GMOs: Risky Business

Food labeling laws have come a long way. For the benefit of the consumer, requiring identification of allergens and trans-fats is now mandated by the law. However, biotechnology, the process of genetic engineering that creates genetically modified organisms (GMOs), is a rapidly growing and potentially dangerous technology that has no labeling requirements. Today, many commercial crops are genetically engineered, with soybeans, corn, and canola at the top of the list. The only way to avoid them is to purchase products labeled “organic” or “Non-GMO.”

GMOs are the result of splicing genetic material from any living organism (including bacteria and viruses) into the genetic material of another living organism. Genetic engineering is not the same as traditional breeding since the organisms used can be completely unrelated to each other. Genetically engineered foods have the potential to create allergens, toxins, health problems, or changes in the nutritional value of foods. Yet no studies have monitored their impacts on people, and the lack of labeling makes health effects difficult to determine. In addition, it is impossible to contain genetic material in open-field tests, risking permanent damage to other species or to entire ecosystems.

Here in Hawai'i, there are many controversial issues surrounding GMOs, including open-field testing of experimental corn, the widespread contamination of papaya crops with genetically engineered seed, and the patenting of genetically engineered taro.

What you can do

• Educate yourself. Visit the Non-GMO Project website and its links for information on health and economic impacts of GMOs.
• Join a GMO-free group on your island.
• Call or write to elected officials. Tell them you support labeling requirements and a moratorium or ban on biotech farming in Hawai'i.
• Write a letter to the editor of your local newspapers to help inform others.