Timeline, advantages, disadvantages and status in the Philippines

1. Genetically Modified Food
1983

2. Group Members
• Barro, Kara Marcella
• Bachanicha, Maryjane T.
• Cossid, Julliene V.
• Galino, Jenny M.
• Layno, Kimberly Grace V.
• Royeca, Josephine Rebecca
• Tila, Renee

3. Introduction
How does GM foods work?
When and where are GM foods used?

4. How does a GM food work?
• Genetically modified foods (hereafter, GM foods) are foods
produced from plants which have had their genetic make-up
tweaked in the lab using biotechnology.
• A number of techniques has been developed. Scientists “cut
and paste” a gene from another organism, for a particular
characteristic, into the DNA of a plant cell to give it a new
trait.
• Foods may be genetically modified to prolong shelf life,
increase crop yield, improve nutrition, quality and taste, or
make it resistant to pesticides, insecticides, and etc.

5. How does a GM food work?
There are three main types of GM foods on the market:
1. Foods which themselves have been genetically modified
2. Products made with genetically modified plants
3. Products that have been refined out of GM foods

6. GM Food Timeline
When and where are GM foods grown and used?

7. When and where are GM foods grown and used?
1983
The first genetically modified plant – a tobacco plant
resistant to antibiotic – was created.

8. When and where are GM foods grown and used?
The first commercialization of a GM food in an
industrialized country was in USA in May 1994 when
Calgene Inc. marketed its Falvr SavrTM tomato.
1994

9. When and where are GM foods grown and used?
Falvr SavrTM tomato paste is sold in the UK.
The first GM soybeans were planted in the US.
GM rapeseed were grown in Canada.
1996

10. When and where are GM foods grown and used?
1997
GM Maize was grown for the first time in the US and
Canada.

11. When and where are GM foods grown and used?
2002
Philippines’ Department of Agriculture approved the
propagation and importation of Bt corn.

12. When and where are GM foods grown and used?
2004
Golden Rice underwent its first field test.

13. When and where are GM foods grown and used?
2010
European Commission approves BASF’s ‘Amflora’ GM
potato for commercial starch production.

14. Arguments
What are the pros and cons of GM foods?
In what areas do GM foods promote happiness and value of
life? Does not promote happiness and value life?

15. Advantages

16. Advantages
• Pest Resistance
– Growing GM foods such as Bt corn can help eliminate the
application of chemical pesticides and reduce the cost of
bringing a crop to market. (Moellenbeck ,2001)
• Disease Resistance
– Plant biologists are working to create plants with genetically-
engineered resistance to these diseases ( Dahleen, 2001)
• Herbicide Tolerance
– Monsanto has created a strain of soybeans genetically
modified to be not affected by their herbicide product
Roundup. (Scrano, 1999)

17. Advantages
• Pharmaceuticals
– Researchers are working to develop edible vaccines in tomatoes
and potatoes

18. Advantages
• Drought/ Salinity Tolerance
– Grow crops in formerly inhospitable places (Tang, 2000)
• Nutrition
– “Golden" rice containing an unusually high content of beta-
carotene (vitamin A)
• Phytoremediation
– Some plants such as poplar trees can be genetically engineered
to clean up heavy metal pollution from contaminated
soil (Bizily ,2000)

19. GM Foods are pro-LIFE
• Environment
– "Friendly" bioherbicides and bioinsecticides
– Conservation of soil, water, and energy
– Better natural waste management
– More efficient processing
• Society
– Increased food security for growing populations

20. GM Foods to feed the growing population
According to Jonathan Jones of The Sainsbury Laboratory in
Norwich,
“There are now over seven billion humans and over a
billion are hungry today. Civilization depends on efficient
food production. Plant breeding and chemicals for pest and
disease control increased food production per acre by up to
ten-fold in the last 100 years. But production must be
doubled again by 2050, because as world living standards
rise, people demand diets richer in animal protein, which
requires animal feed, which requires more crops.” (2011)

21. GM Foods are pro-LIFE
• Agriculture
– Crops have enhanced taste and quality
– Reduced maturation time
– Increased nutrients, yields, and stress tolerance
– Improved resistance to disease, pests, and herbicides
– New products and growing techniques

22. Figure 1. Global Area of Biotech Crops, 1996 to 2011 (Million
Hectares) Source: Clive James, 2011.
In 2011, the global area of biotech crops continued to increase for the 16th year at a
sustained growth rate of 8% or 12 million hectares (30 million acres), reaching 160
million hectares or 395 million acres

23. • A review of peer-reviewed surveys of farmers worldwide
who are using the technology compared to farmers who
continue to plant conventional crops, found that by and
large farmers have benefited. (Nature Biotechnology)
• The National Research Council in the US also concluded
that many American farmers have achieved more cost-
effective weed control and reduced losses from insect pests.
• A survey of farmers in Brazil, which is a leader in global
adoption of GM crops, shows benefits for soybean, cotton
and corn growers.
GM Foods are pro-LIFE

24. Disadvantages

25. Disadvantages
• Harm to other organisms
– Bt corn caused high mortality rates in monarch butterfly
caterpillars. (Losey ,1999)
• Reduced effectiveness of pesticides
– Many are concerned that insects will become resistant to crops
that have been genetically-modified.
• Gene-transfer to non- target Species
– Crop plants engineered for herbicide tolerance and weeds will
cross-breed (Knoblauch, 1999)
– “Superweeds” (Gresel J. , 1999)

26. Disadvantages
• Allergenicity
– There is a possibility that introducing a gene into a plant may
create a new allergen or cause an allergic reaction in susceptible
individuals.(Taylor, Ph.D., 1996)
Reactivity on Skin-Prick Testing to Extracts of
Transgenic Soybean, Nontransgenic Soybean, and
Brazil Nut in a Subject Allergic to Brazil Nuts.

27. Downside of GM Foods
GM foods directly impact the very people who grow the
products – farmers. In fact, farmers can often be forgotten in
all of the controversy surrounding GM crops, yet they play
such an enormous and important role in bringing food to our
table, whether those crops are GM ones or conventional foods.
In what areas do GM foods do not promote
happiness and value life?

28. • Issue of Choice
– those who choose to obtain organic designation or simply have no
interest in growing GM crops may, in one sense, be forced to do so
because of GM seeds being blown into their fields.
• Cost of Growing Foods from GM seeds
– GM seeds vary a great deal in price but they are typically 30 to 40
percent more expensive than seeds for conventional crops.
• Lack of Acceptance
– there are challenges with regards to exporting GM products to
countries where GM crops are not favoured. There can be an
outright mistrust of these food products.
In what areas do GM foods do not promote
happiness and value life?

29. • Restructuring Farms to Accommodate GM Crops
– to accommodate GM crops, labour may be reduced, which has the
positive effect of savings to the farm but the negative effect of lost
jobs and wages to some of the farmers.
• Providing Safety Regulations and Education
– for the growing of GM crops to be successful, there must be
transparency, safety and accountability for all farmers who choose
to grow them. Not only that, but those who choose not to grow
GM crops should have the right to grow their crops without
contamination from GM seeds.
In what areas do GM foods do not promote
happiness and value life?

30. Conclusion
GM foods can solve many
problems in our world today
especially starvation but we
cannot ignore the down side
of this technology. However,
we do believe that in time,
when there are enough
studies conducted, scientists
can assure the safety of GM
foods.

31. Status
What is the status of GM foods? In the Philippines?

32. Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM
Crops 2011
Biotech crops reached 160 million hectares, up 12 million
hectares on 8% growth, from 2010, as the global population
reached a historical milestone of 7 billion on 31 October 2011

34. Figure 1. Development of the global area using genetically modified crops
(1995-2008).
Source: James (2008).

35. Status of GM Foods in the Philippines
1980
• Philippines first established the National Institute of Biotechnology and
Applied Microbiology
2002
• Bt corn was first commercially introduced in the country
• Catholic Church has strong opposition and had delayed and may be the
cause for the delay of approval of the future introduction of other GM crops
Bt corn
• its favorable adoption rates, opposition have dissipated and the local
scientific initiative have expanded to other crops (e.g. GM papaya, eggplant)
Golden Rice
• Philippine Rice Research Institute is currently engaged in its adaptation
which is “Biofortified for Vitamin A ”
• a major staple food compared to Bt corn
• government agenda puts high premium on food self-sufficing especially on
rice
• military groups also argued that high-yielding rice varieties were
exploitative of the poor because they require high inputs of chemical and
fertilizers

36. Status of GM Foods in the Philippines
Catholic
Church
• largely expresses their apprehension about genetic modification
• feeling of fear that something bad may happen
• apprehension has centered on its potentially deleterious
• impact on the environment, farmers socio-economic well-being, and moral
and ethical issues
• will not support biotechnology for as long as there is no official
endorsement from the Pope
Philippine
Government
• has been supportive of the movement for the introduction of biotechnology
• recognizes its potential contribution to agriculture and public health
• *Pres. Gloria – has a high priority list in the field of biotechnology as her
agenda in her administration
“we shall promote the safe and responsible use of
modern biotechnology and its products as one of the several
means to achieve and sustain food security, health services
and industrial development”

37. Greenpeace tests reveal Genetically Engineered
Food Products
On Dec 19, 2000 Greenpeace commissioned an independent Hong Kong
food-testing laboratory (Hong Kong DNA Chips Ltd) to test 30 common
consumer food items available in Philippine supermarkets. The laboratory
used a standard PCR test to check for the presence of gene sequences from
the two most commonly grown types of genetically engineered crops:
• Roundup Ready crops (primarily soya and corn) which have been
genetically engineered to resist Monsanto’s herbicide ‘Roundup’
(Glyphosate).
• Bt Crops (primarily corn) that have been genetically engineered to
produce an insecticide toxin.

38. Of the 30 products tested, the following 11
tested positive
1. Bonus Vienna Franks
2. Rica Protina Hotdogs
3. Campo Carne Moby
Hotdogs
4. Purefoods Beefy hotdogs
5. Quality Foods Budget
Franks
6. Foodmart Enterprises
Crab Cake
7. Hong Chi Food Yung Ho
Soya Drink
8. Doritos Smokey Red
Barbecue
9. Nestlé Nesvita Natural
Cereal Drink
10. Isomil Soy Infant Formula
11. Knorr Cream of Corn Soup

39. Food companies who are sneaking GE into
Philippine food
The eleven products that tested positive represent a mixture of domestic
and global food producers. They include not only the Philippine's largest
food producers such as Purefoods / San Miguel but also the largest food
producers in the world like Nestlé and Unilever.
 Bonus Vienna Franks
 Campo Carne Moby Hotdogs
 Crab Cake (Kani Kizami Age)
 Doritos Smokey Red Barbecue
 Isomil Soy Infant Formula
 Knorr Cream of Corn Soup
 Nesvita Natural Cereal Drink
 Purefoods Beefies Hotdog
 Quality Foods Budget Franks
 Rica Protina Hotdogs
 Yung Ho Soybean Milk

40. Corporate Double Standards on GE Food
Greenpeace is making these results public. Not only do food companies
have a responsibility to inform Philippine consumers what is in their
food but also to treat consumers with the same respect worldwide. In
Europe, companies such as Nestle and Unilever speak in favor of the
consumers right to know, are proactive in labeling and have even
removed GE ingredients in their products. At the same time these
companies are force-feeding GE foods to Filipino consumers. Below are
examples of these corporate double standards.
 Unilever (Knorr cream of corn soup)
 Nestlé (Nesvita Natural Cereal Drink)
 PepsiCo – (Doritos Smokey Red Barbecue)
 Abbott (Isomil baby food)
 Purefoods (Beefy hotdogs)

41. • Corn
• Soy bean
• Sugar cane
• Tomatoes
• Potatoes
• Sweet peppers
• Bananas
• Eggplant
List of GM Foods
• Strawberries
• Zucchini
• Pineapples
• Cocoa beans
• Yellow squash
• Rice
• Alfalfa

42. Issues
What are the local issues about GM foods?

43. The issues’ regarding Genetically Modified Foods in
the country were raised due to these main concerns:
HEALTH RISKS
CONTAMINATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT
THREAT TO BIODIVERSITY
INADEQUATE BIOSAFETY REGULATIONS
VIEW OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

44. HEALTH RISKS
Some villagers in the Philippines who are living near a biotech cornfield were reported to
have suffered ailments due to inhaling mutated maize pollen that had been airborne.
ENVIRONMENT
Despite of the initial good harvest, farmers said the crop (Bt corn for this case) will later
on need increasing volumes of fertilizers and agro-chemicals because of increased pestilence.
REGULATIONS
The agro-biotechnology regulation in the Philippines is weak. There is the lack of a
single regulatory body to regulate biotechnology in the country.
VIEW OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
Is genetic engineering in agricultural products ethical?

45. GROUP’S POV
• Genetically modified foods can provide benefits such as
increased nutrients, spoilage reduction, pest resistance, a
decrease of chemical contamination and many more. It can
even solve world’s hunger and malnutrition problems. Yet
there are still problems especially in the areas of safety testing,
regulation, international policy and food labeling.
• Many people feel that genetic engineering is the inevitable
wave of the future and that we cannot afford to ignore a
technology that has such enormous potential benefits.
However, we must proceed with caution to avoid causing
unintended harm to human health and the environment as a
result of our enthusiasm for this powerful technology.
(Whitman, 2000)

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56. THE END
Thanks for listening