Do you know what transgenic foods are? Basically, they are those genetically modified and produced in the laboratory through artificial techniques that allow the alteration of the genetic code (DNA). Despite being more common in our food than we think, there are several warnings about short and long-term health effects.
As pointed out by the World Health Organization (WHO), transgenic foods are developed and marketed because there is some perceived advantage for both the producer and the consumer, leading to a product with a lower price and greater benefit in terms of durability.
Why do genetically modified foods exist?
Some reasons justify the search for transgenic foods, such as greater nutritional value, greater flavor, less use of pesticides, greater supply of food with reduced cost and longer shelf life, faster growth, more desirable characteristics (such as the production of less carcinogenic substances) .
One factor that is often taken into account is the introduction of resistance against plant diseases caused by insects or viruses, or through increased tolerance to herbicides.
Insect resistance is achieved by incorporating the bacterium’s toxin-producing gene into the food plant. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Meanwhile, the introduction of a gene from certain viruses that cause disease in plants is used to increase resistance.
Among the main transgenics cultivated in Brazil are soy and corn, used as feed for poultry, cattle and pigs, in the production of beer and also in ultra-processed foods, such as sausage, biscuits, cakes, snacks, etc.
Examples of transgenic foods in Brazil and in the world
In order for the producer to plant transgenic food in the country, it is necessary to obtain approval from the CTNBio (National Technical Biosafety Commission), which is an agency linked to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. The group is made up of researchers and scientists who evaluate and analyze each product that falls into the genetically modified category, and thus, considering all the pros and cons, veto or release the food for planting and/or commercialization. It is worth mentioning that Brazil is the second largest producer of transgenics in the world, behind only the United States.
In Brazil, the transgenic foods approved for cultivation are:
- Military
- Corn
- Cotton
- Sugar cane
Already all over the world, several transgenic foods have already received approval. Are they:
- Potato
- Pumpkin
- Alfalfa
- Eggplant
- Beet
- Papaya
- Canola
- Corn
- Military
- Cotton
Are transgenic foods harmful?
According to the Brazilian Institute of Consumer Defense, transgenic foods have potential risks, such as an increase in allergies, due to the new substances. It turns out that, if the gene of a species that causes allergy is used to create a transgenic product, this new product can also cause allergies, because there is a transfer of the characteristics of that species.
Another highlighted concern is the increase in resistance to antibiotics. To make sure the genetic modification “worked,” scientists insert genes from antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This can lead to increased resistance to antibiotics in humans who eat these foods, which reduces or even nullifies the effectiveness of antibiotic-based drugs.
To get an idea, this concern is such that a survey even pointed out that antimicrobial resistance is the main cause of death from disease in the world.
It is worth mentioning that some plants and microbes have toxic substances to defend themselves, and if the gene of one of these organisms is inserted into a food, it is possible that the level of these toxins increases a lot, causing harm to people.
What do transgenic foods mean to the environment?
Experts warn that transgenic foods can be responsible for various dangers to the environment. One problem is that inserting pesticide resistance genes into certain products causes pests and weeds to develop the same resistance.
This pest and weed resistance can result in imbalances in ecosystems. One warning that the scientific community has regarding transgenic foods is the level of damage caused by genetic pollution and the loss of biodiversity.
Source: Medline Plus, OMS, Journal of Food Science and Technology, IDEC, RoyalSociety, Syngenta
