GMO Food:
• Foods whose genetic material has been altered in a way that is not a
natural process but has been done by humans.
• The technology is known as biotechnology, gene technology or genetic
engineering.
• Selected individual genes are transferred from one similar organism to
another as well as between non-related species.
• This is done to transfer a gene of a particular trait that is lacking, from one
organism to another, especially in crops.
• These methods are used to create genetically modified plants that are
used to grow genetically modified crops.
• It is presumed that the consumer benefits by these foods having better
nutritional value at a lower price.
Concerns with GMO’s:
Issues for human health are:
• will GM foods cause allergies?
• could the transfer of genes from GM foods to the cells of the body have a
negative effect on the body
Issues for the environment are:
• the possibility of GMOs to escape and be introduced to wild plants.
• the persistence of the gene after the GMO crop has been harvested
• the susceptibility of insects needed by the plant, to the gene
• the stability of the gene
In RSA:
GM foods currently on the market have passed risk assessment and are unlikely
to be a risk to human health.
Currently South Africa grows three commercial crops that have been genetically
modified, mainly for herbicide and insect tolerance.
• Maize
• Cotton
• Soya.
• Trials have been carried out on potatoes,
wheat, canola, sugarcane, apple,
eucalyptus, strawberry, sugar beet, tomato,
and sweet potato.
, Organic food:
What does “organic” mean?
Refers to the way agricultural products are grown and processed. Organic crops
must be grown without the use of:
• synthetic pesticides
• bioengineered genes (GMOs)
• petroleum-based fertilizers
• sewage sludge-based fertilizers
Organic livestock raised for meat, eggs, and dairy products must have:
• access to the outdoors and be given organic feed
• may not be given antibiotics, growth hormones, or any animal by-
products.
Characteristics of organic foods:
• Not genetically modified
• Free of harmful chemicals and pesticides (no synthetic ones)
• Free of unnatural hormones and growth stimulants
• Foods grown without chemicals
• Kinder to the environment and
• Increased fears over food safety and damage to the environment -
increased consumer demand for organic foods
• No proof that organic foods are more nutritious than non-organic foods.
Benefi ts of Organic Foods:
• Organic produce contains fewer pesticides. Chemicals such as
fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides are widely used in conventional
agriculture and residues remain on (and in) the food we eat.
• Organic food is often fresher because it doesn’t contain preservatives
that make it last longer. Organic produce is often (but not always, so
watch where it is from) produced on smaller farms near where it is sold.
• Organic farming is better for the environment. Organic farming
practices reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase
soil fertility, and use less energy. Farming without pesticides is also better
for nearby birds and animals as well as people who live close to farms.
• Organically raised animals are NOT given antibiotics, growth
hormones, or fed animal by-products. Feeding livestock animal by-
products increases the risk of mad cow disease and the use of antibiotics
can create antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. Organically-raised
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