a new paradigm for genetically modified foods
DESCRIPTION
A New Paradigm for Genetically Modified Foods. Alec Lee UBC-BCIT Biotechnology Vancouver, Canada. Immediate Response. GM foods incite discomfort in the public Safety? Exploitative economic scheme? We feel powerless in choosing GM or non-GM. Why I’m Here. GM foods have been misrepresented - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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A New Paradigm for
Genetically Modified Foods
Alec LeeUBC-BCIT Biotechnology
Vancouver, Canada
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Immediate Response
• GM foods incite discomfort in the public– Safety?– Exploitative economic scheme?
• We feel powerless in choosing GM or non-GM
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Why I’m Here
• GM foods have been misrepresented• Agribusiness has tainted the image of GM foods• We do not have to be resigned about GM foods• The technology has great humanitarian potential
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Who Am I
• A biotechnology student from Vancouver, Canada with experience in: – performing genetic modification of plants– working with genetically modified organisms
• An advocate for the potential of GM foods technology, not of its current use
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Changing the Paradigm
1. Scope of the Technology2. What Happened along the Way?3. Out with the Old4. In with the New
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1. Scope of the Technology
How do we get genetically modified foods?a. Identification of a problemb. Identification of a target organismc. Modification of the organism
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Rice
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Gene Gun
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Golden Rice
• Flagship of humanitarian GM foods• Rice is the staple of approximately half the world’s population• 40% (approx. 250 million) of children in the developing world
under the age of 5 suffer from Vitamin A deficiency• 250,000 to 500,000 children go blind every year due to
Vitamin A deficiency• More than half of them will die within a year of going blind
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2. What Happened Along the Way?
• Why don’t we trust the potential of GM foods?• The technology was abused for monetary gain• People became fearful of the health effects of
these strange foods– Chemical-resistant– Infection-resistant– Weather-resistant
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Roundup-Ready Soy
• Roundup-Ready Soy patented in 1995• 87% of farmland with soybeans used
Roundup-Ready Soy• Other Roundup-Ready Crops: canola,
cotton, alfalfa, sugar beet, and corn.
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Terminator Gene
• In 1999, Monsanto pledged not to commercialize plants with Terminator
• In 2003, Monsanto changed its mind• Several countries have placed a
moratorium on Terminator seeds
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Intellectual Property
• Patents provide ownership of an organism and all its future generations
• Farmers no longer own their seed; they are licensed to plant it
• Patents typically last 20 years– Technology for Roundup-Ready Soy is due to
be free-for-all in 2015
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3. Out with the Old
Why the Current Framework Does Not Work
To name a few:a) Roundup-Ready Soybeansb) Terminator Genec) Intellectual Property
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Social Barriers
Many groups are deeply concerned about the effects of the technology:– genetic contamination of non-GM plants? – toxicity effects in animals and humans?– exploitation of the poor?
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Back to Golden Rice
• Vitamin A and Zinc alone could save 4 million children annually
• Breeding institutions around the world can develop the technology for free for humanitarian use– Some of the patents donated are owned by big
names in agribusiness, including Monsanto
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Safety
• Little safety testing has been publicized by independent groups– Existing studies are not widely known
• Most safety testing is performed by corporate-sponsored agencies
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4. In with the New
We must reject the current paradigm of GM foods and embrace a new one – a paradigm focused on benefitting humanity rather than profiting at humanity’s expense
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Thank You
Works Cited– Benedict, M. R. & Stine, O. C. (2007). Agricultural Adjustment Act. Retrieved November 23, 2007 from
http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/A/AG002.html– Golden Rice Humanitarian Board (2009). The science behind Golden Rice. Retrieved January 22, 2009 from Golden Rice. Website:
http://www.goldenrice.org/Content2-How/how1_sci.html– Golden Rice Humanitarian Board (2009). Golden Rice Risk Assessment. Retrieved January 22, 2009 from Golden Rice. Website:
http://www.goldenrice.org/Content2-How/how3a_biosafety.html– Pinstrup-Andersen, P. & Schioler, E. (2001). Seeds of Contention. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press– Ruse, Michael & Castle, David (2002). Genetically Modified Foods. New York: Prometheus Books.– Smith, Jeffrey M. (2003). Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies…: Yes! Books– World Health Organization. (April 1995). Countries Categorized by degree of public health importance of vitamin A deficiency.
Retrieved from http://www.who.int/vmnis/vitamina/prevalence/mn_vitamina_map_1995.pdf– Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (2007). Finding of No Significant Impact (Petition for Non-regulated Status for Soybean
Line MON 89788 [APHIS 06-178-01p]). Retrieved Feb 1, 2009 from http://www.aphis.usda.gov/brs/aphisdocs/06_17801p_ea.pdf– Vidal, John (1999). World braced for terminator 2. Guardian.co.uk. Retrieved Feb 1, 2009 from
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/1999/oct/06/gm.food2– www.etcgroup.org (2003). Monsanto Breaks Promise to Abandon Terminator Technology. Organic Consumers Association.
Retrieved Feb 1, 2009 from http://www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto/promise042403.cfm