ConTroVerSiaL IsSueS on GM foOD!!!

• Consumer’s right:

Consumer’s right is about disclosing detailed information of the product and allowing consumers to make informed choice. Consumer law is enforced to protect consumer’s rights. Informed choice and the resulting actions from it require access to information and resources. The controversial issue is that not all consumers have access to their rights. This is because consumers do not have the same access to information and resources to make decisions about GM foods due to lack of education or limited access, especially in developing countries. Consumers Association of Singapore is a body to protect the rights of consumers in Singapore.

• Product labeling:

It is not mandatory in some countries such as United States and Singapore. Singapore follows closely with the regulations set by CODEX for labeling of GM food. FSANZ requires labelling of GM food where that food contains novel DNA (the transferred gene or genes) or protein (the product of the novel DNA). If the food is indistinguishable from the conventional alternative (e.g., if it is a refined oil that has no novel DNA or protein, but was produced from GM plants) then labelling is not required. This is one area of concern for some people who would like to avoid all GM products due to philosophical or ethical objections to the process.

• Religious and Ethnical Concerns:

GMOs are seen as “unnatural” food since GMOs are produced by the transfer of genes from different species. The term “Frankenfood” is also being used to refer to GM foods due to the fact that it is made by tampering with nature by mixing genes among species which is an act of violation of nature of lives.

There are also objections to consuming animal genes in plants and vice versa. Genes can be transferred from any organisms to another. For example vegetarians are concerned about consuming vegetables that contain animal genes which will then violate their religious beliefs. However, technologists point out that although there may be an ethical dilemma, the chemical structure of DNA is the same in all living organisms. It is only the sequence of the nucleotides within the DNA which determines the genetic makeup of the organism.

• Environmental Concerns:

Farming of GM foods might result unintended transfer of transgenes through cross-pollination where, the conventional crops could no longer be sold as 'non-GM'. However, bioengineers argue that cross-pollination poses negligible risk as pollen must travel over "moats" constructed between GM crops and other species.

GM food such as those that are pest resistant might result in unintentional poisoning of “non-target” species of insects. For example, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crops would be just as poisonous to ecologically beneficial insects that feed on the Bt corn or cotton plant. Other potential effect is that those animals that feed on those insects might be affected as their food’s population decreases, resulting in loss of fauna biodiversity. Another possible effect of the GM technology will be on the diversity of the world's food crops. If only a few GM varieties of the major food crops are grown, the risk that a disease could wipe out a large proportion of food production is much greater.

• Food Safety:

As non-GMO foods contain allergens, pesticides residues or microbiological contaminants, thus transfer of genes to produce GM foods might also contain allergens from the plant where the gene is extracted. Antibiotic resistance is a concern as there’s a possibility of transfer of GM DNA from the plant to gut microflora of humans and animals. Such genes have the potential to adversely affect the therapeutic efficacy of orally administered antibiotics.

Genetic modification of plants may result in alteration in nutritional composition or level of anti-nutrients which in turn may affect the nutritional status of the consumer or population groups. For instance, GM rice (accumulation of xanthophylls, increase in prolamines) may result in nutritional imbalances in the consumer. Various toxicants are known to be inherently present in different plants. Genetic engineering has the potential to alter such constituents or produce newer toxicants; toxicity potential.