© life_edu Lecture 17 Part IIIc. Issues, Controversies and Concerns: The Organic Food Debate Issues in Biotechnology: The Way We Work With Life Dr. Albert.

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Lecture 17

Part IIIc. Issues, Controversies and Concerns: The Organic Food Debate

Issues in Biotechnology:The Way We Work With Life

Dr. Albert P. Kausch

life edu.us

Agricultural Biotechnology

Issues in Biotechnology:Biotechnology, Our Society and Our Future

OnCampus LiveOnCampus LiveBCH 190, MIC 190, AFS 190, NRS 190, PLS 190BCH 190, MIC 190, AFS 190, NRS 190, PLS 190

OnLine BCH 190OnLine BCH 190

A Sweeping General Survey on Life and BiotechnologyA Public Access College Course

The University of Rhode Island

Kimberly Nelson

Issues in Biotechnology:The Way We Work With Life

Dr. Albert P. Kausch

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A Sweeping General Survey on Life and Biotechnology

The University of Rhode Island

Issues in Biotechnology:The Way We Work With Life

Dr. Albert P. Kausch

life edu.us

BCH 190BCH 190 Section II.

The Applications of Biotechnology

Crop Plants

Conventional farmingOrganic farming

Organic farming

No Synthetic Pesticides

No Synthetic Fertilizers

No GMOs

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Is Organic Food Better for You?

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Is Organic Food Better for the Environment?

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Is Organic Food Safer?

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Is Organic Food Better for You?

Conventional Foods

Processed Foods

Organic Foods

Natural Foods

Whole Foods

Are Organic Foods Really Better For You?

What Consumers really want is good, clean, safe foodIs that too much too ask?

Organic Foods promise safety from pesticidesNo synthetic fertilizerNo GMO

Natural Foods

Organic farming

No Synthetic Pesticides

No Synthetic Fertilizers

No GMOs

“Our goal of no-GMO ingredients in our Whole Foods market brand and 365 products is focused on accessing ingredients derived from non-genetically modified seeds. Unfortunately, absolute “GMO-free” guarantees cannot be made on any manufacturer’s product. Not only is it impossible to test every container of product, but currently there is no system in the United States to guard against drift from farmers using GMO seed that could potentially contaminate non-GMO crops.”

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Sixty-eight percent of the respondents in a recent US poll said a product labeled “USDA Certified Organic” would indicate the food was safer than non-organic foods

Sixty-seven percent believe the label would indicate food of higher quality than non-organic foods

Sixty-two percent believe the label would mean the food is more healthful for consumers than non-organic food

Is Organic more nutritious?

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The head of the U.S. Organic Trade Association recently had to admit organic food was no more nutritious than any other food and that organic food standards had nothing to do with food safety

Are organic foods more nutritious?

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Is Organic Food Better for the Environment?

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Organic Advocates Argue: Wiser Land Use. Less Pesticides. More Biodiversity.

Sustainable Agriculturists Argue….

Is the Organic solution viable for sustainable world agriculture?

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Critics argue:

Feeding Humanity From Organic Fields Would Mean Cropping Twice As Much Land As We Currently Plant

Is the Organic solution viable for sustainable world agriculture?

Are There Unknown Risks to the Environment?

• Gene transfer to other crops or wild plants

• Change in herbicide use patterns

• Squandering of valuable pest resistance genes

• Poisoning of wildlife• Creation of new or worse viruses• Un-assessable long term risks

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PesticidesKillInsectsIndiscriminately

“A butterfly beats it’s wingsin the Amazon…

and changes the weatherin Chicago.”

In 1962, Carson wrote: “A truly extraordinary variety of alternatives to the chemical control of insects is available. Some are already in use and have achieved brilliant success. Others are in the stage of laboratory testing. Still others are little more than ideas in the minds of imaginative scientists, waiting for the opportunity to put them to the test. All have this in common: they are biological solutions, based on understanding of the living organisms they seek to control, and of the whole fabric of life to which these organisms belong. Specialists representing various areas of the vast field of biology are contributing—entomologists, pathologists, geneticists, physiologists, biochemists and ecologists—all pouring their knowledge and their creative inspirations into the formation of a new science of biotic controls”

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Is Organic Food Safer?

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Wild-type corn variety with secondary fungal infection

Bt corn resistant to corn borer damage, resulting in less secondary fungal infections

Organic vs. Transgenic

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So while the organic standards may attempt to ensure freedom from pesticide residues, the freedom of organic foods from vermin, mycotoxins and other contamination may be less certain

MycotoxinsOrganic farmers are more likely to let their crops suffer rodent and insect damage, which leads to more fungal infections and more natural toxins in the food

What the public wants is safe food that is good

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Perhaps New Organic Food Standards Could Use Warning Labels

Organic Products Are Not Necessarily Tastier, Healthier Or Pesticide-Free

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Organic agriculture is not a

food safety claim (FDA) Organic means only that the farmers use organic fertilizer instead

of chemical fertilizer and “natural” pesticides such as copper sulfate (broadly toxic) and sulfur (a soil contaminant)

Price ComparisonConventional vs. Organic

Price ComparisonConventional vs. Organic

Why is Organic Food So Expensive?

Price ComparisonConventional vs. Organic

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Sustainable Agriculture

Is Organic Production Viable on a Large Scale?Are GM crops a Threat to Biodiversity?Does Local Food Production Really lower the Carbon Footprint?Does Organic Food really lower your exposure to pesticides?

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Part III. Issues, Controversies and Concerns

Issues in Biotechnology:The Way We Work With Life

Dr. Albert P. Kausch

life edu.us

Agricultural Biotechnology

For those who are interested in taking this For those who are interested in taking this course for college credit through the course for college credit through the

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Thank You to The University of Rhode Island Thank You to The University of Rhode Island and all of the students of Issues in and all of the students of Issues in

Biotechnology over the yearsBiotechnology over the years

Dr. Albert KauschDr. Albert Kausch

Dr. Albert Kausch Dr. Albert Kausch and Kimberly Nelsonand Kimberly Nelson

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