Eating "Frankenstein Food" Could Lower Your Fertility

Genetically modified corn has been linked to a threat to fertility in an official study that could deliver a hammer blow to controversial 'Frankenstein Food'.

A long-term feeding trial commissioned by the Austrian government found mice fed on GM corn or maize had fewer offspring and lower birth rates.

The trial has triggered a call from Greenpeace for a recall of all GM food crops currently on the market worldwide on the grounds of the threat to human health. Fertility threat: mice fed on genetically modified corn had fewer offspring. Fertility threat: mice fed on genetically modified corn had fewer offspring

Most of the research on GM crop safety has been conducted by biotech companies, such as Monsanto, rather than outside independent laboratories.

GM advocates have argued that the fact the US population has been eaten some types of GM food for more than a decade is  proof of its safety.

However, these reassurances have been turned on their head by the study commissioned by the Austrian Ministries for Agriculture and Health, which was presented yesterday at a scientific seminar in Vienna.

An overwhelming majority of Canadians thinks that the government has provided insufficient information about genetically modified organisms (GMO) in food and believes that all foods containing GMOs should be labelled as such.

The Consumers' Association of Canada released a study Wednesday which indicates the depth of distrust Canadians have for GMO foods, which have become increasingly common over the last decade.

"Mandatory labels on food products tell consumers how much salt, fat, cholesterol and carbohydrates are in a particular product," said Peggy Kirkeby, vice-president of issues and policy at the Consumers' Association. "Yet, when it comes to genetically modified ingredients, the federal government has said 'no, they aren't going to give this information to Canadian consumers'."

The poll — which was conducted by Decima research and surveyed 2,000 people in October of this year — found that 91 per cent of Canadians wanted labels listing GMO content and that 88 per cent think such labels should be made mandatory. Support for labelling was found to cross differences of income, gender, region or education.

"It is very rare to get Canadians to overwhelmingly agree on a single issue, but the mandatory labelling of genetically modified foods is such an issue," Ms. Kirkeby said. "There is no doubt that Canadians want information about what is in their food. … Consumers simply just don't trust the food industry to voluntarily provide the necessary information."

Critics of genetically modified crops have warned about "frankenfood" and "superweeds" for years. But today, more than four-fifths of the nation's corn, cotton and soybean crops are altered to resist pesticides and insects.

Now Frank Morton, a 53-year-old organic seed farmer in Philomath, and other activists are plowing new legal ground in the battle, charging that genetically modified crops will spread and contaminate organic crops.