Potential Risks of GM Foods

http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/pusztai.html

Commentary:

This article by Arpad Pusztai shows the potential dangers of GM food consumption. He argues that ineffective testing and a number of worrying results are reason enough to stop consumption until better testing methods can be put into effect and used regularly.
Pustzai claims that tests are poorly executed and happen very rarely. This results in a lack of information about GM foods that creates confusion. GM foods can create antibiotic resistance in bacteria and the allergens can become a problem. In some animal studies, rats died at increased rate, developed digestion problems, or gained weight. Even if animal studies show no dangerous effect, we cannot know if the food is safe for humans. Some foods have shown increased allergen or toxin levels. All of these results and ineffective and scarce testing are problems with GM foods.
Pusztai feels strongly that the standards for GM foods are too low and testing is not working well enough. The development of better tests is his solution to the problems with GM foods. This article was published in 2001, but many of the problems it describes are still relevant. Testing for allergens in GM foods is still extrememly difficult and the tests do not take place often enough.
This article is meant to create public doubt and caution about GM foods. This will push the industry to create more concrete standards for safety and utilize better tests more often.
I had never thought food testing was a real issue. I don't have any allergies myself, so testing for allergens was never a concern to me. This article certainly made me rethink my position on GM foods. The "substantially equivalent" method of ascertaining safety seems very poorly thought out and needs to be changed.
The article raises many heathcare issues. As consumption of GM foods rises, the risk of allergies, bacteria resistance, and toxins in the food will also rise. As we have seen with recent outbreaks of E. coli and toxins in foods, these problems can be hard to control and are very real. As food contamination and safety have become bigger issues, we must also weigh the potential risks of GM foods and consider creating more testing to ensure that the biotechnology is both safe and effective.