The Current Conflicts page is a resource for Workable Peace educators and students interested in applying their WP skills to current events. In this section, WP profiles a current conflict or controversial issue of national or global significance, from the viewpoint of two or more groups involved. For past conflicts that have been highlighted on this page, click here.

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March 2001: The Genetic Modification Controversy

The focus of this month's current conflict is the genetic modification of food for human consumption. The production and sale of genetically modified food is being debated all over the world, because of its controversial ethical, scientific and political character. Currently, the US government's Food and Drug Administration has approved the sale of genetically modified food by US companies, despite protests from some environmental and health activist groups. Additionally, the governments of several European countries have partially or completely banned the import of genetically modified food.

Background information on genetic modification: Genetic modification is the modification of an organism using the genetic information of another species, thus giving the organism traits that it does not normally have. For more information on what genetic modification is, and how it works, click here.

Information on the current conflict: The current conflict over genetic modification is whether this technology should be used to produce food for human consumption. Genetically modified food has many potential benefits, but there are also many questions regarding its safety, both for humans and for the environment. For information on this controversy, the parties involved, and the issues at stake, click here.

Viewpoints: The GM controversy is multifaceted, with many groups supporting or raising concerns about different aspects of this issue. WP has identified several web sites, from both pro-genetic modification and anti-genetic modification viewpoints, that represent some of the key groups in this conflict. Students can use these resources to gain a further understanding of their underlying interests, values, emotions and identities, and to consider strategies that the groups involved might use to manage the conflict.

Background Information:

The selective breeding of animals and plants to produce specimens containing desired traits has been going on for centuries. The process known alternatively as "biotechnology" by its supporters or "genetic engineering" by its detractors, is a recent development brought on by rapid scientific advancements in biology and chemistry. Nearly all living species have DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), a chemical which encodes instructions on how to "build" the organism. The DNA is stored in genes, and each gene (or a combination of genes) controls an aspect of the organism's physical development. Every single organism has its own unique DNA (which is why no two organisms are exactly identical) but every member of a species has basically the same genes and the same number of chromosomes (the part of a cell were genes are stored). When two organisms breed, their offspring will have half of their mother's genes, and half of their fathers. In traditional breeding methods, a desired trait (like long fur in a dog) will be achieved by mating two dogs that have unusually long fur. Their offspring will then be bred with other long-furred dogs, until finally there is a breed of long-furred dogs.

A GMO (Genetically Modified Organism, a term used by both supporters and opponents of genetic modification) is an organism which, through the process of gene splicing, has been given genes from a different species. Gene splicing, a process that has been developed over the last thirty years, involves using a carrier (such as a bacteria) to take the DNA from one organism and transfer it to another. (For more detailed information on how gene splicing works, click here). Because nearly all species use the same method of encoding information (DNA), a gene from one species can be given to another, even if the two species are completely unrelated. For example, corn has been given a gene from bacterium that makes it immune to a type of caterpillar that normally eats the corn. Scientists can also modify the contents of genes to produce effects that are not normally seen in nature. Scientists have been able to modify farm animals so that their milk contains medical drugs that can then be distilled. Once several animals or plants have been given a desired trait, they can be bred to pass down the trait through the generations.

Genetically modified food is food (either animal or plant) that has undergone the genetic modification described above, usually for the purpose of lowering the cost of raising or producing it. For example, tomatoes have been modified so that they are still firm when they are ripe (thus preventing them from getting squashed during transport). Fish so that they reach the reach their full size and weight more quickly. Various plants have been made to produce antibiotics to protect them from disease.

Current Conflict:

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the government organization which must test all products that are relevant to human health before they can be released onto the market, has approved the sale of genetically-modified food in the US and its exports to other countries. The FDA and the companies that have developed genetically modified food argue that these modifications allow more food to be produced more quickly, and can thus help with problems of hunger, both on a national and international level. They also feel that many of these genetically modified species are directly benefiting humanity and reducing environmental damage. The corn that is immune to the caterpillars (thus reducing the need for harmful pesticides) is a prime example. As for concerns that genetically modified food may be dangerous, the FDA feels that its testing measures are adequate in determining the safety of genetically modified products, and that no food that is dangerous for human consumption will get on the market.

However, many environmental and health activist groups both in the US and abroad (where American companies are attempting to sell genetically modified food) are strongly against genetically modified food. Activists feel that the FDA has not conducted enough long term testing on the effects of genetically modified food on humans, and that potential health problems might appear only after the food is on the market. Furthermore, since much of the testing is being conducted by the companies which are themselves producing the food, some groups are concerned that these companies may not be adequately testing their products in the interest of increasing profits, and that testing should instead be conducted by independent, nonprofit organizations that have no stake in the industry. Another major concern of activists is that genetically modified plants will cross breed with wild plants and plants grown on organic farms. They believe that this natural cross breeding could eventually result in a "super-weed," a wild plant that contained modified genes enabling it to out-compete other local plants and thus completely eliminate the diversity of the area. Finally, many activists feel that the possible costs of genetically modified foods outweigh the benefits, and that the companies that produce them are more interested in turning a profit than in making sure that their products are safe for people and for the environment.

Issues that need to be resolved:

The following issues need to be discussed and resolved before there can be any agreement on this subject:

1. Testing for Human Safety: Are the testing measures that the FDA and the bioengineering companies conduct adequate, or does there need to be further testing before genetically modified foods are allowed on the market? Also, should testing be conducted by the companies that themselves produce these foods? Or should testing instead be conducted primarily by independent sources?

2. Environmental Safety: Can genetically modified organisms be released into the environment safely and without disrupting the local ecosystem? Can farms that grow modified plants successfully coexist with organic farms? Are there ways in which breeding between genetically modified organisms and wild organisms can be limited or prevented? Who should be conducting tests on environmental risks?

3. Benefits and Risks: Do the benefits of genetically modified food outweigh the costs and risks? Can the technology behind genetic modification be further developed so that there are more benefits, fewer risks, or both? Is the entire concept of genetic modification ethically flawed, and if so, what should be done to modify this concept?

Viewpoints:

Pro-Genetic Modification

http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/biotechm.html

The FDA's web site on biotechnology. It has FDA consumer safety reports as well as articles written by scientists working with the FDA that support biotechnology and genetic modification.

http://www.biotechbasics.com

The biotechnology web sites of Monsanto, one of the largest agricultural biotechnology corporations. It has their position on biotechnology, and explains the benefits of biotechnology for agriculture, both for farmers and consumers.

http://www.ifst.org/hottop10.htm

A pro-genetic modification article from the Institute of Food Science and Technology, an independent body of food scientists that seeks to advance the cause of this science by making information on it accessible to consumers.

The time, cost, and environment-saving benefits of genetic modification

Anti-Genetic Modification

The genetic modification controversy involves many groups with different views on the economics, ethics, and politics of genetically modified food production. It is an issue that can be analyzed using the Workable Peace framework. Students and Educators with WP experience can use these links and the provided information to facilitate a discussion regarding the multiple perspectives on the current situation. WP educators and students can also discuss ways in which those involved in the genetic modification controversy have or have not used strategies recommended in the Workable Peace Framework. Other potential questions/points for discussion include:

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