GMOs and the UK food chain, just because we can, should we?

GMOs and the UK food chain, just because we can, should we? For most of us who are not geneticists the discussions around genetically modified organisms that enter the food chain are based on trust. The science needed to genetically modify living organisms is an esoteric art and a very new one, so challenging what we are told by practitioners requires comment from equally qualified people. We are asked to trust and accept what we are told.

To set the bar here: To become a genetic engineer, the bare minimum education requirement will be a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology, or molecular genetics. In most cases a master’s or doctorate level degree in molecular genetics or molecular biology is required.

So, for the very reason set out above we are not going to try and debate or discuss the science of genetic engineering. What we are asking however, is, just because we can should we? And the reason for asking that question leads to a second…once the DNA of one organism in a food chain has been changed how does that impact the food chain?

When crops are genetically modified and grown to feed animals, what effect does the consumption of genetically modified crops have on the animals that consume them? Animals, birds and insects all have access to fields where genetically modified crops are grown, what are the effects on them?

Animals fed with genetically modified crops enter the human food chain as do some of the crops, like soybean and corn.

Genetically modified plants, such as soybean, corn, cottonseed, and canola, have had foreign genes added into their DNA. The inserted genes come from species, such as bacteria and viruses, which have never previously been in the human food supply.

Soy allergies increased by 50% in the UK soon after GM soy was introduced for example, coincidence?

The pro and anti GMO food chain discussion has raged for decades, much more so in the US and Canada where GMOs in food are longer established and much more widely used than in the UK, currently.

Last week, Boris Johnson became Prime Minister of the UK and almost immediately unveiled himself as an advocate of GMO in the UK food chain. In his ‘Father Christmas’ address to the UK nation from the footsteps of number 10 he promised everyone everything.

20,000 new police officers, an end to shortages in the care system, fast internet broadband in every home, and much, much more besides broadly translating to a new golden of age of living in the UK, as he then literally confirmed the following day in parliament. Let’s all hope he can somehow deliver it.

What some may not have heard, was a pledge to ‘liberate GMOs from rules and regulations through liberating the UK’s extraordinary bioscience sector’. The video below highlights the speech.

Restaurants, hotels, caterers, pubs and bars, universities, schools and colleges, hospitals and every food and drink outlet in hospitality and catering are a big part of the UK food chain. As such the procurement of food and drink from hospitality and catering outlets needs to be an ever better informed process when GMO’s are added into the equation.

We end where we started, asking questions – just because we can should we engineer genetically modified organisms to enter the food chain? – and – once the DNA of one organism in a food chain has been changed how does that impact the wider food chain?

The discussion is taking place now on facebook, please let us know your thoughts.

We also recently published – An uncontrolled experiment in out of home eating, by Pat Thomas, director and co-founder of Beyond GM. The article raises many other questions about GMOs and their impact on hospitality and catering.

The wider issue of sustainability, supply chains and procurement is a subject that H&C News has previously addressed by bringing industry leaders in procurement together to discuss and debate.

In 2017 members of the Greater London Authority Food Policy Team, Restaurateurs, Caterers, Hoteliers and Industry Associations met at Cafe Spice Namaste, Tower Bridge, London at the – Never to defy nature, The Hospitality and Catering Supply Chain Roundtable.

The next phase of the debate and discussion – GMO in hospitality and catering, just because we can, should we? Will be a similar event to 2017’s Roundtable, if you would like to attend and take part please let us know on facebook.

Never to defy nature, The Hospitality and Catering Supply Chain Roundtable

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