‘GMO’ is Not a Good Name
Recently, I have had some interesting discussions with a few folks about GMOs or food from farm products grown from genetically modified seeds. One thing…
Recently, I have had some interesting discussions with a few folks about GMOs or food from farm products grown from genetically modified seeds. One thing that came out clearly was the level of misunderstanding about just what GMOs really are. Also, the term GMOs is not understood and many people do not really know what it is.
One of my conversations was with a lady from Minneapolis who had lived in the city all her life. I asked her if she heard much discussion about GMOs among her friends. She replied very few and those that did comment felt that there was no cause for concern. She said that if the various foods had passed government safety rules and inspections, there wasn’t much cause for concern. She also commented that she wasn’t really very well informed about what they are.
She may have been an exception because often if people are not well informed about something, they are afraid of it or against it.
Another conversation was with a local person. She thought that GMOs were genes that had been altered by some chemical process, which is why some people are afraid of them. She did not have a good understanding of how they are developed or the fact that that they do not alter the composition of the food people eat or that they can improve the flavor and safety of that food.
Again, I talked with a couple that had a good understanding of GMOs and the need for this kind of technology to provide food needed now and in the future in the world. We agreed that the term “GMO” is unfortunate because there is so much misunderstanding about what is has done to the food supply.
We all agreed that the term is unfortunate. One idea I offered was to change the term to “food improvement traits” or FIT. This really says what science has done – found ways to transfer favorable traits from the gene of one plant into the gene of another one that produces much of the food. It is a natural process.
The genetically modified organism or GMO takes a beneficial trait that helps a living thing survive in nature, like an ability to use water efficiently, for example, and then adapt that trait to another plant so it can better survive where it grows.
These traits can develop drought resistance in plants, make them more disease or insect resistant, improve the nutritional value, produce larger harvests and much more. The results include more safe nutritious food at a lower cost, improvements to the environment and ways to help feed the growing population in this world.
Before they can be used by farmers, GMO seeds must go through tough testing by several governmental agencies. Most public and private agencies that do testing have assured the public of the safety of these foods. Several reliable sources state that over 600 studies worldwide say that GMOs are safe.
Yet, several “food experts” and others make unfortunate claims about these foods. A number of health problems, which are not supported by fact, are claimed to be caused by GMOs. All this unfortunate misinformation is putting the food supply in danger. They may be well intended, but are sadly misinformed.
Some groups are needed, as well as the government, to step up with a well-planned educational program to inform the public of the importance of GMOs and biotechnology. Farm groups should be much more aggressive in telling their factual, true story. And, let’s change the name to FIT or food improvement technology.
Parker is an independent agricultural writer.
