SPECIAL FEATURE
GMOS : A PRIMER ( OF SORTS )
By : Casey Roberts , CIC , AFIS , ACSR
Let ’ s take a look at what GMOs are , how long they have been around , and what they mean for agriculture and the food on your table . GMOs have been in the farming industry now for 20-plus years .
The first genetically engineered crop to be commercialized was debuted in May 1994 by introducing the FLAVR SAVR tomato . The concept behind the FLAVR SAVR was that by modifying the plant , the ripe fruit would remain firmer for a longer time , perhaps even allowing it to be vineripened instead of being picked green . The benefit behind that thinking was that instead of picking green fruit and artificially ripening them using an ethylene treatment — this new product would approach better taste and shelf life . Initial attempts to sell the product in a tomato paste were successful , but then the higher production and distribution costs and some faulty data analysis reduced demand . Like many products , lack of demand equals lack of market shelf space equals NO sales .
Despite this initial start-stop to the introduction of GMO products , there was no turning back . Genetically modified corn and soybeans lead the planting numbers , but the growth is not limited to those two crops . In 2018 , some 191.7 million hectares ( approximately 473,690,700 acres ) were planted worldwide with GMO crops , including soybeans , corn , cotton , canola , potatoes , rice , squash , and papaya . In order of planted acreage , the countries involved are the United States , Brazil , Argentina , Canada , India , Paraguay , China , Pakistan , South Africa , Uruguay , Bolivia , Australia , Philippines , Myanmar , Sudan , Mexico , Spain , Columbia , Vietnam , Honduras , Chile , Portugal , Bangladesh , Costa Rica , Indonesia , and Eswatini ( previously Swaziland ).
The usage of these crops has been on a steady increase . They are not going away . A Purdue University study , Eliminating GMOs Would Take Toll on Environment , Economies , by Wally Tyner , Farzad Taheripour , and Harry Mahaffey ( February 29 , 2016 ), opined that “[ h ] igher food prices , a significant boost in greenhouse gas emissions due to land-use change and major loss of forest and pasture land would be some of the results if genetically modified organisms in the United States were banned .”
Think about that statement and then consider this one from the World Bank , “ The world needs to produce at least 50 percent more food to feed 9 billion people by 2050 . But climate change could cut crop yields by more than 25 percent . The land , biodiversity , oceans , forests , and other forms of natural capital are being depleted at unprecedented rates .”
So , you may ask , what ’ s the problem or concern ? Why are some people so concerned with GMOs in their food ? What ’ s the concern for the insurance industry ? Where ’ s the coverage ? Let ’ s see if we can answer some of these questions .
WHAT IS A GMO ? First off , let ’ s get to a generally accepted definition of what a GMO is . Simply stated , when a gene from one organism is purposely moved to improve or change another organism in a laboratory , that ’ s a GMO .
According to its website , the World Health Organization has defined genetically modified foods as “ foods derived from organisms whose genetic material ( DNA ) has been modified in a way that does not occur naturally ,
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