GMO flavored bread

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

After the announcement made a week ago by the US Department of Agriculture, a serious scandal erupted around the genetically engineered wheat developed by the Monsanto corporation. This variety is recognized as a risk factor. Following this, the Commissioners of the European Commission urged the 27 EU member states to inspect American wheat that entered Europe through commercial and other channels. Japan also suspended all supplies, and the authorities of other Asian countries expressed concern.

The scandal has once again exacerbated the fierce controversy surrounding GMO foods. Until recently, more precisely before Russia's accession to the WTO, this would have been news from the category of "American horror films" for us. Now the situation is different, especially against the background of the fact that bread in Russia is a basic product. To clarify the situation with GMOs in Russia, we asked a member of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, an international expert on environmental and food safety, Doctor of Biological Sciences Irina Ermakova.

"SP": - Irina Vladimirovna, in your opinion, what is the main danger of GMOs?

- The danger of modern GM organisms can be due to several reasons. The fact is that when "introduced" into a plant, foreign genes (or transgenes) can both change themselves and have a negative effect on the genome of the host organism. As a result, unknown toxic proteins can be formed that cause toxicosis or allergies in humans and animals. In addition, plants can accumulate herbicides or insecticides to which they are resistant, and together with the plant, humans or animals will absorb pesticides. But the main danger is the very ways of introducing transgenes. The technologies used are still very imperfect and do not guarantee the safety of plants created with their help. Entering the body with GM products, GM inserts can penetrate into the cells of the internal organs of both the adult organism and the offspring, which has been proven with the help of a fluorescent green label.

"SP": - Can GMO backfire on our children and grandchildren?

- And not only on grandchildren and children, but also on ourselves. In the works of a number of American scientists on the connection between diabetes and obesity with the introduction of GMOs in food, it was noted that after the appearance of genetically modified organisms, obesity in the United States increased from 20-30% in 1950-1988. up to 70% in 1990-2010. It has been experimentally proven that GMOs lead to infertility.

In 2008, Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser, who was able to win a lawsuit against the biotech giant Monsanto, visited Moscow. He said that the use of GM crops has led not only to the deterioration of human health, but also led to an increase in the use of harmful chemicals, which led to the emergence of resistant weeds. With such "superweeds", affecting not only fields, but already appearing in cities, no way has yet been found to fight.

"SP": - How powerful is the GMO lobby in the world?

- His influence is very serious. The pressure is exerted on both scientists studying the problem and ordinary farmers. Thus, the well-known English scientist A. Pushtai, who was the first to declare the pathology of the internal organs of animals to the feed of which GM-potatoes was added, was also dismissed from his Institute. William Engdahl described in his book how A. Pushtai was fired for talking about the results of his research: “… Monsanto had a conversation with Clinton (US President - ed.), Who, in turn, spoke directly with Blair (British Prime Minister - ed.) about the "Pashtai problem". Blair then spoke with Rowett Institute director Philip James. Twenty-four hours later, Dr. Arpad Pusztai was on the street, forbidden to talk about his research and talk to his colleagues.

"SP": - Russian scientists were also attacked by GMO adherents?

- And Russian scientists who discovered the negative effect of GM soy on rats, mice and hamsters, too. All our studies were subjected to unfounded criticism after we revealed a high mortality rate of newborn rat pups, pathology of internal organs and impaired reproductive functions of rats when GM-soy was added to their feed. The findings of these studies, presented in the most prestigious biology journal Nature biotechnology, were immediately criticized, which looked like a well-choreographed performance. Attempts to repeat experiments by other researchers were suppressed at the very beginning. As a result, for example, I was forbidden to continue my research. I had to leave the institute, where I worked for many years.

"SP": - Which countries have abandoned GMOs?

- In an attempt to protect themselves from GM crops, many countries introduced labeling on products with GM components, or began to sell them at a very low price, and some countries have taken the path of eliminating GM crops and GM products, organizing zones free from GMOs (ZSGMO). Currently, there are more than 1300 known zones in 35 countries of the world, which have organized the ZSHMO. Almost all European countries are among them. And countries such as Austria, Switzerland, Germany, France, Greece, Poland have completely abandoned GMOs.

Some countries, before joining the WTO, signed documents on the abandonment of GMOs.

"SP": - Why did Russia agree with the WTO rules on GMOs? Who was our expert on this issue when preparing the document on Russia's accession to the WTO?

- Let's start with the fact that on November 19, 2006, within the framework of the bilateral agreement between Russia and the United States on Russia's accession to the WTO, an "exchange letter" was signed by the Minister of Economy and Trade of the Russian Federation German Gref and the US Trade Representative Susan Schwab on regulatory issues modern agricultural biotechnology. The letter identified the following points: this is control by the United States in the field of GMO regulation in Russia; expanding the list of GM foods registered for human consumption; elimination of mechanisms preventing the planting of GM plants on the territory of Russia; cancellation or serious restrictions on the operation of the article of the law "On the protection of consumer rights". This exchange letter gave the green light to the distribution and use of GMOs in Russia after its accession to the WTO.

And in April 2013. The Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation hastily adopted a resolution “On approval of the procedure for state registration of genetically modified organisms intended for release into the environment, as well as products obtained using such organisms or containing such organisms”.

There are many strange points in this ruling. For example, it is not necessary to check GMOs for their safety if there are research protocols in the countries in which they were registered (clause 11), although a check by several Russian laboratories of GM soybeans (line 40.3.20), recognized as safe in the United States, revealed oncology. allergies and infertility in laboratory animals. Strange is the clause that “products obtained through the combination, processing and processing of registered products containing GMOs are not subject to state registration”.

First, the combination of different GMOs can lead to unpredictable consequences. Secondly, British, Australian, Italian and Russian scientists have shown experimentally on animals that even with heat treatment of GM potatoes and GM soybeans, the animals eating them showed pathology of internal organs, and GM peas resistant to weevil showed inflammation. lungs. The resolution states that certificates of state registration will be issued indefinitely, despite the fact that GMOs are artificially created living organisms that constantly mutate and must be re-checked. By approving this resolution, the government, Russia not only "opened the doors" to dangerous GM foods, GM seeds and GM feeds, but also refused to check them. The question arises - why?

"SP": - They say that the seed fund is actively replaced by GMOs? And in a year or two, we simply won't have healthy food, is that true?

- I really hope that this is not so. Although the flow of transgenic seeds goes to our country. According to the president of the Russian Grain Union (RGU) Arkady Zlochevsky, in the Russian Federation, the area sown only for transgenic corn and soybeans is estimated at about 400 thousand hectares. And besides this, GM potatoes and sunflowers are also grown (however, no one counts these areas). The penetration of GM rice is possible in the Far East.

"SP": - What should be done now - actively explain the harm of GMOs? Introduce special markings? To tax producers of GMO foods?

- It is imperative to explain the harm of GMOs and introduce labeling. President Putin also called for this. In 2007, speaking at a meeting with members of the Council for the Promotion of Civil Society and Human Rights, he said: “The bulk of GM products are imported … improve public awareness of the dangers of such products"

But it would be good to completely abandon GM crops by introducing a moratorium, even temporary, on their cultivation and distribution. Not only people suffer from GMOs, but also all living things.

Alexander Sitnikov, June 8, 2013