Biotechnology and Food:Untangling the Facts

Ruth S. MacDonald, RD PhD

Professor and Chair

Topics

• Agricultural food biotechnology • Organic and conventional - natural• Food processing technology

– PHOs and additives

Nutrition and food are in the news and in government policy more than ever before. Is science driving decisions?

Agricultural Food Biotechnology

• Application of molecular tools to modify plants and animals used in food production.

• Molecular tools:– Insertion of genes (transgenes, autogenes)– Editing of genes– Silencing genes

Molecular biology

• Genetic code– DNA RNA protein– One gene one protein

• Genomes mapped– Correlate genes with characteristics– Combined with biochemical pathways

• Technology advances– Tools to delete, silence, insert genes– Express specific traits

• RECOMBINANT HUMAN INSULIN (1980)

Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids (1953) Nature 171; 737-738

Transgenics – how its done

http://palmer-dna-technology-wikis.wikispaces.com/file/view/transgenic_plant.JPG/197641326/transgenic_plant.JPG

What does GMO do?• Herbicide tolerance • Insect resistance • Virus resistance• Ripening delayed• Amino acid composition • Fatty acid composition• Modified color• Nicotine reduced• Plant quality • Starch hydrolysis

• Increase yield• Increase quality• Reduce use of chemicals• Reduce waste• Nutrition improvement

www.cera-gmc.org

NONE OF THESE ARE IMPORTANT TO CONSUMERS

Conventional – Organic – Natural – Genetically Modified: Which is which?

GMO in the Grocery Store• GE crops account for

• Soybeans 90%• Corn 80%• Canola• Sugar beets

INGREDIENTS in many foods

• Papaya

• Papaya Ringspot virus in 1980• GE technology responsible for saving crop

• Squash

Very limited number of foods are GMO! But more are coming -> Artic Apples

GMO salmon has been developed but not yet

approved by FDA

http://www.freshthemovie.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09AP_GE_Salmon.jpg

“70-80% of processed foods have GMO”

• Corn– Sweeteners (HFCS)– Corn starch– Corn oil– Animal feed

• Soybean– Soy flour - proteins– Soy oil– Animal feed

• Canola– Canola oil

• Sugar beets– Sugar

• Alfalfa– Animal feed

Where goes the GMO?

No DNA or proteinin products for human food – so are these still GMO??

Digestion basics…

• All plant and animal foods have DNA and proteins

• Consumed food is digested into basic units:– DNA nucleotides– Proteins amino acids

• The basic units are absorbed into the body and used to make human DNA and proteins

• Intact DNA or protein from food is NOT absorbed directly into our bodies

• GMO DNA and protein is digested like all other sources

BUT IS GMO SAFE?

FDA policy

• In the 1992 policy, FDA also addresses the labeling of foods derived from new plant varieties, including plants developed by bioengineering. The 1992 policy does not establish special labeling requirements for bioengineered foods as a class of foods.

• The policy states that FDA has no basis for concluding that bioengineered foods differ from other foods in any meaningful or uniform way, or that, as a class, foods developed by the new techniques present any different or greater safety concern than foods developed by traditional plant breeding

http://www.fda.gov/food/guidanceregulation/guidancedocumentsregulatoryinformation/ucm059098.htm

Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology

• Issued in 1986• Updated in 1992• OSTP called for update in 2015

1. Clarify roles of EPA, USDA and EPA

2. Long term strategy for future products

3. Commission an expert analysis of future products (National Academies)

Safety testing

• Safety assessments begin with concept of product• No variety is released without substantial safety evidence

• Research on safety– Nutrient and chemistry same as non-gmo– No inadvertent compounds – no allergens– Transfer and/or breakdown of trait– Environmental safety

• Independent researchers– Animal studies– Environmental studies

Human and animal safety record

• Farm animals fed GMO feed for over 30 years– Most carefully monitored animals on the plant– No changes in health, growth or reproduction

• Humans consuming GMO ingredients for 20 years– Largest epidemiological study every completed– Never any reported illness or negative health effect– No allergen risk

• Independent studies in US and Europe – no safety concerns.

• Major health organizations support GMO safety.

Defining ‘Safe’

• Risk-Benefit

• Exposure – dose

• Long term vs short term

• Safe to who-what-when?

MANDATORY GMO LABELING

Purpose of food labeling

Regulated by FDA• Standard of identity• Quantity (weight/volume)• Food composition and

ingredients• Manufacturer name and

address• Nutrition facts panel• Allergens

– (eggs, fish and seafood, milk and lactose, peanuts and tree nuts, soy, wheat and gluten)

Labeling requires monitoring

• FDA would need to define levels of GMO, ingredient tracking and industry regulations – pass laws

• Industry tracking of ingredients and production methods would add to food costs

• More sensitive methods to detect GMO in foods and ingredients need to be developed and purchased by FDA and industry – more costs

• More FDA inspectors needed to educate and monitor industry – more costs

Funding for FDA would need to be increased (higher taxes?) foods would cost more – with no added safety to consumers

Other food technology topics….

Organic – natural

Trans fats

Additives

What is the opposite of organic?What is natural food?

Organic Foods Defined

100% Organic• Only organically-produced ingredients and processing aids

Organic• 95% organically produced ingredients

Made with Organic Ingredients• At least 70% organic ingredients

Some Organic Ingredients

Organic Foods Production Act of

1990

NOP is a set of defined agricultural practicesDoes not address healthfulness or safety of foods

Organic Farming

Number of organic farms by state:

1898 California

870 Wisconsin

597 New York

493 Washington

467 Iowa

2011 Organic Production Survey

Organic food sales:

$39.1 billion in 2014

https://www.ota.com/resources/market-analysis

Price Difference

• Hy-Vee Vitamin D Milk– $3.59 per 1 gal

• Organic Valley New York Fresh Whole Milk– $6.89 per 1 gal

• Dole cauliflower = $3.99• Earthbound Farm Organic cauliflower = $4.99

Hy-Vee online shopping accessed 7/16/2015

No health benefit

On the basis of a systematic review of studies of

satisfactory quality, there is no evidence of a difference in nutrient quality between organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs. The small differences in nutrient content detected are biologically plausible and mostly relate to differences in production methods.

Am J Clin Nutr 2009;90:680–5.

Pesticide Residue

In summary, findings conclusively demonstrate that consumer exposures to the ten most frequently detected pesticides on EWG’s “Dirty Dozen” commodity list are at negligible levels and that the EWG methodology is insufficient to allow any meaningful rankings among commodities.

We concur with EWG President Kenneth Cook who maintains that “We recommend that people eat healthy by eating more fruits and vegetables, whether conventional or organic”, but our findings do not indicate that substituting organic forms of the “Dirty Dozen” commodities for conventional forms will lead to any measurable consumer health benefit.

Winter and Katz, Journal of Toxicology, 2011

Partially Hydrogenated Oils• Vegetable oils + hydrogen gas + catalyst• Add hydrogens to double bonds which

changes melting point• Vegetable oils margarines and shortenings

PHOs, Trans fats and Health

• Saturated fats linked to CVD• Industry replaced animal fats with PHOs• Trans fats linked to increased LDL• Labeling of trans fat added to Nutrition Facts

panel in 2006• PHOs removed from GRAS in 2013• Industry has 3 years to remove from foods

Chemical Additives• Trend to remove artificial ingredients and additives• Not based on health risks or safety• Market strategy

“I applaud Panera for replacing dyes and certain other questionable additives in its foods," said Michael Jacobson, executive director of Center for Science in the Public Interest. "But eliminating many of the ingredients with unfamiliar chemical names, like calcium propionate and sodium erythorbate, is done solely for PR purposes and not to make safer, more healthful foods."

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Take home messages

• No evidence that GMO foods have negative effects on health

• Organically produced foods are not inherently safer or more nutritious that conventionally produced foods

• Trends to eliminate food additives are more about marketing than health

• Government policy decisions must be based on sound science

Helpful websites• GMO Answers www.gmoanswers.com

• Center for Food Integrity www.foodintegrity.org

• Genetic Literacy Project www.geneticliteracyproject.org

• Allow golden rice now www.allowgoldenricenow.org

• Biology fortified www.biofortified.org

• IFIC www.foodsafetynews.com