International nutrition: a comparison of genetically modified food prevalence in the United States and Central and South America

Abstract

New technology has created a heated debate on genetically modified (GM) food and the consequences of it on health and nutrition. Fears about GM include effects on pediatric nutrition, antibiotics, toxicity of plants, and allergies. Benefits to GM include nutritional enhancement and the production of more food for an overpopulated world. In light of this debate, we sought to determine whether corn products manufactured in Central and South America show the same prevalence for GM as do corn products manufactured in the United States. Using standard biochemical techniques, DNA was extracted from a variety of store‐bought foods, and amplified with PCR to detect the transgenic CaMV 35S promoter and/or NOS terminator sequences (found in approximately 85% of all GM foods). Samples were run on 3% agarose gels, along with known GM‐positive and negative controls, and viewed with UV light after staining with ethidium bromide. The US corn products (n=36) were 75% positive for GM. However, the corn products from Central and South America (n=17) were only 23% positive for GM. The future of GM will likely depend on the economic and ethical debates and the weighed benefits versus risks that may be determined in the future. From a nutritional standpoint it will be important for the public to be knowledgeable about the GM content they are ingesting and where their foods originate. Supported by the Biological Sciences Dept, Capital University.