310 No Consensus on GMO Safety [16 March 2015]

A key position of the biotech industry and government regulators in the approval of GMO crops is the “overwhelming consensus” on their safety. A paper published in January in Environmental Sciences Europe refutes this belief. The paper titled “No scientific consensus on GMO safety” was developed and signed by over 300 independent researchers from around the world.

In the introduction it reads:

Irrespective of contradictory evidence in the refereed literature…the claim that there is now a consensus on the safety of GMOs continues to be widely and often uncritically aired [by GM seed developers and some scientists, commentators and journalists].

In [this] statement, the claimed consensus is shown to be an artificial construct that has been falsely perpetuated...

The paper discusses the following seven points (read full paper here):

1. There is no consensus on GM food safety. [The evidence is far from conclusive; many scientists have serious concerns.]
2. There are no [zero!] epidemiological studies investigating potential effects of GM food consumption on human health.
3. Claims that scientific and governmental bodies endorse GMO safety are exaggerated or inaccurate.
4. The EU research project [cited widely by proponents as evidence of safety] does not provide reliable evidence of GM food safety.
5. A list of several hundred studies [frequently cited as evidence of safety] does not show GM food safety [most do not address safety, some provide evidence of lack of safety, and most are too short to examine long-term effects].
6. There is no consensus on the environmental risks of GM crops.
7. International agreements show widespread recognition of risks posed by GM foods and crops.

The conclusion reads in part:

In a time when there is major pressure on the science community from corporate and political interests, it is of utmost importance that scientists working for the public interest take a stand against attempts to reduce and compromise the rigour of examination of new applications in favor of rapid commercialization of new and emerging technologies that are expected to generate profit and economic growth

Decisions on the future of our food and agriculture should not be based on misleading and misrepresentative claims by an internal circle of likeminded stakeholders that a scientific consensus exists on GMO safety.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.