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for increased sales. Common GMOs include corn, soy, sugar beets, and canola and cottonseed oils. These crops are also fed to cattle, sheep and other animals that we, as a society, eat regularly. We ingest GMOs almost every time we eat. Trying to eliminate GMOs from a diet is extremely difficult, sometimes near impossible, because of their presence in most mass-produced foods. The Great Basin Community Food Co-op is a local community-owned grocery store that has committed to a one-year evaluation of all their products to determine what contains GMOs and what does
FEATURE STORY
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ARTS&CULTURE
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ART OF THE STATE
not. After the evaluation, they will prohibit GMO-containing products from their shelves. A group called the Grassroots Action Network is heading up the Label GMO Nevada project will assist in this effort.
genetic composition, the latter is the type of genetic modification typically referred to by the term. “GMO is kind of a funny term, and I think it is a little bit misleading to a certain extent because everything is a genetically modified organism,” said David Shintani, associate dean of the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources and associate professor in the biochemistry department. “You’re a genetically modified organism—a cross between your mother and your father. But genetic engineered or transgenic organisms are what they’re talking about.” A common crop made in this way is Roundup Ready corn
You’ll eat what You’re told Although GMO is a broad term that could mean almost anything from age-old directed pollination of plants to introducing a gene from another species into a plant’s |
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THIS WEEK
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or soybeans produced by the Monsanto Company. These crops’ DNA is modified to resist the herbicide glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup), which allows farmers to spray it on their crops without harming the crops. There are some benefits to these crops, according to Shintani, but they are still the source of a lot of controversy. “In the past, they had to do a lot more cultivation of the land, which causes soil erosion,” Shintani said. “That causes the farm land to be depleted. Now, they do what’s called “no till.” They can plant right on top of the stubble that’s left. They don’t have to spray as often because you used to have to use a different MISCELLANY
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MAY 2, 2013
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RN&R
“GMOs” continued on page 14
T
he debate over genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is emotionally charged and has been especially hot recently, with the labeling bill introduced by U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer and U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio last Wednesday. A GMO is an organism in which part of its genetic make up has been altered through genetic engineering. In agriculture, these organisms are made to have certain desirable traits, like resistance to cold weather or pests or a more pleasing appearance
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