vitamins


• 1994: FDA approves

“Flavr Savr” Tomato– Prolonged shelf life

– Improved quality

– Voluntarily labeled

http://www.lhup.edu/smarvel/Seminar/FALL_2003/Malawskey/tomaten.jpg

Other Genetically Engineered Plants

• Agronomic traits– BT Corn

– Roundup Ready Soy

– Disease Resistance

• Food quality • Nutrition• Metabolic products• Vaccines

http://whyfiles.org/241GM_2/images/soybean_field.jpg

Bt Corn

• Natural insecticide from Bacillus thuringiensis

• Non-toxic to humans• Target insect:

– Corn borer, root worm

– Boll worm

• reduces insecticide use– reduces mycotoxins in corn

• 47% U.S. Corn crop Bt (2007)• 59% U.S. Cotton crop (2007)http://pfisterhybrid.com/images/sections/5.jpg

Bt Concerns

• Bt pollen harms non-target species?

• Bt crops select for resistant insects

• Bt pollen can drift to organic fields

• Food system failed to keep BT Starlink corn out of human food products

Monarch butterfly: endangered?

http://members.tripod.com/c_rader0/greg040.gif

Herbicide Resistance

• Roundup Ready soy, corn, canola, cotton

• Allows post-emergence herbicide spraying

• Increases yield• Facilitates no-till farming• 91% U.S. Soy (2007)• 70% U.S. Cotton (2007)• 52% U.S. Corn (2007)http://cropwatch.unl.edu/photos/cwphoto/soy_harvest2002_2b.jpg

Herbicide Resistance Concerns

• Encourages herbicide use– Groundwater contamination– Kills beneficial soil microbes

• Cross-pollinates weeds• Fosters dependence on

Agrochemcial companies

Disease Resistance

• Canola • Cantaloupes• Cucumbers• Corn• Rice• Papaya• Potatoes• Soybeans• Squash• Tomatoes• Wheat

Genetically engineered papaya resistant papaya ringspot virus

http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/2008/04/080423131624.jpg

Health and Nutrition

• Golden Rice– Vitamin A and Iron enhanced

– Seeds given to the poor for free

• Improved Amino Acid Balance– Soy (needs Methionine)

– Maize (needs Lysine)

• Banana Vaccines

http://wwwdata.forestry.oregonstate.edu/orb/images/Marketing/TIME.jpg

Metabolic Products

• Idea: use crops to produce inexpensive– Pharmaceuticals

• AIDS vaccine in corn

– Metabolic products

• Problems:– Containment

• Cross pollination• Accidental mixing into

food supply

http://foodhazard.com/genetically-modified-foods/

Genetically Engineered Animals- not approved for food -

• Transgenic Fish– Salmon

• Grows 4-6 times faster

• Environmental concerns

• May escape, outcompete natural species

• Transgenic Mammals– Cows, Sheep, Goats

• Pharmaceutical production in milk

http://www.gatewayva.com/biz/virginiabusiness/magazine/yr1997/aug97/cover.html


• 1999: GM corn and soybean products are present in 80% of processed foods in USA– Corn:

• starch, high fructose corn syrup, oil

– Soy:

• oil, Lecithin, protein

http://nadav.harel.org.il/cola/image/CokeClassic.jpg


• 1999: European Union requires GM labels– blocks import of GM corn, beans

• Ban lifted 2004

– but no change in anti-GM sentiment in Europe

– Affects African export crops• Paternalism


• 1999: Gerber and Heinz baby foods GM-free

• 2000: Mc Donalds and Frito-Lay products GM-free

http://www.corrupt.org/articles/big_mac/bigmac.jpg


• 2000: USDA Organic Foods Standards– Must be GM-free

http://www.taquitos.net/im/sn/NaturalPlanet-YellowCorn.jpg


• 2002 Zambia refuses GM maize as food aid– To help 2.5 million in

food shortage

– Calls GM food “poison”

– Heavily influenced by European attitudes about GM

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38232000/jpg/_38232577_levy150.jpg

Zambian President Mwanawasa

Global GM crops (2004)

http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/file.php/2808/S250_1_001i.jpg

GM crops in Africa (2004)

http://www.eoearth.org/upload/thumb/5/5e/Fig_4_GM_status_in_Africa.JPG/350px-Fig_4_GM_status_in_Africa.JPG


• 2007: 300 million acres worldwide– Planted in Genetically Modified

crops• 55% in USA

– Soy– Corn– Cotton

• India, China

– Canola

• 12 million farmers– 90% are small farmers in

developing countries• Growing cotton in India, China

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTWDR2008/Images/2795086-1190749255849/4218354-1191601573880/GMOs-E1.gif

Adoption of GMOs Worldwide


• 2008: Cloned Animals approved by FDA – For human consumption

• Goal: quality meat, milk• Best animals cloned• Not transgenic

– Is that next?

– Label not required• Considered same as

normal meat, milk• Not in stores yet

– Not certified organic (USDA)http://www.scq.ubc.ca/the-new-macdonald-pharm/

Controversy over Biotech Foods

• Debate pits consumer and ecology groups – against Multinational Corporations

• Many farmers, scientists, government agencies– caught in the middle

Arguments for Genetically Engineered Food

• Potential to:– Increase productivity– Increase purity– Increase safety– Improve nutrition– Improve food quality– Improve sustainability– Benefit ecosystem

• Process not inherently harmful

• Similar to traditional Plant and Animal breeding

• Unless misused, outcome expected to be beneficial– Is a powerful technology

that could help humanity

• Bad ideas weeded out by the market, regulation, lawsuit

--Paul Thompsonhttp://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/images/thompson_paul.jpg

Arguments against Genetically Engineered Foods

• Food safety risk? – unintended consequences

• Safety risk for environment– could spread

• Genetically Engineered label – not required in U.S.A.

• Playing God– not natural

• Benefits multinational corporations– not consumers– not developing nations

GMO vs normal Salmon of same age

http://www.primidi.com/images/aquabounty_salmon.jpg

Frankenstein Foods: Unintended Consequences?

• Potential GMO food safety problems:– Random gene insertion– Unknown toxins?– New gene products?– Unknown allergies?

• No evidence of GMO food safety problems

http://www.gasdetection.com/news2/bioengineered_food.jpg

Food Allergies

• 90% of Food allergies:– Eggs

– Fish

– Shellfish

– Milk

– Peanuts

– Soybeans

– tree nuts

– wheat

• GM foods avoid genes from these sources

Peanut proteins can cause severe food allergies!

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/articleimages/332/home.jpg

Arguments for Labeling

• Not equivalent to non-GM• Must use Precautionary principle

• Is uncertainty in risk assessment

• Labeling indicates process used• Consumer right to know and choose

• Country’s right to know and choose

Arguments against labeling

• Suggests non-existent hazard• Expensive to segregate crops

and change labels• FDA labels required if change

in:• Allergenicity• Nutrition• Food Quality

Will GM crops feed the world?

• Yes:– GM crops are size neutral

• Small growers can benefit– Don’t need large combine

– Reduced inputs• Herbicides, pesticides

– Lower costs

– Increased yields• Disease resistance

• Reduced weeds

– Increased profitsInsect resistant maize, Kenya

http://img.radio.cz/pictures/networkeurope/080215-bt-corn-africa.jpg

Will GM crops feed the world?• No:

– Biotech from companies targets the wealthy• Intellectual property expensive• Public research in developing countries

– must develop GMOs for the poor

• Poor that cannot compete driven from land– undernutrtion

– Poor really need• Land• Water• Roads• Education• Credit

– Green revolution agriculture unsustainable• Monoculture• Erosion• Fertilizer and pesticide runoff pollution• Neocaloric (requires fossile fuels)

International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, India

http://www.parasitologyindia.org/images/icgeb.jpg

GMOs for developing countries

Will GM crops feed the world?

• "While feeding the hungry is a laudable goal, current record feed stocks in the U.S. is still not finding its way to those who need it the most.

• Therefore, the real reasons for hunger is not necessarily the lack of food but the lack of income to purchase and the absence of an infrastructure to get the food to those who need it the most.

• If the hungry cannot be fed with current worldwide overproduction, what guarantee is there that additional productivity will solve the problem?"

-- American Corn Growers Association

food biotechnology ethics clark ford, ph.d. food science and human nutrition iowa state university

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