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Scary Food Many packaged food products are recalled from the American market due to the presence of all-natural contaminants: – insect parts – toxic molds from fungi (mycotoxins) – Bacteria – viruses Ergot Poisoning • Europe 800s-1800s • epidemics caused by the contamination of rye with ergot (a poisonous fungus) • Ergot toxin is ergotamine • consumption induces hallucinations, bizarre behavior, violent muscle twitching 1691-92 Salem witch trials • Three young girls – violent convulsions, incomprehensible speech – trance-like states, odd skin sensations, – delirious visions •Villagers feared the girls were under a spell cast by demons; subsequent panic led to the execution of ~ 20 innocent people. •rye was a major staple of their diet •rainy and humid rye harvest that year •When the supply of Ergot- infected rye ran out, the delusions and persecution disappeared. Fumonisin Poisoning • a deadly mycotoxin produced by the mold Fusarium • sometimes found in unprocessed corn • Can cause liver and esophageal cancer, birth defects when insects attack corn, they open wounds in the plant that provide a perfect breeding ground for Fusarium. 1990s: Hispanic women in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas • 6 times the national average of babies with crippling and lethal neural tube defects (NTDS) – spina bifida, Hydrocephalus, anencephaly • NTDS linked to consumption of unprocessed corn •These women reported much higher dietary consumption of homemade corn tortillas containing 2-3 x more fumonisin than normal Know your Organic Food • 2003 - Food Safety Agency tested six organic cornmeal products and twenty conventional corn meal products for fumonisin contamination. •All six organic corn meals had 9 to 40 times greater fumonisin than the recommended levels for human health (they were voluntarily withdrawn from grocery stores.) Genetically Modified (GM) Foods 99% of GM foods in food supply are – Round-up Ready™ soybeans – Bt corn Round-up Ready Soybeans/cotton • Round-up (an herbicide) kills weeds • It degrades in the environment when used properly (sunny and dry weather). • Crops can engineered to be tolerant to Round-up, so it can be used rather than more toxic herbicides Bt corn contains a gene from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. The "Bt" gene expresses a protein that is toxic to corn-boring insects but is harmless to birds, fish, and mammals (including humans). Bt corn fends off insect pests Also reduces the levels of the mold Fusarium Are GM foods SAFE? • Round-up Ready corn/soybeans and Bt corn consumed in United States, Argentina and Canada Since 1995 • not a single case of adverse health impacts has been documented •Bt is considered safe to eat because it is digested in minutes and is not absorbed as a whole protein by the body. BEWARE of Public Skepticism Golden Rice • two daffodil genes and a bacterial gene spliced into the rice genome. – barely produced enough b-carotene • Now golden rice contains a corn gene that provides enough b-carotene • Still not available due to regulations Outdated Propaganda against Golden Rice A normal size serving would be sufficient with the newer golden rice 1999 Gerber foods company succumbed to activist pressure “baby food products no longer contain any gene-spliced ingredients” • Gerber promised a shift to organic ingredients that are grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers • Gerber has actually increased the health risk for its baby consumers. • If a mother some day discovers that her "Gerber baby" has developed liver or esophageal cancer, she might have a legal case against Gerber Benefits of GE crops • reduced use of chemical pesticides • less runoff of chemicals into waterways • greater use of farming practices that prevent soil erosion • higher profits for farmers • less fungal contamination • More nutritious foods GE crops and Worker Safety • Production of Bt cotton has led to enormous reductions in insecticide use (equivalent to 25 percent of all of the insecticide sprayed before the adoption of Bt cotton). • Reduced exposure of farm workers to broadspectrum pesticides • the positive effects on farm workers and the environment should be considered when deciding on the merits of Bt crops GM Concern • Pests will evolve to become resistant to Bt (This also normally occurs if a pesticide is heavily used) • Many varieties of Bt toxin can be genetically engineered to keep one step ahead of the insects. GE crops can coexist with other farming systems • the papaya industry in Hawaii was virtually decimated by the presence of a single viral disease caused by the papaya ringspot virus • 1998: genetically engineered papaya lead to a 20-fold increase in yield. • Hawaiian organic papaya can be grown disease free if it is produced near GE trees. This is because the GE fruit has eliminated the spread of the virus. Food Labeling • a “GMO-free” label does not provide meaningful information. • Example: GE papaya is immunized with trace amounts ringspot viral DNA • organic papaya is likely to be virally infected and would therefore carry much higher levels of viral RNA as well as viral protein.