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Roundup-Resistant “Superweeds”

Late in 2004, weeds resistant to Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup began appearing in GM plantings in Georgia and soon spread to other Southern states. By 2009, more than one hundred thousand acres in Georgia were infested with Roundup-resistant pigweed. Planters were advised to apply multiple herbicides, thereby defeating the point of Roundup: to reduce chemical applications. In 2009, a supposedly inert surfactant in Roundup was found to kill human embryonic tissue cells. More than 250 environmental, health, and labor groups petitioned the EPA to take a closer look at the safety of solvents, preservatives, and surfactants in agricultural chemicals. “Inert” ingredients could no longer be considered benign.6

Golden Rice

Golden Rice (discussed in chapter 5) is the most prominent example of the public benefits of agricultural biotechnology, but ten years after its initial construction it remains a promise unfulfilled. Field trials began in 2008 and its developers hope they can produce the rice by 2011. In the interim, researchers reengineered the rice to contain higher levels of beta-carotene and demonstrated that people who ate it could, as expected, convert beta-carotene to vitamin A. Supporters of Golden Rice continue to complain about the impossible demands of regulators and anti-biotechnology advocates. Advocates continue to argue that GM crops are unnecessary and threaten indigenous food security. The Gates Foundation is now the major funder of GM projects involving nutrient-enriched indigenous crops. Such technological approaches, advocates maintain, are doomed to fail unless they also address the underlying social causes of food insecurity and malnutrition.7

rBGH (Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone)

Milk from cows treated with rBGH has become the flashpoint for concerns about GM foods and a major public incentive to choose organic dairy foods; the USDA’s organic rules expressly forbid use of hormones and GM technology. Late in 2009, many countries continued to ban rBGH. In the United States, several states introduced legislation to allow GM-free labels, particularly on organic and other untreated dairy foods. In response, Monsanto organized a pro-rBGH public relations campaign that included its own “grassroots” organization. A spokesman for that group complained that critics of rBGH were backed by Consumers Union and PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), “who make a profit, living and business by striking fear in citizens.” Perhaps, but widespread public opposition to rBGH induced mainstream food processors and retailers such as Dannon, General Mills, and Walmart to stop buying rBGH-milk and to require suppliers to guarantee milk as GM-free: “We’ve done focus groups, and people don’t want it.”8 Without a mass market for rBGH milk, use of this hormone seems unlikely to continue.

GM Labeling

As predicted, the failure to label GM foods continues to pose problems for the public and for industry. Because the vast majority of processed foods contain unlabeled GM oil, protein, or sweetener ingredients, organic foods are viewed as an increasingly attractive option. Organic suppliers such as Whole Foods, concerned that GM pollution might destroy consumer trust in organics, created the Non-GMO Project: “Our shared belief is that everyone deserves an informed choice about whether or not to consume genetically modified products.” The Non-GMO Project seal guarantees a GM level of no more than 0.9 percent, the standard used in Europe, where higher percentages require labeling.9

In Europe, McDonald’s has gone GM-free. In 2009, I collected McDonald’s brochures in England and Italy that read, “We’d like to reassure you that we don’t use any GM products or ingredients containing GM material in our food.” In contrast, Hershey’s British products use GM ingredients and say so. The company labels Reese’s Nutrageous candy bars: “Contains: Peanuts, Genetically Modified Sugar,