GM Corn--Would You, Should You Buy It? Where?

It seemed like perfect timing. This "droughtful" summer, when so much corn was damaged or totally ruined, Monsanto, the biotech giant, put its fresh GM, drought-resistant sweet corn on the market for the first time. The response? An uproar of objections. 

In late December, 2011, the Obama administration approved the sale of Monsanto's drought-resistant sweet corn.  At that time, Monsanto pointed out that this corn would "help farmers mitigate the risk of yield loss when experiencing drought stress."  Genetically modified corn may be good for farmers, but activists who fear that it may be harmful are up in arms. One problem is that, in the U.S., foods containing GE modifications are not labeled (though they are in many other countries).  Therefore, consumers do not know if they are buying GM corn or not.  That is scary to many shoppers. 

But why all this fuss NOW?  We've been consuming genetically modified products (as one of several ingredients in processed foods) for many years. Furthermore, according to Fastexist.com, a company called Syngenta--a Monsanto rival--has been selling GM sweet corn for a decade.  Monsanto itself has been selling GM squash developed by Semini (a company it bought in 2005).

So what's different this time around?  A few things:

 1) For the first time, Monsanto is taking its own fresh GM produce from the ground to consumers's tables.  

 2) Monsanto is a powerhouse.  It's the world's largest seed company; it's well-known for developing GM crops such as corn and soybeans; and it currently controls 60% of the U.S. corn market. (However, Monsanto mostly produces grain corn used in ethanol and for animal feed. Syngenta has been dominating the sweet corn market for human consumption.) The fear is that, if Monsanto has success with GM sweet corn, that will encourage the company to develop more GM produce for human consumption.  Opponents want to stop the food supply from going down what it considers a slippery slope.

 3) The accusation is that the corn is a menace. Monsanto's GM corn is resistant to its herbicide (Roundup) and to insects. There is concern that the BT toxin that accomplishes these benefits may be harmful to humans. Fastexist.com, says, "A recent study found the toxin in the maternal and fetal blood of pregnant women, though the implications of that aren't known quite yet."  To read more about possible health issues with Monsanto's GM corn, click here:

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/12/monsantos-gmo-corn-linked_n_420365.html

Opponents claim that GM corn may cause allergies, liver problems, and other health problems.  However, keep in mind that we have no way of evaluating the validity of the studies quoted.  The U.S. government has approved Monsanto's GM corn. Furthermore, ccording to the International Food Information Council (an organization partially funded by the food industry, says the Chicago Tribune), "There have been no documented food safety problems with foods produced using biotechnology anywhere in the world."

Monsanto argues that its product is actually good for the environment and human health because it requires much less use of insecticides and herbicides.  Quoted in the same Chicago Tribune article, Monsanto said "Overall, sweet corn makes up less than 1 percent of total corn acreage in the U.S....yet accounts for 40 per cent of all corn insecticide treatments. Farmers who grow biotech sweet corn can reduce insecticide applications by as much as 85 percent."

Nevertheless, consumer groups, alarmed by damaging environmental and health effects they fear come with GM corn, have been urging major retailers not to handle the produce.  In response to this pressure, the following stores have pledged not to sell or use it: Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and General Mills.  On the other hand, as of August 4, Wal-Mart (despite receiving 463,000 signatures urging the company not to carry the product) has said it would not restrict sales of it. 

Why, you may be wondering as I did, don't activists just suggest that the Monsanto's corn be labeled "Monsanto GM corn" and let customers choose it or not?  According to a Monsanto representative, sweet corn is normally sold by the ear in large bins.  "It's not something that's easily branded."  Also, would Monsanto want that?   Would you (or most other consumers) select it if it was identified GM and other corn was available in the next bin?

Though labeling of GM products is not required by the federal government, individual stores could certainly choose to do so.  Individual states could also pass laws requiring labeling of all or some GM products, for example, fresh produce. In November, California will be voting on Proposition 37, which would require labeling of genetically modified foods in that state. Monsanto has just contributed $4.2 million to oppose Proposition.  In response, huge amounts of money from out-of-state corporations are coming into California in support of the GM labeling requirement.  We'll be following this battle. 

Which side are you on?  We welcome your comments. 

For further information about GM foods in general and the effort to be get government approval for GM salmon, click on the links below:

http://shelflifeadvice.com/content/genetically-engineered-food-safe

http://shelflifeadvice.com/content/will-genetically-engineered-salmon-be-coming-your-dinner-table

Source(s):

fastcoexist.com "Supermarket: Monsanto plans to sell sweet corn in your local supermarket"

http://www.fastcoexist.com/1678377/monsanto-plans-to-sell-sweet-corn-in-your-local-supermarket

Chicago Tribune "Activists: Modified corn is not so sweet."  August 4, 2012.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-08-04/news/ct-met-gmo-sweet-corn-20120804_1_sweet-corn-food-allergies-patty-lovera

EcoWatch.org "Monsanto GE Sweet Corn to Hit Walmart Shelves"

http://ecowatch.org/2012/monsantos-ge-corn-shelves/

digitaljournal.com "Monsanto genetically engineered corn approved for sale in U.S."

http://digitaljournal.com/article/317358

digitaljournal.com "Monsanto puts $4.2 million into the anti-GMO labeling pot"

http://digitaljournal.com/article/330878

huffingtonpost.com "Monsanto's GMO corn Linked to Organ Failure, Study Reveals"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/12/monsantos-gmo-corn-linked_n_420365.html

Monsanto's GMO Corn Linked to Organ Failure, Study Shows"

http://www.inquisitr.com/272568/monsantos-gmo-corn-linked-to-organ-failure-study-shows/