Debate raging over genetically modified foods, including sweet corn

Debate raging over genetically modified foods, including 

sweet corn 

The corn surrounding Oxford seems taller than ever this summer. Hopefully, it’s a sign of a good year for our hard-working local farmers — they deserve it after last year’s destructive heat and drought.

Nearly all corn grown here and nationally is feed corn, which means it is fed to animals or processed into products such as corn syrup. Sweet corn, which we directly consume, such as corn-on-the-cob, is only 1 percent of the corn crop.

In the United States, 88 percent of feed corn is genetically modified (GM). Until recently, very little sweet corn has been GM.

GM is defined by the World Health Organization as food derived from organisms whose genetic material (DNA) has been modified in a way that does not occur naturally. GM seeds are produced in a laboratory through introduction of genes from different organisms rather than through crosspollination in nature.

Last year, Monsanto, the world’s largest manufacturer of GM seeds, introduced GM sweet corn. Walmart is selling it.

Local farmers selling corn through the Oxford Farmers Market Uptown and MOON Co-op are not knowingly using GM seeds. Nationally, Kroger, Trader Joe’s, and Whole Foods, have refused to sell Monsanto’s GM sweet corn.

The benefits of GM include higher yields and greater resistance to pests. Independent testers, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, find no greater health risk from GM food.

Earlier this year, Monsanto was honored with the World Food Prize, regarded as the “Nobel Peace Prize of Agriculture,” for its leadership in GM seeds. GM seeds, says the World Food Prize, will feed a growing world population.

Opponents say that planting GM seeds destroys long-standing ecological balances in local agriculture. Consuming large quantities of GM is alleged to reduce the effectiveness of antibiotics.

Europeans are especially strongly opposed to GM food because they believe it is less safe and nutritious than traditionally bred crops and livestock. European governments have banned or severely restricted the growing and import of most GM products. Those that are sold in Europe must be labeled as GM.

GM foods sold in the United States do not need to be labeled. Voters in California last year turned down a proposition that would have required labeling of GM foods.

For those who wish to avoid GM corn, in the absence of labels, the best strategy is to know your growers. At MOON Co-op Grocery, locally grown and raised food is identified with the name of the specific farm. GM products, including corn, are not knowingly sold at MOON.

At the same time, those who avoid GM products recognize that GM corn and soybeans play important roles in our local farm economy and the beautiful agricultural landscape surrounding Oxford.

Several local growers have been supplying non-GM sweet corn to MOON Co-op, Oxford’s consumer-owned full-service grocery featuring natural, local, organic, sustainable, and Earth-friendly products. The store, located at 512 S. Locust St. in Oxford, is open to the public every day. www.mooncoop.coop

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