Genetic modification. Are GMOs harmful or beneficial to humans, list of genetically modified products

If you move modern man two or three hundred years ago, he would probably have died of starvation. Modern technologies have made life easier for busy people. Now we practically no longer prepare nutritious food. Instant food, semi-finished products and ready-made meals delivered to your home - that's all a tired person needs at the end of the working day. For many people, the process of cooking has become impossible due to the busy life that most major cities live.

For many residents of the metropolis, a hot home-cooked dinner is a childhood memory. Do not forget that all these products that are familiar to city dwellers from a bag bought in a supermarket are simply stuffed with various chemical additives: taste improvers, flavors, dyes, preservatives, a huge amount of salt and GMOs. The decoding of these letters is known, if not to everyone, then to very many. Most people on the planet have heard of such products, but not everyone is aware of the consequences of their consumption.

Why are GMOs needed?

The term GMO, which stands for “genetically modified organism,” was introduced by scientists in the twentieth century. What does it mean?

Genetics is the science that studies the properties of genes and their manipulations that will help humanity in the future. The creation of such organisms was dictated by the natural need to develop food for the Earth's population, whose numbers are growing every year. Over two hundred years, the number of people living on our planet has grown by five billion, and this process has not ended. The scientific world is concerned about this growth in the human population, so it is creating genetic engineering products that could provide a stable population for the inhabitants of the planet.

Plants change

Plant species have changed greatly over the past centuries. Many species have disappeared, and those that remain have been transformed beyond recognition. For example, carrots in their original form were unusual for us purple and we would hardly like the taste.

It was used as medicinal plant. But thanks to the efforts of breeders, we eat carrots in the form in which we are used to now, and we don’t even think that everything was once different. We grow and cultivate those types of plants that are convenient for us to use as food. Thus, many species are left unattended and simply disappear from the face of the Earth.

Selection and genetic engineering have been part of our everyday lives for quite some time now and have ceased to be something supernatural. We and our children consume high-tech products every day, without even noticing it and without thinking about what this could lead to for our humanity in the future.

First stage

Selection is the process of biological crossing of similar organisms in order to obtain a new species with better adaptive characteristics. This process began in ancient times. Thus, animals were domesticated and wild plant species became cultivated.

Through selection, different species of plants and animals are crossed, resulting in an organism that has the required properties. For example, frost-resistant wheat or large strawberries. Scientists even tried to crossbreed a lion and a tiger, a dog and a cat, and these experiments had some success.

Discovery of GMOs

The further stage of progress was the development of genetic engineering. Genetic scientists created a sensation with their bold statement: “We can create organisms with the properties that humanity requires without much difficulty.” The concept of GMOs was introduced. The meaning of the abbreviation is genetically modified organism. This opened up enormous opportunities for a large group of people. Imagine for yourself: millions of farmers suffer from crop failure, poor growth and development of livestock. Some vegetable and fruit crops are difficult to store and transport over long distances. In cold regions it is simply impossible to grow many heat-loving plants. These and many other difficulties can be solved with the help of genetic engineering.

The creation of the first similar products and the introduction of the term GMO, the meaning of which is clear to us, inspired researchers, politicians, businessmen and ordinary people. Scientists rejoiced new opportunity great discoveries, politicians admired the prospects of the mechanisms of power, businessmen began to calculate future profits, and ordinary people were surprised at the height of technical progress.

What are the benefits of genetic engineering?

The ability to decipher and defragment the genome of any organism has made it possible for genetic scientists to isolate a section of the DNA of one organism responsible for a certain property and insert it into the DNA of another.

So, the donor DNA endowed the recipient organism with its own special property. In this way, potatoes with the genes of the scorpion and the Colorado potato beetle, resistant to insect pests, appeared. An example would also be tomatoes and strawberries with the introduced flounder gene, which are frost-resistant. Genetic manipulations are actively carried out with animals. Examples - breeding cows consisting only of muscle tissue, and chickens with disproportionately large legs. All these organisms are capable of protecting farmers from the vagaries of nature and field pests, giving them a stable profit. Genetic experiments have made it possible to produce perfectly beautiful and smooth fruits and vegetables that can be stored for a long time without losing their appearance and can be easily transported over long distances. For businessmen, this is a real Klondike.

Farmers, rapeseed and politics

Politicians see the term GMO (the abbreviation as “genetically modified organism”) as an attractive facet. It all started with the creation of transgenic rapeseed, which became resistant to weeds and pests. The new crop grew to the happiness of the farm owners, gave an excellent harvest, and its seeds scattered throughout the surrounding area. The joy of American farmers gave way to deep concern when this rapeseed began to fill all nearby fields and crowd out other crops. This turned out to be a real problem for plant growers and aroused the interest of political figures. You can use the spores of a certain plant to infest the fields of an unfriendly country and thus weaken its economy. And then a good pricing policy will interest you in purchasing GMOs of your own production.

Why were GMOs developed?

GMOs were originally created to meet the food needs of hungry people in Southern Africa. Residents of the region have never heard of GMOs. The decoding (what it is) and the features of such products were unknown to them. The idea seemed brilliant and very humane. But why then did the African government soon ban the import of GMOs into the country? The population and government of the starving region preferred local, albeit meager, but familiar and safe food. All progressive humanity has pondered this fact. Are genetically engineered foods really that bad for humanity?

Experimental studies

Doubts among scientists about the safety of GMOs have led to a number of studies. An experiment was conducted in which male and pregnant female rats participated. The experimental animals were divided into two groups.

One group, called the control group, was offered their usual food. Another group of rats were fed GMO soybeans. As a result, rat droppings last group a large percentage of stillborn cubs were identified. About 35% of the surviving offspring were smaller and had low body weight compared to the control group. Scientists also discovered pathological changes in the blood supply to the testicles and destruction of liver cells in males.

Female, male and infant rats fed transgenic soy as food showed increased levels of anxiety and aggression. Then the researchers tried to get a second generation from the first one. In the control group this was achieved without difficulty. In the second one it was not possible to do this. Thus, we can conclude that GMOs have a detrimental effect on the body, inhibiting reproductive function and causing mutations in offspring. This is such an unfavorable decoding for GMOs. Soy has become synonymous with death.

The modified gene itself is not able to integrate into human DNA, but when it enters the digestive tract, it is perceived as foreign, causing allergic reactions. By the way, in the USA, where the law is relatively loyal to GMOs, allergy sufferers account for about 70% of the population. And in Hungary, where the use of GMOs is prohibited by law, only 8% of citizens suffer from allergies.

State against GMOs

These shocking facts have been taken into account by all progressive humanity. People concerned about their health avoid consuming GMOs. Measures have also been introduced at the state level. In Japan, the permissible limit for the content of transgenic substances in a product is 5%, in the USA - 10%, in Europe and Russia - 0.9%. Greenpeace activists are actively fighting to ensure that GMOs are not allowed in baby food. There is a provision that a product containing a transgenic substance must be labeled accordingly. But not every manufacturer is ready to honestly declare the presence of such a substance in their products. For a businessman, this is a sure way to lose most of his customers. Therefore, you need to carefully read the composition.

GMO. Decoding on food products. General information

The definition of the term GMO was presented above. Products of genetic engineering are marked with specific alphabetic and numeric symbols. We often see the presence of substances with index E in a product. This is a kind of GMO decoding (which contains an unsafe component, we will list below).

Here is a list of these additives:

E101 and E101 A (B2, riboflavin);

E153 (carbonate);

From E301 to E304;

From E306 to E309;

From E325 to E327;

From E460 to E469;

E470 and E570;

Fatty acid esters (E471, E472a&b, E473, E475, E476, E479b);

E481 (sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate);

From E620 to E633 (glutamic acid and glutamates);

From E626 to E629 (guanylic acid and guanylates);

From E630 to E633 (inosinic acid and inosinates);

E951 (aspartame);

E953 (isomaltite);

E965 (maltinol);

E957 (thaumatin).

This list is a GMO transcript, where information about the safety of a particular product is obtained. You can independently study the composition on the label and assess whether the product contains a transgenic organism.

Which manufacturers use GMOs?

A list of companies and their products that contain transgenic substances has been compiled. New items are regularly added to the list, and old ones are removed from it (due to the cessation of the use of GMOs). Here is the list brands permanent members of this list:

TM Mars, which produces Mars, Snickers chocolate bars, etc.

TM Nestle, producing chocolate and baby food.

TM Heinz, manufacturers of sauces and ketchups.

TM Coca-Cola and Pepsi with their super popular products.

Fast food chain Mc'Donalds.

TM Danone, producing dairy products.

TM Kellogs and breakfast cereals that we are used to giving to children.

TM Cadbury, producing chocolate and cocoa.

Ferrero TM, which produces Rafaello, Kinder, TicTac products.

TM Similac, specializing in the production of baby food.

Baby food HIPP and Unilever.

Parmalat cookies.

Campbell Soups.

Hellmans and Knorr sauces.

TM Kraft, producing baby food, chips and chocolate.

Lipton tea.

Uncle Benz rice.

How to protect yourself and your family?

Now you know manufacturers who use transgenic products. You have a GMO decoding, which means a guarantee of safety for the whole family. This information is especially important for expectant mothers and babies.

GMO decoding should not cause bewilderment or surprise among educators. You should clearly monitor what children eat in kindergartens and understand the responsibility for the health of the younger generation. On the issue of “GMOs: decoding, school and nutrition of students,” adjustments are being made at the state level. It is unacceptable to give transgenic foods to children. Scientists say that such food causes persistent allergic reactions, eczema, rashes, neurological disorders, syndrome chronic fatigue, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome and digestive disorders.

Every person on the planet should understand the responsibility for consuming GMOs (you already know the definition of the term). You need to be especially sensitive to children who are not yet able to appreciate the seriousness of the problem. Parents and employees must be responsible for them preschool institutions, schools.

Genetically modified organism (GMO) - an organism whose genotype was artificially changed using genetic engineering methods. This definition can be applied to plants, animals and microorganisms. WHO gives a narrower definition: “Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are organisms (i.e. plants, animals or microorganisms) whose genetic material (DNA) has been changed in a way that would not be possible in nature through reproduction or natural recombination." . Genetic changes are usually made in scientific or economic purposes. Genetic modification is distinguished by a purposeful change in the genotype of an organism, in contrast to the random one characteristic of the natural and artificial mutation process.

The main type of genetic modification currently is the use of transgenes to create transgenic organisms.

IN agriculture And food industry GMOs refer only to organisms modified by the introduction of one or more transgenes into their genome.

Experts have obtained scientific evidence that there is no increased danger in products made from genetically modified organisms as such compared to traditional products.

Encyclopedic YouTube

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Subtitles

It’s no longer a secret that professional sports are competitions not of people but of farm technologies. In 2008, the Chinese took over the hosting of the Olympic Games and promised to demonstrate a sports miracle, and they succeeded. Having previously taken third and fourth place in the national team competition in 2008, they not only became first. overtook the closest competitor, the US national team, you are short and frail by nature, the Chinese got one of the tallest basketball teams in the world and one of the strongest weight lifting teams, they began to swim and run well, which was not very noticeable for them before, this is not just an increase in results, this is an explosion what kind of explosive is this that ensured such acceleration back in 2006, 200,000 doping tests were made in the world and turned out to be positive, only about two percent does this mean that the remaining ninety-eight percent of athletes certainly do not use any artificial drugs or methods, maybe it’s the matter the fact that some are worn and some have not yet learned to identify and maybe gene doping has long been a conspiracy rumor all over the world, scientists are working to literally rewrite our genetic code through genetic modification and gene editing to illustrate the possibility of interfering with the human code in that Among other things, for sporting purposes, we present open data on the crispr cas9 system; this is a revolutionary method of genome editing that can modify any region of the genome of any species with high accuracy and without damaging other genes; what can be done using crispr cas9; remove unwanted genes; add new ones; activate dead genes that are more do not function to control the activity of genes and this is only the information that is in the public domain, it is naive to assume that such work has not been and is not being carried out in the secret military, and back in 2016, Bashar Jeffrey, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Syria, made a shocking statement that the U.S. are using genetically modified soldiers in Syria, even our series, organizations such as darpa, the Office of Advanced Research Projects of the US Department of Defense are already beginning to gradually prepare the world for the perception of a new reality, as part of this campaign, darpa, despite the secrecy, invited science fiction writer Simon Kanva to its laboratory and showed some of his achievements, allowing him to write about what he saw, as it turned out, an army of genetically modified people is not far away, so darpa presented a grant of $ 40 million to the University of California and Pennsylvania for the development of implants that control memory about the Institute for Preclinical Research of the University of Texas is working under the darpa program on means of survival with There are many significant blood loss institutes and universities and biological laboratories in the United States, and each one works in its assigned area. Some laboratories work on enzyme complexes that help to survive at low temperatures. Others work on strengthening the skeleton and gaining muscle mass. We see distant echoes of such research in the results of laboratories that are completely open to the public. who breed unusually muscular mice or dogs, this work began in the 90s, 20 years ago, and this is absolutely open, and the research that is written about in scientific journals, what results the military has achieved at their closed facilities for such a long time and having unlimited funding, one can only guess On the eve of massive Russian air raids on terrorist positions, there were always many reports that American helicopters were arriving at the bases of the militants they controlled and taking out the terrorist leaders, but where does such concern come from about a couple of some bearded militants for the sake of which a ton of kerosene and the engine life of an innova helicopter are wasted? to save terrorist leaders and to save valuable experimental material from a secret genetically modified organism, most recently Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke out on the topic of genetic modifications, explaining that this kind of experiment is worse than an atomic bomb, that they should either be strictly controlled or should be banned altogether. genetic code created either by nature or people with religious views say by God the consequences practically which of this can occur this means that it is already possible to imagine it even not very theoretically it is already possible to practically imagine that a person can create a person with given characteristics it could be a brilliant mathematician it could be a brilliant musician, but maybe also a military man who can fight without fear and without a feeling of compassion, regret and without pain, and that is, you understand, humanity can and most likely will enter in the near future a very difficult and very responsible period in the development of its existence, and that’s also what we’re talking about I also said it can be worse than a nuclear bomb when we do something and no matter what we do, I want to repeat this again, we should never forget about the moral and ethical foundations, it is obvious that Putin in his own words made a hint about secret genetic experiments of the United States, it can be assumed that soon in the future, a new philosophy will be promoted: synthetically modified genes, this is honestly gene doping, this is what eliminates the injustice committed by nature, nature is cruel, it gifts some generously and deprives others, the deprived have no chance of becoming the first under no circumstances, under no desire, under any training, the only thing that can help is the mind of medical doctors and the scientific progress of a society where gene doping is widespread and consists of millions of mutants, non-mutants will have a place in such a society, less and less old-style people will be doomed to extinction because they will not be able to compete super taxi drivers with phenomenal reactions super loaders working two shifts at a high pace, super-soldiers who know no fear and pain, a brave new world, it may seem to you that all this is fantasy and has nothing to do with reality, let’s see, the wait won’t be long, after all, the future, to one degree or another, depends on each of us, yes in the USA they allowed the creation of genetically modified people in this matter, the science of these but clashing heads, the balance may be preserved, but it all depends on how far the scientist will go, well, let's figure out what the US Academy of Sciences and Medicine can give the green light for, presented a report on lifting the ban on the creation in the future people with their genome edited, but with a reservation, only correction of mutations leading to the occurrence of severe hereditary diseases is allowed; we are not talking about improvements in human traits and the ability to fear falling behind competitors too high; the main competitors in this matter are China and India; their views on genetics are different, after all If we forget for a second about the ethical objections, intrusion into genetics can give a colossal advantage even at the level of entire countries, so the slightest increase in the level of intelligence through gene editing can have a huge impact on the growth of science, but in sports, imagine what advantages scientists say that with the help of genetics can even suppress the tendency to violence it will reduce the crime rate in general if we are talking about some people call them super people who maybe there are some other natural ways to improve a person but the most striking example of the so-called positive eugenics Singapore concept was developed by the Prime Minister Minister of Singapore, this is such a culling of undesirables, local sociologists noticed that many educated women do not start a family and do not give birth to children; men take poor Malayan Indian women as wives under the patronage of the state, they created two marriage agencies that were essentially engaged in pimping people with a high level of intelligence and good health at the expense states organized cruises, built special cafes, gyms, the resulting couples were paid huge benefits, such love for the homeland of Great Britain, they finally legalized the creation of embryos using the DNA of 3 people, so the kingdom will become the first country in the world where next year a newborn with three parents will be born according to scientists new technology will prevent the transmission of genetic disorders from mother to child, but critics believe that the decision to allow the birth of babies with deliberately altered genes may lead in the future to the emergence of so-called designer children, that is, people with specified properties in Kyiv, a child was born using the method cytoplasmic donation, in other words, from three Ukrainian parents, doctors became the first in Europe to succeed in such a procedure

Purposes of creating GMOs

The use of both individual genes from different species and their combinations in the creation of new transgenic varieties and lines is part of the FAO strategy for the characterization, conservation and use of genetic resources in agriculture and food processing.

A 2012 study (based also on reports from seed companies) of the use of transgenic soybeans, corn, cotton and canola from 1996 to 2011 found that herbicide-tolerant crops were cheaper to grow and, in some cases, more productive. Crops containing the insecticide produced greater yields, especially in developing countries where previously used pesticides were ineffective. Also, insect-resistant crops were found to be cheaper to grow in developed countries. , according to a meta-analysis conducted in 2014, the yield of GMO crops due to the reduction in losses from pests is 21.6% higher than that of non-modified crops, while the consumption of pesticides is lower by 36.9%, the cost of pesticides is reduced by 39, 2%, and the income of agricultural producers increases by 68.2%.

Methods for creating GMOs

The main stages of creating GMOs:

1. Obtaining an isolated gene. 2. Introduction of the gene into a vector for transfer into the body. 3. Transfer of the vector with the gene into the modified organism. 4. Transformation of body cells. 5. Selection of genetically modified organisms and elimination of those that have not been successfully modified.

The process of gene synthesis is now very well developed and even largely automated. There are special devices equipped with computers, in the memory of which programs for the synthesis of various nucleotide sequences are stored. This apparatus synthesizes DNA segments up to 100-120 nitrogen bases in length (oligonucleotides).

If unicellular organisms or multicellular cell cultures are subject to modification, then at this stage cloning begins, that is, the selection of those organisms and their descendants (clones) that have undergone modification. When the task is to obtain multicellular organisms, cells with an altered genotype are used for vegetative propagation of plants or introduced into the blastocysts of a surrogate mother when it comes to animals. As a result, cubs are born with a changed or unchanged genotype, among which only those that exhibit the expected changes are selected and crossed with each other.

Application

In research

Currently, genetically modified organisms are widely used in fundamental and applied scientific research. With the help of genetically modified organisms, the patterns of development of certain diseases (Alzheimer's disease, cancer), the processes of aging and regeneration are studied, the functioning of the nervous system is studied, and a number of others are solved current problems biology and modern medicine.

In medicine and pharmaceutical industry

Genetically modified organisms have been used in applied medicine since 1982. This year, genetically engineered human insulin, produced using genetically modified bacteria, was registered as a medicine. Currently, the pharmaceutical industry produces large number medicines based on recombinant human proteins: such proteins are produced by genetically modified microorganisms or genetically modified animal cell lines. Genetic modification in this case means that a human protein gene is introduced into the cell (for example, the insulin gene, the interferon gene, the beta-follitropin gene). This technology makes it possible to isolate proteins not from donor blood, but from GM organisms, which reduces the risk of infection of drugs and increases the purity of the isolated proteins. Work is underway to create genetically modified plants that produce components of vaccines and medicines against dangerous infections (plague, HIV). Proinsulin obtained from genetically modified safflower is in clinical trials. A drug against thrombosis based on protein from the milk of transgenic goats has been successfully tested and approved for use.

In agriculture

Genetic engineering is used to create new plant varieties that are resistant to unfavorable environmental conditions and pests and have better growth and taste qualities.

Genetically modified varieties of forest species with a significant cellulose content in wood and rapid growth are being tested.

However, some companies place restrictions on the use of genetically modified seeds they sell, prohibiting the sowing of self-made seeds. This is achieved through legal restrictions such as contracts, patents or seed licensing. Also, for such restrictions, restrictive technologies were at one time being developed (English) Russian(GURT), which were never used in commercially available GM lines. . GURT technologies either make grown seeds sterile (V-GURT) or require special chemicals to manifest the property introduced by modification (T-GURT). It is worth noting that F1 hybrids are widely used in agriculture, which, like GMO varieties, require annual purchases of seed material. Some products contain a gene that makes pollen sterile, for example the barnase gene obtained from the bacterium en: Bacillus amyloliquefaciens.

Since 1996, when the cultivation of GM crops began, the area occupied by GM crops has grown to 175 million hectares in 2013 (more than 11% of all global cultivated areas). Such plants are grown in 27 countries, especially widely in the USA, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, India, China, and since 2012, the production of GM varieties by developing countries has exceeded production in industrialized countries. Of the 18 million farmers growing GM crops, more than 90% are small farms in developing countries.

As of 2013, 36 countries that regulate the use of GM crops issued 2,833 permits for the use of such crops, of which 1,321 were for food consumption and 918 for livestock feed. A total of 27 GM crops (336 varieties) are allowed on the market; the main crops are: soybeans, corn, cotton, canola, and potatoes. Of the GM crops used, the vast majority of areas are occupied by crops that are resistant to herbicides, insect pests, or crops with a combination of these properties.

In animal husbandry

Gene editing has been used to create pigs that are potentially resistant to African swine fever. Changing five “letters” in the DNA code of the RELA gene in farmed animals produced a variant of the gene that supposedly protects their wild relatives, warthogs and bush pigs, from the disease.

Other directions

Genetically modified bacteria are being developed that can produce environmentally friendly fuel.

In 2003, GloFish appeared on the market - the first genetically modified organism created for aesthetic purposes, and the first pet of its kind. Thanks to genetic engineering, the popular aquarium fish Danio rerio has received several bright fluorescent colors.

In 2009, a GM rose variety “Applause” with blue flowers went on sale. Thus, the centuries-old dream of breeders who unsuccessfully tried to breed “blue roses” came true.

Safety

Recombinant DNA technology, which appeared in the early 1970s, opened up the possibility of producing organisms containing foreign genes (genetically modified organisms). This caused public concern and started a debate about the safety of such manipulations.

When asked about the safety of products made from genetically modified organisms, the World Health Organization responds that it is impossible to make general statements about the danger or safety of such products, but that a separate assessment is necessary in each case, since different genetically modified organisms contain different genes. WHO also believes that GM products available on the international market have undergone safety tests and have been consumed by populations of entire countries without observed effects, and accordingly are unlikely to pose a health hazard.

Currently, experts have obtained scientific data indicating that there is no increased danger of products from genetically modified organisms in comparison with products obtained from organisms bred by traditional methods [ ] . As noted in the 2010 report of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Science and Information:

The main conclusion emerging from the efforts of more than 130 research projects, spanning 25 years of research and involving more than 500 independent research groups, is that biotechnology and, in particular, GMOs as such are no more dangerous than, e.g. , traditional plant breeding technologies

However, some scientists have raised concerns about the lack of long-term studies (2 years or more), the observed effects in some cases, and the possible shortcomings of existing tests.

Use of herbicide-resistant crops in combination with herbicides wide range negatively affects the biodiversity of wild plants, the fauna of agricultural lands, and also reduces the rotation of crops necessary to increase land fertility and reduce pathogen load.

Regulation

In some countries, the creation, production, and use of products using GMOs are subject to government regulation. Including in Russia, where several types of transgenic products have been studied and approved for use.

Until 2014, in Russia GMOs could only be grown in experimental plots; the import of certain varieties (not seeds) of corn, potatoes, soybeans, rice and sugar beets (22 plant lines in total) was allowed. On July 1, 2014, Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated September 23, 2013 No. 839 “On state registration of genetically engineered modified organisms intended for release into environment, as well as products obtained using such organisms or containing such organisms." On June 16, 2014, the Government of the Russian Federation adopted Resolution No. 548 on postponing the entry into force of Resolution No. 839 by 3 years, that is, to July 1, 2017.

In February 2015, a bill banning the cultivation of GMOs in Russia was submitted to the State Duma, which was adopted in the first reading in April 2015. The ban does not apply to the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) for examinations and research work. According to the bill, the government will be able to ban the import of genetically modified organisms and products into Russia based on the results of monitoring their impact on humans and the environment. Importers of genetically modified organisms and products will be required to undergo registration procedures. For the use of GMOs in violation of the permitted type and conditions of use, administrative liability is provided: it is proposed to set a fine for officials in the amount of 10 thousand to 50 thousand rubles; for legal entities - from 100 to 500 thousand rubles.

List of GMOs approved for use in Russia, including as food by the population:

Public opinion

Public opinion polls show that the public as a whole is not very aware of the basics of biotechnology. Most people believe statements like: Regular tomatoes do not contain genes, unlike transgenic tomatoes.

According to molecular biologist Anne Glover, opponents of GMOs suffer from a “form of mental insanity.” A. Glover's expressions led to her resignation from her post as chief scientific adviser to the Council of Europe.

In 2016 more than 120 Nobel laureates(including doctors and biologists) signed a letter calling on Greenpeace, the United Nations and governments around the world to stop fighting genetically modified organisms.

GMOs and religion

According to the Orthodox Jewish Union, genetic modifications do not affect the kosher quality of a product.

See also

Notes

1. WHO |  Frequently asked questions about genetically modified foods (undefined) . www.who.int. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
2. genetically modified organism  Rome, 2001, FAO, ISSN 1020-0541
3. European Commission Directorate-General for Research and Innovation;  Directorate E - Biotechnologies, Agriculture, Food;  Unit E2 - Biotechnologies (2010) p.16
4. What is agricultural biotechnology?  // The state of food and agriculture 2003-2004: The state of food and agriculture 2003-2004.  Agricultural Biotechnology.  FAO Agriculture Series No. 35. (2004)
5. Leshchinskaya I.B. Genetic engineering (Russian)(1996). Retrieved September 4, 2009. Archived January 21, 2012.
6. Brookes G, Barfoot P. The global income and production effects of genetically modified (GM) crops 1996-2011. GM Crops Food.  2012 Oct-Dec;3(4):265-72.
7. Klümper, Wilhelm; Qaim, Matin (2014). “A Meta-Analysis of the Impacts of Genetically Modified Crops.” PLoS ONE. 9 (11): –111629. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0111629 . Verified 2015-12-24.
8. Trait Introduction Method: Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated plant transformation
9. Microparticle bombardment of plant cells or tissue
10. Safety of Genetically Engineered Foods: Approaches to Assessing Unintended Health Effects (2004)
11. Jeffrey Green, Thomas Ried. Genetically Engineered Mice for Cancer Research: Design, Analysis, Pathways, Validation and Pre-clinical Testing. Springer, 2011
12. Patrick R. Hof, Charles V. Mobbs. Handbook of the neuroscience of aging. p537-542
13. Cisd2 deficiency drives premature aging and causes mitochondria-mediated defects in mice//Genes & Dev. 2009. 23: 1183-1194
14. Insulin soluble [human genetically engineered (Insulin soluble): instructions, use and formula]
15. History of the development of biotechnology (Russian) (unavailable link). Retrieved September 4, 2009. Archived July 12, 2007.
16. Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala. UCF professor develops vaccine to protect against black plague bioterror attack(English) (30 July 2008). Retrieved October 3, 2009. Archived January 21, 2012.
17. Obtaining an anti-HIV drug from plants (Russian)(April 1, 2009, 12:35). Retrieved September 4, 2009. Archived January 21, 2012.
18. Insulin from plants is being tested in humans (Russian) (inaccessible link - story) . MEMBRANA (January 12, 2009). Retrieved September 4, 2009.
19. Irina Vlasova. American patients will receive a goat (Russian) (unavailable link)(11 February 2009, 16:22). Retrieved September 4, 2009. Archived April 6, 2009.
20. Matt Ridley. Genome: The Autobiography of a Species In 23 Chapters.HarperCollins, 2000, 352 pages
21. The Mission Impossible of Genetic Redesign For Longevity
22. Elements - science news: Transgenic cotton helped Chinese peasants defeat a dangerous pest
23. And Russia is overgrown with transgenic birches… |  Science and technology |  Science and technology Russia
24. Monsanto Seed Saving and Legal Activities
25. Caleb Garling (San Francisco Chronicle), Monsanto seed suit and software patents // SFGate, February 23, 2013: “company’s genetically modified and pesticide-resistant seeds, which are patent-protected. .. Monsanto uses a similar strategy with its seeds. Farmers license their use; technically, they don’t buy them.”
26. Are GM plants fertile, or farmers have to buy new seeds every year? // EuropaBio: "All GM plants commercialized are as fertile as their conventional counterparts."
27. GM Events with Male sterility
28. Gene: barnase

As a prologue: Genetic engineering is the work of an alchemist - mix everything and look at the result, but only the result of this alchemy can become a monster.

I have long wanted to write an article about what GMOs are and whether they bring harm or benefit. Today there is a lot of talk about the terrible GMOs, but all this is at the level of talk and scarecrows. They show a lot on TV, but everything is also very unclear and unfounded. I decided to try to understand what it is, what impact GMOs have on humans and nature. There is very little information on the topic of GMOs on the Internet, mostly a few articles, but the information is minimal, and you can’t trust it, even the all-knowing Wikipedia gets by with a very meager article. In my search for complete and reliable information on this topic, I came across a collection of articles entitled “GMOs - the Hidden Threat.” So let's look at this problem together.

First. Let's start with a definition. Explanation GMO - genetically modified organism. GMI is a genetically modified source. A GMO is an organism in which the gene/genes of another organism have been artificially inserted into its genetic apparatus (genome).
All GM plants are divided into two categories. Some are resistant to herbicides (mostly Roundup), so that fields can be watered with these herbicides and protect the crop from pests. The second part is plants that contain Bt toxin, which makes the plant poisonous to pests.

Second. Why is all this needed? Everything is very simple here. In order to give a certain plant the necessary properties, many years of selection work are needed (selection of plants with a certain property, crossing with other varieties, but the result is difficult to achieve, it is often unpredictable). In the case of GMOs, when a certain gene is inserted, the plant acquires the desired properties - everything is simple and fast. In this way, varieties are instilled with resistance to certain pests, resistance to certain pesticides, increased yield, etc. All this simplifies agricultural technology, and therefore reduces the cost of production. On this side, the goal is noble - food becomes cheaper, you can feed the entire planet... But is this so?

Third. Spread of GM organisms. The main GMO crops that have undergone GM technologies are soybeans, potatoes, corn, rapeseed, grains, and rice. Through these crops, GM components reach food producers - in flour, chocolates, sausages, all kinds of food additives, baby food, etc.
A number of companies supply GM products to Russia and the volume of supplies is growing every year. If we talk about seeds and plant varieties, then in 2003 in Russia it was allowed to grow 9 GM varieties, in 2009 - already 15 varieties (soybeans, corn, potatoes, rice, sugar beets).

Fourth. The danger of GMOs. What could be the hidden problem here? Each organism has a very complex structure - tens of thousands of genes work (more than 50 thousand genes, of which 200-300 have been relatively studied). Each one is not only responsible for its own work, but all genes interact with each other. The inserted foreign gene works not only for itself, but also changes the work of other genes. To date, these processes have not been studied, and it is impossible to determine all the consequences. According to Omelchenko’s research, 1% of all mutations in GM organisms can be toxic. The technology for creating GMOs itself is dangerous. The gene is inserted into the host DNA chain by a vector bacterium. But it is impossible to determine in advance exactly in which area the foreign gene will be inserted, and whether unwanted debris (various bacteria) will be introduced.

Risks of spreading GMOs:

1. As I already wrote, GMOs are created to be resistant to certain pests (the Colorado potato beetle, for example). As a result of the cultivation of GM crops, pests and viruses mutate and become more aggressive and resistant even to GM crops, this leads to the emergence of races of super-pests! Therefore, the creation of such crops for the purpose of pest resistance does not justify itself! And pests can also move from conventional food to other traditional varieties and crops and put them at risk.

2. The effect of GMOs on human health has not been studied. But latest research have proven that the spread of allergies in children is the work of GM soybeans (by the way, the European Union has banned the use of GM raw materials in baby food for this reason)! There is also another danger - an embedded foreign gene can pass into the intestinal microflora. The result is the spread of new bacteria, and the intestines may become resistant to antibiotics! Plasmids (with the help of which the necessary genes are transferred) can themselves carry various information - from the pathogenicity of fungi to the sterility of plants. The use of crops with Bt toxin leads to crop toxicity not only for certain pests, but also for humans (many proteins are toxic to humans, but some have not even been studied).

3. The impact of the spread of GM crops on biodiversity is unknown. Stronger crops can push competitors out of natural ecosystems. But we know that diversity is the key to the sustainability of nature. Another danger is that GMOs may subsequently mutate or degenerate due to natural factors, and by this time the natural forms will already be destroyed. GM plants that contain Bt toxin kill not only pests, but when they get into the soil they destroy many other animals and protozoa!

4. Weeds that are not resistant to pesticides will eventually adapt and become insensitive, creating super-weeds. Also, agricultural GM crops can cross-pollinate with wild weeds, which will generally lead to uncontrolled processes. Uncontrolled cross-pollination itself can cause the loss of old varieties or any wild species.

Summary: Use GMOs lead to harm to human health and destruction of the ecosystem - is it really worth it? ???

Fifth. What about in practice? Everything written above is a theory, but it is not just a theory. GM soybeans with the Brazil nut gene, which are resistant to Roundup, cause severe allergies in some people, and the same applies to GM papaya. In the USA and Canada, already in 2005, populations of pests insensitive to GM plants were discovered. In Canada, populations of GM plants have been found that are resistant to herbicides, and in India, herbicide resistance has been transferred to wild mustard, which has become a virulent weed. Ladybugs that fed on aphids on GM potatoes became infertile. The situation with GM potatoes is bleak - the Colorado potato beetle dies from it, but during storage such potatoes rot: up to 70% of the harvest (potatoes go straight to processing), and so that the Colorado potato beetle does not get used to these varieties, they need to be changed every year! If we talk about the harvest, then the new varieties turn out to be very capricious, the influence of weather plays a big role and the yield changes by 60-80% (depending on the weather - harvest/failure, but the old traditional local varieties give an average harvest, but stable and independent from the weather).
I will not continue further about the harm of GMOs, but today a huge amount of evidence has accumulated regarding the negative impact of GMOs on humans and nature.

Sixth. And who needs all this? On the one hand, there was an idea to make the production of valuable crops simple and cheap (due to resistance to pests and pesticides, increasing yields), but we clearly saw that this goal has not been achieved and this path is a dead end. If we look at the problem from the other side, then 94% of all GMOs are produced by the American company Monsanto (GMO manufacturers - Monsanto, Syngenta, Bayer Crop Saenz, Bioengineering RAS). In addition, they are trying to make GM varieties resistant to the herbicide Roundup. But Roundup is a product of the same Monsanto! GMOs are a huge business in the hands of an American corporation!
I would like to note one more important point. We talked about increasing crop yields. GMO technologies also make it possible to endow crops with other properties - so that the plant contains active substances - vaccines, growth hormones, antibodies, etc. medical point From a perspective, this is also justified - to reduce the cost of creating drugs. But there are corn and rice crops containing contraceptive proteins, immune suppressing cytokines and abortion-inducing substances! Those. the creation of such GMOs is a terrible weapon in the hands of American corporations! What will happen if such organisms leak into nature (and there have already been many such examples)?!

And one more conclusion. For Russia there are two options for the development of events. The first is that the spread of GMOs makes us dependent on American companies and jeopardizes national security and threatens the ecosystem throughout the country. The second option - abandoning GMOs and cultivating environmentally friendly products will provide us with food, independence, and importing products abroad will attract huge revenues (estimated at up to $100 billion!!!). Which path to choose is up to us to decide! Which way the scales will tip depends on you and me.

What to do. I decided to write this article to briefly and clearly outline the threat of harm to GMOs in Russia that hangs over us. But the goal is not to intimidate, no, the goal is to understand the problem. What to do?

1. In the store, reduce the number of products of unknown origin. Nobody knows what Snickers or sausage contains. Natural products will reduce the risk of GMOs getting onto your table. Replace Snickers with a bar of Russian natural chocolate (or make your own chocolate from cocoa), and skip the sausage. The simpler and clearer the product, the fewer risks, read the composition of the product, see the address of production! Replace branded goods from international companies with locally produced goods. A list of GMO products is available on the Internet at different sources, but I won’t list them here, you need to think positively.

2. When choosing vegetables, make a choice in favor of Russian production, choose by smell. Our slightly ugly tortured cucumbers and tomatoes are tastier than Israeli or Dutch ones.

3. Vegetables from your own garden are the most delicious and healthy, so it is important to choose good old varieties. A couple of tips to reduce the risk of getting GMO seeds into your hands: avoid F1 hybrids - it’s difficult to get your own seeds from them, check each variety for presence in the list of the State Register of Varieties of the Russian Federation, look at the date of inclusion in the State Register and the manufacturer - avoid new varieties and foreign producers, If possible, study the history of the origin of the variety on our website or on the Internet - i.e. many old good varieties not in the State Register, avoid varieties that have resistance to pests (Colorado beetle, etc.) or resistance to herbicides (Roundup, etc.), exchange seeds with collectors or neighbors, create a collection of your homemade seeds - and then we won’t have GMOs threat!

While writing this article, I found an interesting website on the subject of GMOs - www.biosafety.ru

In the article I did not touch upon the problem of obtaining GMOs, the problem of DNA isolation and recognition of GM organisms, the problem of standardizing GM varieties - these are very deep and difficult issues that exist.

Here is a small analysis of GMOs that I did.

Classmates

“Food is power! We use it to change people's behavior. Some will call this blackmail. We don’t care, we don’t intend to apologize..." Catherine Bertini

GMO is short for Genetically Modified Organisms. That is, these are food products, as well as living organisms created using genetic engineering.

Every plant and animal, including humans, has thousands of different characteristics. For example, in plants this is the color of leaves, the number of seeds, the amount and types of vitamins in fruits, etc. A specific gene is responsible for each trait (Greek genos - hereditary factor). A gene is a small piece of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecule and gives rise to certain sign plant or animal. If you remove the gene responsible for the appearance of a trait, the trait itself will disappear. On the contrary, if a new gene is introduced, a new quality will arise in the plant or animal. Modified organisms are euphoniously called transgenic, but it would be more correct to call them mutants (Latin - modified).

People first started talking about new transgenic plants back in the early 80s, when in 1983 a group of scientists from the American company Monsanto created the first genetically modified plants. At the initial stage, quite plausible goals were pursued: to create qualitatively new plants that were resistant, say, to frost, drought, pests, pesticides, radiation, etc. And already the first experiments exceeded all expectations: the experimental wheat harvest turned out to be unprecedented. And the pests simply avoided eating such delicacies. And as always, there were enterprising people who quickly realized that they could make good money on a new product. Already in 1994, the production of superplants was, as they say, put on stream. Thus began the industrial production and cultivation of gene mutants. To date, more than 2000 varieties of various plants have already been bred, which have foreign genetic inserts in their genetic structure.

An important difference between transgenic organisms and natural ones. They are completely sterile. That is, the seeds of such plants do not germinate, and animals do not give birth. Why? After all, people used to create new varieties and breeds, and everything was fine with them? The reason is that traditional breeding has one important limitation: it can only produce hybrids of related organisms. You can cross, for example, different varieties of apples, pears, and dog breeds, but you cannot cross an apple with a potato or a tomato with a fish. IN ordinary life, in the natural habitat, mating and crossing between different species, much less classes of plants or animals, as a rule, does not occur.

The introduction of alien genes of some species or classes into others leads, so to speak, to a genetic failure, blocking the processes of reproduction. It's kind of defense mechanism species conservation. Or, to put it poetically, nature’s protest against interference in its laws.

Jeffrey Smith from the Institute for Responsible Technology. An expert in the field of GMOs will talk about the dangers that lie behind products produced using genetically modified organisms.

GMOs are very unhealthy food

The American Academy of Green Medicine urges doctors to protect patients from consuming GMO foods. They cite studies that such products harm organs, digestive and immune systems, accelerate the aging process and lead to infertility. Human studies show that such foods can leave a special material in the body that over a long period of time causes a variety of health problems. For example, genes that are introduced into soybeans can be transferred into the DNA of bacteria that live inside us. Toxic insecticides produced by genetically modified corn enter the bloodstream of pregnant women and fetuses.

A large number of diseases appeared after genetically modified foods began to be produced in 1996. In America, the number of people suffering from three or more chronic diseases has increased from 7 to 13 percent in just 9 years. The number of food allergies and problems such as autism, reproductive disorders, digestive problems and others has skyrocketed. Although there have not yet been detailed studies that have confirmed that GMOs are to blame, Academy experts warn that we should not wait for these problems to come and should now protect our health, especially the health of children, who are at greatest risk.

The American Public Health Association and the American Nurses Association also warn that modified ruminant growth hormones increase levels of the hormone IGF-1 (insulin growth factor 1) in cow's milk, which is associated with the development of cancer.

GMOs are becoming more common

Genetically modified seeds are constantly spreading around the world naturally. It is impossible to completely purify our gene pool. Self-propagating GMOs can survive the challenges of global warming and the effects caused by nuclear waste. The potential impact of these organisms is very high, as they threaten subsequent generations. The spread of GMOs could cause economic losses, leaving organic farmers vulnerable as they struggle to protect their crops.

GMOs require more herbicide use

Most genetically modified crops are designed to be tolerant of weed killers. From 1996 to 2008, US farmers used approximately 174 thousand tons of herbicides for GMOs. The result was "superweeds" that were resistant to chemicals for their destruction. Farmers are forced to use more and more herbicides every year. Not only is this harmful to the environment, but such products ultimately accumulate high percentage toxic chemicals that can lead to infertility, hormonal imbalances, birth defects and cancer.

Genetic engineering has dangerous side effects

By mixing the genes of completely unrelated species, genetic engineering entails a lot of unpleasant and unexpected consequences. Moreover, regardless of the types of genes that are introduced, the process of creating a genetically modified plant itself can lead to serious negative consequences, including toxins, carcinogens, allergies, and nutritional deficiencies.

The government turns a blind eye to the dangerous consequences

Many of the health and environmental consequences of GMOs are ignored by government regulations and safety analyses. The reasons for this may be political motives. The US Food and Drug Administration, for example, has not required a single study confirming the safety of GMOs, does not require proper labeling of products and allows companies to send genetically modified products to markets without informing the agency.

They justify themselves by saying that they do not have information that GM products are significantly different from conventional ones. However, this is a lie. Secret memos the agency receives from the public who file lawsuits show that most of the agency's scientists agree that GMOs can cause unpredictable effects that are difficult to detect.

The biotech industry is hiding the facts about the dangers of GMOs

Some biotech companies try to prove that GMO foods are completely harmless using sketchy and falsified research data. Independent scientists have long refuted these claims, finding evidence that the situation is completely different. It is profitable for such companies to distort and deny information about the dangers of GMOs in order to avoid problems and stay afloat.

Independent research and reporting are criticized and suppressed

Scientists who uncover the truth about GMOs are criticized, silenced, threatened, and denied funding. Attempts at funds mass media conveying the truth about an issue to the public is censored.

GMOs harm the environment

Genetically modified crops and related herbicides harm birds, insects, amphibians, marine life and organisms living underground. They reduce species diversity, pollute water, and are not environmentally friendly. For example, GM crops have displaced monarch butterflies, whose numbers have fallen by 50 percent in the United States.

Herbicides have been shown to cause birth defects development in amphibians, embryonic death, endocrine gland disruption and organ damage in animals, even in very small doses. Genetically modified canola (a type of rapeseed) has spread to wildlife in North Dakota and California, threatening that it could transfer herbicide resistance genes to other plants and weeds.

GMOs do not increase crop yields and cannot help fight hunger

While non-GMO, sustainable agricultural practices used in developing countries increased yields by 79 percent, GMO-based methods, on average, did not increase yields at all.

The International Organization for the Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology Development, citing the opinion of 400 scientists and support from 58 countries, reported that yields from genetically modified crops are "highly variable" and in some cases are even beginning to decline. She also confirmed that with the help of GMOs it is currently impossible to fight hunger and poverty, improve nutrition, health and livelihoods in rural areas, protect the environment, and promote social development.

GMOs use those tools and resources that could be used for the development and use of other more safe methods and more reliable technologies.

By avoiding GMO foods, you can do your part to help reverse the negative consequences

Since GMOs do not provide any benefit to the consumer, many may refuse them, therefore, producing such products will become unprofitable and companies will stop offering them. In Europe, for example, back in 1999 they announced the dangers of GMOs, warning potential harm these products.

Living organisms provide a habitat for bacteria and viruses. And when they get into an animal or plant, they begin to adapt, change themselves and the environment, fight the immune system, but try to survive at all costs (this is the desire of any organism, the law of life). Therefore, those bacteria and plasmids that were used to create GMOs are not going anywhere. At least some of them remain and enter our body or the body of animals when they eat GM plants. And when it gets into the stomach and intestines, the same thing happens as when creating GMOs - transgenization (modification, mutation), only of the cells of the walls of the stomach and intestines, as well as the microflora of the digestive system.

About 70% of the human immune system is located in the intestines. Immunity drops, plasmids and GM inserts enter all organs, muscles and even the skin of a person or animal through the blood and also modify them. That is, even by eating the meat of an animal that was fed GMO food, a person becomes infected. The worst thing is that this also applies to germ cells. From mutant germ cells, children will appear with genes from other species and classes of plants and animals. Most of these genetic “chimeras” will also be infertile. Fortunately, until pronounced external manifestations these processes have not yet come to fruition. And we are unlikely to turn into an ear of corn or develop gills.

But this will make us sick more. And it has already begun! People increasingly began to complain about decreased immunity; they began to develop oncological diseases, allergic reactions. And, as you know, it is cell mutations that create the conditions for the development of cancer cells.

The above is proven by an elementary test of the effect of GM soybeans resistant to the herbicide Roundup (RR, line 40.3.2) on laboratory rats and their offspring, carried out by Doctor of Biological Sciences Ermakova I.V. The study showed increased mortality of first-generation rat pups, underdevelopment of surviving rat pups, pathological changes in organs and the absence of the second generation. At the same time, only females were fed GM soy two weeks before mating, during mating and lactation. When feeding GM soybeans, not only females, but also males were not able to obtain even the first generation. In another study, decreased fertility and decreased male testosterone concentrations were observed in Campbell hamsters when GM soybean seeds were added to their diet (lines 40.3.2).

Several years ago in Russia, every 10th young man was infertile, now every 6th, after a while - maybe every third, and so on. Products containing GM components may be one of the reasons for the development of infertility in the younger generation. There is already convincing evidence that the stability of a plant genome is disrupted when a foreign gene is inserted into it. All this can cause change chemical composition GMOs and the emergence of unexpected, including toxic properties. For example, for the production of the dietary supplement tryptophan in the USA in the late 80s. In the 20th century, a GMH bacterium was created. However, along with ordinary tryptophan, for a reason not fully understood, it began to produce ethylene bis-tryptophan, a substance that can cause muscle pain and spasms respiratory tract. As a result of its use, 5 thousand people fell ill, 37 of them died, 1,500 became disabled. Independent experts claim that genetically modified plant crops produce 1020 times more toxins than conventional organisms.

Today in Russia, 14 types of food products obtained using transgenic technologies are officially approved for use: 3 lines of soybeans, 6 lines of corn, 3 potatoes, 1 line of rice and 1 more sugar beet for sugar production.

• soybean and its forms (beans, sprouts, concentrate, flour, milk, etc.),
• corn and its forms (flour, grits, popcorn, butter, chips, starch, syrups, etc.),
• potatoes and their forms (semi-finished products, dry mashed potatoes, chips, crackers, flour, etc.),
• tomatoes and its forms (paste, puree, sauces, ketchup, etc.),
• zucchini and products made using them,
• sugar beets, table beets, sugar produced from sugar beets,
• wheat and products made using it, including bread and bakery products,
• sunflower oil,
• rice and products containing it (flour, granules, flakes, chips),
• carrots and products containing them,
• onion,
• shallots, leeks and other onion vegetables.

LIST OF INTERNATIONAL PRODUCERS NOTICED USING GMOs and huge amount chemistry:

Products that kill you, blacklist:

McDonald's, Bonduel, Orchard, Rich puree, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Nestle, Gallina Blanca, Knorr, Lipton, Pringles chips, Maggi seasonings, 7-Up, Dr. Pepper, Cheetos, Pepsi Cherry, Mountain Dew, Minute Maid Orange, Minute Maid Grape, Real Mayonnaise, Light Mayonnaise, Low-Fat Mayonnaise, Heinz Manufacturer: Ketchup (regular & no salt) (ketchup), Chili Sauce (Chili sauce), Heinz 57 Steak Sauce (meat sauce). M&M's, Snickers, Milky Way, Twix, Nestle, Crunch (chocolate rice cereal), Milk Chocolate Nestle (chocolate), Nesquik (chocolate drink), Cadbury (Cadbury/Hershey's), Fruit & Nut. Kit-Kat (chocolate bar), Kisses (candies), Semi-Sweet Baking Chips (cookies), Milk Chocolate Chips (cookies), Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (peanut butter), Special Dark (dark chocolate), Milk Chocolate ( milk chocolate), Chocolate Syrup (chocolate syrup), Special Dark Chocolate Syrup (chocolate syrup), Strawberry Syrup (strawberry syrup), Toblerone (chocolate, all types), Mini Kisses (candies), Cracklin" Oat Bran (cereals), Raisin Bran Crunch (cereals), Honey Crunch Corn Flakes (cereals), Just Right Fruit & Nut (cereals), Nutri-grain (filled toast, all flavors), Pop Tarts (filled cookies, all flavors), All-bran Apple Cinnamon/ Blueberry (apple, cinnamon, blueberry flavored bran), Frosted Flakes (cereals), Corn Flakes (cereals), Nescafe (coffee and milk), Maggi (soups, broths, mayonnaise, seasonings, mashed potatoes), Nestle (chocolate ), Nestea (tea), Nesquik (cocoa), Knorr (seasonings), Lipton (tea), Brooke Bond (tea), Beseda (tea), Calve (mayonnaise, ketchup), Rama (butter), Pyshka (margarine), Delmi (mayonnaise, yogurt, margarine), Algida (ice cream), Nescafe coffee (currently large plantations of this coffee are grown only in Vietnam), Potatoes (from Monsant USA).

Dumplings also turned out to be genetically modified, and specifically: “Dumplings without haste, pork and beef”, “Daria classic dumplings”, GMOs were found in “Tasty Beefsteaks” made from beef. Campbell soups, Nestle, Hipp, Danon baby food (yogurt, kefirs, cottage cheese, baby food), Mikoyanovsky ML, Hershey (Kit-Kat bars, chocolate), Lays chips, Rastishka. Factory ''Bolshevik'' (Moscow) - ''Yubileinoe'' cookies use GMOs in the cooking technology.

When purchasing products in a store, labels can indirectly determine the likelihood of GMO content in the product. If the label states that the product was made in the USA and contains soy, corn, canola or potatoes, then there is a very high chance that it contains GM components.

Things are no better with the animal world. Thus, about 50% of Russian local breeds of the main agricultural species have either already disappeared or are on the verge of extinction. Poultry farmers, for example, have forever lost one of their the most beautiful breeds chickens - Pavlovskaya. In the next decade, from 20% of breeds of pigs, goats, cattle and up to 30% of sheep breeds are in question about their continued existence. In total, more than 30% of cattle have already disappeared in the world. Entire bee families are disappearing on the American and European continents. In many regions of the United States, this problem affects almost 90% of bee colonies. In Germany, Austria, Spain, Poland and Switzerland, cases of disappearance of bee colonies are also recorded. Manfred Gederer, head of the German professional federation of beekeepers, states the fact that in Germany bee colonies have decreased by 25%, and in some regions even by 80%. In Switzerland, according to official data, 25% of bees disappear every year. Losses of bee colonies have been recorded before. However, the bee population here is not declining because they are dying. The bees simply leave their hives and do not return. The most likely reason for this behavior of these insects is feeding on pollen and nectar from GM plants. When a bee gets sick, it flies away so as not to infect the entire hive. And this is too serious, because bees are not just a source of honey. Bees and other pollinating insects are involved in the reproduction of most of the world's plants. If there are no insects, planet Earth will quickly turn into a desert. “Four years after the death of the last bee, people will also die,” Albert Einstein once warned.

How to avoid eating genetically modified foods?

• Read food labels and avoid soy-based ingredients such as soy flour, tofu, and soy oil.
• Buy products that say “100% organic”.

If eggs say “free range” or “natural”, this may be nothing more than a marketing ploy and the product is GMO. So, we choose only products that say 100% organic.

What do the numbers glued to fruits and vegetables mean:

• The 4-digit number indicates a regular product, non-GMO
• if it is a 5-digit number starting at 8, then this is a GMO product
• if it is a 5-digit number starting with 9, it is an organic product

Buy grass-fed beef - a recommendation that applies more to those readers who live in North America.

Buy only local vegetables and fruits whenever possible.

Buy whole foods, not boxes, jars, or bags. In semi-finished products, canned food, etc., you have a much greater chance of getting GMO ingredients without even knowing it.

Grow your own vegetables and fruits. You yourself will grow a normal crop, not a GMO, but only if you planted non-GMO seeds! HOME COOKED FOOD - bread, cakes, cottage cheese, etc., are undoubtedly much healthier and more nutritious than their industrially produced counterparts.

BUY YOUR FOOD FROM A RELIABLE SOURCE: Certified organic foods are much less likely to be affected by genetic engineering. Whenever possible, choose organic, natural products.

AVOID fast food restaurants and low-budget foods as genetically engineered ingredients are introduced into cheaper varieties first.

BAKERY PRODUCTS: When purchasing baked goods such as bread, avoid “flour improvers” and “dough improvers,” which may be a mixture of genetically modified enzymes and additives. Likewise, « ascorbic acid"may be a genetically modified derivative.

AVOID margarine. Choose organic butter.

DAIRY products and meat from animals fed genetically engineered soy and corn are not labeled as such - despite evidence that altered DNA can travel through the intestinal wall into the spleen, liver and white blood cells. If possible, give preference to organic milk, butter, cream, cottage cheese, etc.

CHOCOLATE may contain lecithin from genetically modified soybeans, as well as "vegetable fat" and "whey" affected by genetic engineering. Therefore, give preference to organic chocolate. All lecithin is soy lecithin. Its code number is E322.

PURCHASE WITH EXTRA CAUTION when purchasing products such as baby formula and breakfast cereals, as they may contain additives such as vitamins and other ingredients derived from genetically modified organisms.

FOR HEALTH SUPPLEMENTS, VITAMINS, AND DRUGS: Check with the manufacturer as some ingredients may be biotechnology-derived and hazardous. The genetically modified dietary supplement Tryptophan led to the death of 37 users and disabled another 1,500 people. In addition, over the past 10 years there have been reports of a genetically modified version of “human insulin” causing problems in diabetic patients who have successfully used “animal insulin” for years.

HONEY. Traces of DNA from genetically modified oilseed rape have already been found in several varieties of honey. If the label on a jar of honey states “imported honey” or “produced in several countries,” then it may be advisable to avoid such varieties. Instead, opt for local honey or organic honey.

DRIED FRUITS. Many varieties of dried fruit, including raisins and dates, can be coated in oil derived from genetically engineered soybeans. Give preference to organic varieties of dried fruits or varieties that do not indicate the presence of “vegetable oil” on the label.

WARNING. Avoid all imported foods from the US and Canada. Foods and items to avoid include all fruits and vegetables, ice cream, milk, milk powder, butter, soy sauce, chocolate, popcorn, chewing gum, vitamins. Staying in the US and Canada will almost certainly result in regular consumption of genetically modified foods (including genetically modified fresh fruits and vegetables).

Eat healthy!

Definition of GMO

Purposes of creating GMOs

Methods for creating GMOs

Application of GMOs

GMOs - arguments for and against

The advantages of genetically modified organisms

The dangers of genetically modified organisms

Laboratory research of GMOs

Consequences of consuming GM foods for human health

GMO safety studies

How is the production and sale of GMOs regulated in the world?

List of international producers found to be using GMOs

Genetically modified food additives and flavors

Conclusion

List of used literature

Definition of GMO

Genetically modified organisms- these are organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been changed in a way that is impossible in nature. GMOs can contain DNA fragments from any other living organisms.

The purpose of obtaining genetically modified organisms- improvement useful characteristics the original donor organism (resistance to pests, frost resistance, productivity, calorie content and others) to reduce the cost of products. As a result, there are now potatoes that contain the genes of an earthen bacterium that kills the Colorado potato beetle, drought-resistant wheat that has been implanted with a scorpion gene, tomatoes with flounder genes, and soybeans and strawberries with bacterial genes.

Those plant species can be called transgenic (genetically modified), in which a gene (or genes) transplanted from other plant or animal species functions successfully. This is done so that the recipient plant receives new properties convenient for humans, increased resistance to viruses, herbicides, pests and plant diseases. Food products obtained from such genetically modified crops may taste better, look better and last longer.

Also, such plants often produce a richer and more stable harvest than their natural counterparts.

Genetically modified product- this is when a gene from one organism isolated in the laboratory is transplanted into the cell of another. Here are examples from American practice: to make tomatoes and strawberries more frost-resistant, they are “implanted” with genes from northern fish; To prevent corn from being eaten by pests, it can be “injected” with a very active gene obtained from snake venom.

By the way, don't confuse the terms " modified" and "genetically modified" For example, modified starch, which is part of most yoghurts, ketchups and mayonnaises, has nothing to do with GMO products. Modified starches are starches that humans have improved for their needs. This can be done either physically (exposure to temperature, pressure, humidity, radiation) or chemically. In the second case, chemicals are used that are approved by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation as food additives.

Purposes of creating GMOs

The development of GMOs is considered by some scientists as a natural development of work on the selection of animals and plants. Others, on the contrary, consider genetic engineering a complete departure from classical selection, since GMO is not a product of artificial selection, that is, the gradual development of a new variety (breed) of organisms through natural reproduction, but in fact a new species artificially synthesized in the laboratory.

In many cases, the use of transgenic plants greatly increases yields. There is an opinion that with the current size of the planet's population, only GMOs can save the world from the threat of hunger, since with the help of genetic modification it is possible to increase the yield and quality of food.

Opponents of this opinion believe that with the modern level of agricultural technology and mechanization of agricultural production, plant varieties and animal breeds that already exist now, obtained in the classical way, are capable of fully providing the planet's population with high-quality food (the problem of possible world hunger is caused exclusively by socio-political reasons, and therefore can be solved not by geneticists, but by the political elites of states.

Types of GMOs

The origins of plant genetic engineering lie in the 1977 discovery that the soil microorganism Agrobacterium tumefaciens could be used as a tool to introduce potentially beneficial foreign genes into other plants.

The first field trials of genetically modified crops resulted in a tomato resistant to viral diseases, were carried out in 1987.

In 1992, China began to grow tobacco that was “not afraid” of harmful insects. In 1993, genetically modified products were allowed on store shelves around the world. But the mass production of modified products began in 1994, when tomatoes appeared in the United States that did not spoil during transportation.

Today, GMO products occupy more than 80 million hectares of farmland and are grown in more than 20 countries around the world.

GMOs combine three groups of organisms:

ogenetically modified microorganisms (GMM);

genetically modified animals (GMFA);

Genetically modified plants (GMPs) are the most common group.

Today in the world there are several dozen lines of GM crops: soybeans, potatoes, corn, sugar beets, rice, tomatoes, rapeseed, wheat, melon, chicory, papaya, zucchini, cotton, flax and alfalfa. GM soybeans are being grown en masse, which in the USA have already replaced conventional soybeans, corn, canola and cotton. Crops of transgenic plants are constantly increasing. In 1996, 1.7 million hectares were occupied in the world under crops of transgenic plant varieties, in 2002 this figure reached 52.6 million hectares (of which 35.7 million hectares were in the USA), in 2005 GMO- There were already 91.2 million hectares of crops, in 2006 - 102 million hectares.

In 2006, GM crops were grown in 22 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, USA. The world's main producers of products containing GMOs are the USA (68%), Argentina (11.8%), Canada (6%), China (3%). More than 30% of the world's soybeans, more than 16% of cotton, 11% of canola (an oilseed plant) and 7% of corn are produced using genetic engineering.

There is not a single hectare on the territory of the Russian Federation that has been sown with transgenes.

Methods for creating GMOs

The main stages of creating GMOs:

1. Obtaining an isolated gene.

2. Introduction of the gene into a vector for transfer into the body.

3. Transfer of the vector with the gene into the modified organism.

4. Transformation of body cells.

5. Selection of genetically modified organisms and elimination of those that have not been successfully modified.

The process of gene synthesis is now very well developed and even largely automated. There are special devices equipped with computers, in the memory of which programs for the synthesis of various nucleotide sequences are stored. This apparatus synthesizes DNA segments up to 100-120 nitrogen bases in length (oligonucleotides).

To insert the gene into the vector, enzymes are used - restriction enzymes and ligases. Using restriction enzymes, the gene and vector can be cut into pieces. With the help of ligases, such pieces can be “glued together”, combined in a different combination, constructing a new gene or enclosing it in a vector.

The technique of introducing genes into bacteria was developed after Frederick Griffith discovered the phenomenon of bacterial transformation. This phenomenon is based on a primitive sexual process, which in bacteria is accompanied by the exchange of small fragments of non-chromosomal DNA, plasmids. Plasmid technologies formed the basis for the introduction of artificial genes into bacterial cells. To introduce a finished gene into the hereditary apparatus of plant and animal cells, the process of transfection is used.

If unicellular organisms or multicellular cell cultures are subject to modification, then at this stage cloning begins, that is, the selection of those organisms and their descendants (clones) that have undergone modification. When the task is to obtain multicellular organisms, cells with an altered genotype are used for vegetative propagation of plants or introduced into the blastocysts of a surrogate mother when it comes to animals. As a result, cubs are born with a changed or unchanged genotype, among which only those that exhibit the expected changes are selected and crossed with each other.

Application of GMOs

Use of GMOs for scientific purposes.

Currently, genetically modified organisms are widely used in fundamental and applied scientific research. With the help of GMOs, the patterns of development of certain diseases (Alzheimer’s disease, cancer), the processes of aging and regeneration are studied, the functioning of nervous system, a number of other pressing problems of biology and medicine are being solved.

Use of GMOs for medical purposes.

Genetically modified organisms have been used in applied medicine since 1982. This year, human insulin produced using genetically modified bacteria was registered as a medicine.

Work is underway to create genetically modified plants that produce components of vaccines and medicines against dangerous infections (plague, HIV). Proinsulin obtained from genetically modified safflower is in clinical trials. A drug against thrombosis based on protein from the milk of transgenic goats has been successfully tested and approved for use.

A new branch of medicine is rapidly developing - gene therapy. It is based on the principles of creating GMOs, but the object of modification is the genome of human somatic cells. Currently, gene therapy is one of the main methods of treating certain diseases. Thus, already in 1999, every fourth child suffering from SCID (severe combined immune deficiency) was treated with gene therapy. In addition to being used in treatment, gene therapy is also proposed to be used to slow down the aging process.