By Beyond Pesticides

An important study not previously covered in the Daily News, “Use of Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)-Containing Food Products in Children,” raises serious concerns about children’s dietary exposure to pesticides, particularly the weed killer glyphosate, that are heavily used in the production of genetically engineered crops.

Published in Pediatrics by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the lead authors, Dr. Steven A. Abrams, Dr. Jaclyn Lewis Albin and Philip J. Landrigan, call attention to the widespread use of genetic engineering (GE) and GMOs in the U.S. food supply and the subsequent health risks for children and consumers.

The authors, in collaboration with the Committee on Nutrition, Council on Environmental Health and Climate Change Executive Committee, and additional medical professionals and researchers, also maintain that pediatricians have the opportunity to provide education and “lead conversations with families about the health impact of certain foods, provide nutritional guidance, and help filter the overwhelming volume of information.”

By supporting parents in making informed nutrition choices, pediatricians can help shape decisions that impact the long-term health of children and advocate for choosing organic certified products.

As the authors state:

“Although GMO technology could be used to increase the micronutrient content of foods, this does not occur in the United States; instead, GMO technology has been used to make crops resistant to chemical herbicides. As a result, herbicide use has increased exponentially.”

Glyphosate, as a herbicide widely used with these crops, has measurable quantities detected in food products and is listed as a probable human carcinogen by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency on Research for Cancer (IARC).

“In this report, key issues related to GMO-containing foods are reviewed and information about the health benefits and risks that may be associated with their use is provided,” the doctors state.

They continue:

“The report focuses on foods marketed in the United States but also includes some discussion of global issues. Current controversies regarding GMO labeling are discussed, and an overview of the risks associated with the use of herbicides to produce GMO corn, soy, alfalfa, and other crops is provided.”

Background

As the clinical report points out, choosing the best food options for children “has become increasingly complicated as parents navigate time and cost barriers, concerns about food allergy and sensitivity, questions about organic food and food sourcing, and the potential health effects of genetic modification of food.”

The labeling on packaged foods is also a concern, as labels are often complex and can contain confusing and misleading terminology or symbols.

Under the 2016 National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Law and the subsequent National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (BE Standard), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) calls GMO food “bioengineered” or “derived from bioengineering,” and the graphic is a sun over a plant and an agricultural field. The law requires that GMO food be labeled with this graphic.

Five percent of bioengineered ingredients not purposefully introduced are allowed in a food product without being designated on the label. Additional items, such as those containing meat and dairy products produced by animals that are fed bioengineered products, do not require disclosure on the labels. (See here.)

It should be noted that foods labeled USDA certified organic, under the Organic Foods Production Act, are not permitted to be produced with GMOs. Many producers of non-GMO products — mostly of products that are not organic — use “non-GMO” or “GMO-free” label language.

Food safety advocates have raised concerns about the use of the term “bioengineered” instead of “genetically engineered,” the more commonly understood term, and the use of a graphic or symbol that is misleading.

The term GMO “refers to foods (or other products) designed through genetic engineering, a process that introduces a desired trait into the product by inserting novel DNA from a separate organism.”

This report addresses the concerns that many families have regarding “the safety of GMO-containing foods, especially regarding the possible effects of the herbicides used in large quantities in their production.” (See here, here, and here.)

These concerns also include “uncertainty about the presence of GMOs in foods that are ultra-processed or have multiple components, which increases the likelihood of GMO ingredients.” (See here and here.)

As the vast majority of soybean and corn crops grown today are genetically modified, and GMO ingredients are found in most ultraprocessed foods sold in the U.S., all parents and consumers need to be aware of the risks or uncertainties associated with the foods they choose for their families.

History of GE and GMO foods

“The use of genetic engineering to produce GMO food crops builds on the ancient agricultural practice of selective breeding,” the authors say. “However, unlike selective breeding, genetic engineering vastly expands the range of genetic traits that can be moved into plants as well as the speed of their introduction.”

Unfortunately, this alteration of genes for pesticidal purposes to establish a chemical tolerance within crops also comes with issues of resistance and an increase in the use of pesticides that leave residues on food commodities, threatening both public health and the environment.

GE food crops that have tolerance to herbicides were first introduced in the 1990s. The first GMO produce available was tomatoes, but they were “removed from the market in 1997 and are no longer produced in the United States.”

The authors continue:

“However, additional GMO produce items followed throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, including the now ubiquitous GMO corn, soybeans, canola, and sugar beets. In the United States, the most commonly grown GMO food crops are corn and soybeans resistant to the herbicide glyphosate (Roundup).” (See here and here.)

These GMO ingredients are found ubiquitously in animal feed and ultraprocessed foods, as “many GMO ingredients derived from corn and soybean grain are also found in processed food products, including those made with processed cornstarch, soybean-based oils, and high-fructose corn syrup.”

Interestingly, in the U.S., there is a short list of permitted GMO food crops. At the time of the article’s publication in 2023, there were 10 crops on the list.

Today, it has expanded to 14. While this still seems like a low quantity of commodity types, these crops are used widely within the food supply.

Threats to human health

As Beyond Pesticides has extensively covered, children face disproportionate risks compared to adults with pesticide exposure. Their small size and developing organ systems, propensity to crawl and play near the ground, tendency for frequent hand-to-mouth motion, and greater intake of air and food relative to body weight make them particularly susceptible.

Many of these increased risks start before a child is born and extend into the first few years of life, leading to deleterious lifelong impacts. The hazards borne by children in these “windows of vulnerability” can increase health risks ranging from birth defects to cancer. (See more here and here.)

“Currently, more than 90% of soybean and corn crops in the United States contain herbicide resistance and/or insect resistance genes, and these traits have also been genetically engineered in canola, alfalfa, cotton, and sugar beet crops,” the current study authors state.

They continue:

“Herbicide-tolerant GMO seeds and herbicides are typically sold in tandem… An unfortunate consequence of the increasingly heavy use of herbicides late in the growing season on herbicide-tolerant corn and soybeans is that measurable quantities of glyphosate and other herbicides, termed ‘residues,’ remain present in GMO grains at harvest.

“As a result, glyphosate residues have been detected with increasing frequency in recent years in foods commonly consumed by children, as well as in drinking water.” (See research here, here, and here.)

Residues of not only glyphosate but also other herbicides are detected in corn silage and animal feeds that are made from herbicide-tolerant crops, increasing the risk of contamination of meat and dairy products.

Another product of concern is infant formula, as “most contain some amount of corn syrup, soy, or other products that may be made from GMO components.”

As the authors say, “The presence of glyphosate and other toxic herbicides in food products is the main hazard to children’s health associated with the consumption of GMO-based foods.”

Another major consideration in the repeated widespread and intensive use of herbicides like glyphosate is the development of resistant weeds.

“More than 250 weed species in 70 countries are now known to be resistant to at least 1 herbicide, including at least 48 species resistant to glyphosate,” the researchers note.

They continue:

“In the United States, glyphosate-resistant weeds are found today on over 200 million acres, and many fields harbor 2 or more resistant weeds.” (See here.)

This leads to the perpetuation of the pesticide treadmill. “As more weeds survived heavier applications of glyphosate-based herbicides, farmers turned to treating crops with multiple other herbicides,” the doctors write.

“A likely consequence of the use of multiple herbicides on GMO food crops is that residues of these multiple chemicals will be detected in crops at harvest and in food products made from these crops, thus further increasing cumulative risk of human exposure.”

This can increase the overall body burden (accumulation of chemicals in the body) that individuals experience. (See more information in the Body Burden section of the Pesticide-Induced Diseases Database.)

The organic solution

As the authors point out, “The distinction between foods labeled as not containing GMO ingredients versus foods labeled as bioengineered or USDA organic is likely to create confusion for many consumers.” (See here and here.)

To avoid these issues, choosing organic certified food is the best way to protect the health of both children and adults. Products bearing the USDA Organic label meet the requirements of the National Organic Program Final Rule, the national standards for the production, handling, processing and labeling of organically grown food in the U.S.

Organic food (whether you buy it or grow it yourself) has proven health and environmental benefits.

As shared in the Daily News, adopting a fully organic diet can reduce pesticide levels in urine within just two weeks, “by an average of 98.6%” and facilitate faster DNA damage repair relative to a diet of food grown with chemical-intensive practices, according to findings from a randomized clinical trial published in Nutrire.

Additional research published in Environmental Health Perspectives finds urinary levels of glyphosate significantly decrease through an organic diet for pregnant individuals, and a previous study published in Environmental Research finds that glyphosate levels can be reduced by up to 70% after just one week into a fully organic diet.

Visit Eating with a Conscience for information on choosing organic food to protect health and the environment, and learn more about the national organic standards and subsequent labeling requirements with Beyond Pesticides’ National Organic Standards resource page.

Originally published by Beyond Pesticides.

The post GMO Foods Linked to Increased Risk of Health Problems in Children appeared first on Children’s Health Defense.

 

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