What Does the Term GMO Really Entail?

You often hear about the importance of purchasing non-GMO foods, but why is that important?

Close up illustration of DNA double helical structure

GMO stands for a genetically modified organism. That means that through the help of genetic engineering, we can copy favorable traits that one organism carries in its genes and transfer it to a separate organism. The first example of a GMO product approved for sale was the Flavr Savr tomato in 1994, one engineered to have a longer shelf life. Calgene, a biotechnology company, introduced an antisense (a reversed copy) of the gene responsible for causing fruit to soften into the tomato. That reversed copy was able prevent the translation of the original gene into the fruit-softening protein and ensure that the tomato lasted longer. With the power of gene editing, we have been able to make more favorable varieties of commercially available goods like corn, cotton and soybeans. Now it is that 70-80% of processed foods in the US contain ingredients from GMO sources.

So what's the real harm in this? Humans have been selectively breeding crops and livestock for thousands of years without concern, and there is no reliable evidence that GMOs are directly posing negative effects on human health. The difference is that genetic engineering is able to insert genes from any type of life form into any other, while breeding can only occur between similar species. That means that GMOs can introduce proteins that are completely new to a certain species, and that the particular effects upon it are not well-understood. These new proteins can act in unexpected ways and trigger unforeseen allergic reactions and transfer antibiotic resistant characteristics into the bacteria of the human gut. As well as this, edited genes can spread to other species in an unwanted manner. Genes that make a crop resistant to pesticides can spread to weeds, and they can further cross-pollinate into natural ecosystems. Reduced biodiversity is often a consequence of GMO crops as well. Without genetic variation, a single pathogen can wipe out an entire species and leave us without the crop. So, though genetically modified organisms have not shown to directly impact human health, protein interactions may pose risks unexpected by research.