pollination – GMO SAFETY

Analysis / Scientific debate

Brexit and GMO Farming in Great Britain

Editorial Posted On January 6, 2018

Genetically modified crops are strictly regulated in Europe. However, Brexit might bring a change to the old continent. Since Great Britain is leaving the European Union, there will be more opportunities for the local farmers to grow GMO products. GMO farming is beneficial for the climate, and it is significantly cheaper than the conventional or organic farming. Great Britain will take a huge leap forward in terms of domestic agriculture.

The response from the government

As soon as the Brexit occurred, the government started to discuss the future of the domestic agriculture. Since trading with the European Union might be a bit difficult in the future, the focus should be on growing their own products and distributing it locally. George Eustice, the Minister of Agriculture told the press that Brexit will certainly create more opportunities for loosening up the GMO regulations and modifying the existing laws which are prohibiting the mass production of genetically modified crops. However, the government will be examining the results from various scientific researches and change the law accordingly.

The possible risk?

Even though European Union did allow genetically modified maize to be cultivated within its borders, farmers seemed to remain indecisive. Yes, there are plenty of controversies revolving around genetically modified organisms, but there are so many studies out there which prove that they are not dangerous for either humans or animals.

Additionally, growing genetically modified crops will increase the profits and yield more products. Plus, it is saving the environment because the usage of pesticides is reduced. The opposition in GB claims that growing genetically modified crops next to organic farms will have a negative impact on the organic produce.

Peter Melchett who works for Soil Association opposes genetically modified crops and states that contamination is very possible, which might lead to low quality organic foods that will be filled with various chemicals brought over there by insects and other animals. Once it happens, local farmers will be at loss. Plus, the organic food would be imported from the mainland Europe.

USDA did conduct a couple of researches that dealt directly with cross contamination and discovered that the interaction between GMO and organic farms is pretty small. Surely, it is hard to control the process of porno gratis pollination, but the scientists couldn’t find any direct signs of GMO contamination on the organic fruits and vegetables. Therefore, GMO and organic fields can safely exist side by side.

The future of farming in Great Britain

The Ministry of Agriculture is still very open to suggestions and they look forward to discussing all the possibilities that might be beneficial to both farmers and consumers. The fact that they will not be a part of European Union certainly does open various doors for genetically modified crops. Great Britain might become the first European country that fully accepted and legitimized the GMO products. Surely, the government will be working closely with the scientists and researchers who will provide them with enough information in order to make the right choice. All in all, this can spark the discussion all over the continent and we might even see a change of hearts in Europe.

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News

Arctic Apples and the Benefit of Modified Aesthetics

Editorial Posted On May 4, 2016

Humans are a visually driven species, now more than ever. The unfortunate result of this has implications through numerous parts of our society, including the food we eat. According to a National Geographic article, “How Ugly Fruits and Vegetables Can Help Solve World Hunger”, 27.5% of all fruits in North America are thrown away either by distributors or consumers at home before they can be eaten, often due to the fruit being damaged or “ugly”. Arctic Apples, a creation of Okanagan Specialty Fruits in Canada, hopes to keep their apples from being discarded due to ugliness through a genetically modified trait they added in- “non-browning” of their apples.

Scientific American explains that apple browning occurs when an apple is sliced into or bruised it introduces oxygen into the cells that activates enzymes called polyphenol oxidase or PPO enzymes in their chloroplasts. These enzymes rapidly oxidize phenolic compounds into something called o-quinones that produce the browning by reacting to form amino acids (“Why do apple slices turn brown after being cut”). It is that browning, resulting from bruising during picking, transportation, and handling, which often has distributors trashing apples without giving them a chance. Then at the home, when a consumer cuts into the apple the browning may be enough to cause them to trash the apple themselves, and it is these two phenomena that led to the introduction of the Arctic Apples that are trying to avoid the fate that befalls so many others altogether.

The way Arctic Apples were created is simple, based on the information Okanagan Specialty Fruits provides on its website. By modifying four specific apple genes in a petri dish the company was able to silence the ability of the apple to produce PPO, which means that when the apple is bruised or sliced and oxygen is introduced there is very little to no ability of the apple to go through the process that leads its browning. With the successful application of the genetic modification the company has developed apple trees which it is planting to grow more of their Arctic Apples to put on the market.

On the website again, the question is answered about whether PPO and the action of browning serves any purpose for apples naturally. The website states that in tomatoes the high amount of PPO is used defensively to protect the fruit from pests, but given that apples produce comparatively less PPO the company theorises that it is just a left over artifact of its development. For its part, the earlier Scientific American article states that brown coloration we are used to and in fact desire- in our teas, coffee, and cocoa- are the product of the PPO process as well.

A Cnet article, “Non-browning apples may be on store shelve soon(ish)” reports that the entire process of creating the Arctic Apples and putting them through the rigorous testing standards to be allowed in store shelves took over ten years. However, even given all that work there could still be many more years until the apples are widely released, and in 2016 the apples are being tried out in test markets to assess viability.

Despite the seeming simplicity of the engineering involved in Arctic Apples, there is still backlash against the fruit. An EcoWatch article, “3 Companies Say No to GMO”, states that Wendy’s, McDonalds, and Gerber have all said they don’t plan on using any Arctic Apples in their apple slice meal options. Even on their website there are dozens of comments going back and forth about the danger of cross pollination of the apples with non-modified trees and whether they present any danger to human consumption or other use. Only time will tell whether Arctic Apples can help to dramatically reduce food waste as advertised.

Sources:

Friends of the Earth. (2015). 3 Companies Say ‘No’ to GMO Arctic Apples. EcoWatch. Kooser, A. (2015). Non-browning apples may be on store shelves soon(ish). CNet.

Okanagan Specialty Fruits. (2016). How’d we “make” a nonbrowning apple? Arctic Apples.

Royte, E. (2016). How ‘Ugly’ Fruits and Vegetables Can Help Solve World Hunger. National Geographic.

Scientific American. (2007). Why do apple slices turn brown after being cut? Scientific American.

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