Archived press release

Gm food and antibiotics

2 June 1999

"Isn't there at least a possibility that the new crops (particularly those that have been made resistant to antibiotics) will behave in unexpected ways, producing toxic or allergic reactions?"

Friends of the Earth has revealed new evidence showing why Prince Charles is right about antibiotics and GM food.

New analysis published today shows that no less than 13 out of 23 applications to the European Union for approval of GM foods contain antibiotic resistance marker genes. In addition, 12 applications for inclusion on the UK National Seed List also contain antibiotic resistance marker genes. (A full list is available from FOE Press Office.) Scientists have warned that these genes could make antibiotic medicines needed to fight diseases such as meningitis, TB and gonorrhoea less effective.

The House of Lords Select Committee on the European Communities recommended that antibiotic resistance maker genes "should be phased out as swiftly as possible" See footnote 11. The British Medical Association recommended that "there should be a ban on the use of antibiotic resistance marker genes in GM food, as the risk to human health from antibiotic resistance developing in micro-organisms is one of the major public health threats that will be faced in the 21st Century" See footnote 22.

Antibiotic resistance genes are put into GM plants as tags or markers, so that genetic engineers can tell when they have successfully inserted new traits into a plant. Although it is possible to remove antibiotic resistance marker genes before the plant is released (or to use different marker genes altogether), these precautions are rarely taken.

Antibiotic resistance genes could be transferred to bacteria in the guts of animals or humans, or to bacteria in the environment, and diseases could become resistant to many important antibiotic drugs. Recent research in the Netherlands, using a model gut,predicted that 6% of the genes from GM tomatoes would survive digestion and pass into the colon.See footnote 33 The researchers considered that the genes could survive for long enough for bacteria to pick them up.

Marker genes used in GM food include:

. -lactam antibiotics - these include many antibiotics in the penicillin family, such as ampicillin and amoxycillin which are used as a first defence against chest infections in humans
. gentamycin B - used for serious illnesses, such as for treating meningitis and infections of the central nervous system.
. neomycin - used in veterinary medicine for gut infections of calves, lambs and domestic pets.
. amikacin - reserved for use in the treatment of serious infections which are resistant to gentamycin.
. streptomycin - used in the treatment of drug resistant TB.
. spectinomycin - used to treat gonorrhoea infections.

There is particular concern about GM maize produced by the biotech giant Novartis. The maize contains a gene which makes the plant resistant to the -lactam antibiotics. The gene is structured in such a way that it could be used immediately by any bacteria that picks it up, including disease causing bacteria like E.coli, Salmonella and Shigella. The Government's advisory committee on food safety (ACNFP) recommended that the gene be removed before entering the food chain. They were particularly concerned that the resistance gene could be transferred to bacteria in the guts of livestock, and from there be passed to bacteria which cause disease in humansSee footnote 44. The committee's advice was accepted by the Government and, along with 12 out of 15 member states, the UK proposed to refuse a European marketing approval for Novartis' maize. Despite this, the European Commission overruled the member states and approved this potentially dangerous crop.Two EU countries, Austria and Luxembourg, have since banned the import of Novartis'maize, but in the UK it is now being sold in processed food in the shops and in animal feed.

Commenting: FOE Food Campaigner Adrian Bebb said:
"Prince Charles has exposed our Government's complacency on this vital issue. No food should ever enter the human or animal food chain if it contains an antibiotic resistance marker gene. The Government must ban any GM food with such genes and use its powers under European law to revoke existing marketing consents for these particularly frightening Frankenstein foods."

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. J.M.B.M. van der Vossen et al. 1998. "Development and application of an in vitro intestinal tract model for safety evaluation of genetically modified foods" in Food Safety Evaluation of Genetically Modified Foods as a Basis for Market Introduction. pp.81-99. Ministry of Economic Affairs, P.O. Box 20101, 2500 EC The Hague,The Netherlands.

2. House of Lords Select Committee on the European Communities. 1998 "EC Regulation of Genetic Modification in Agriculture": para 184.

3. British Medical Association. 1999 "The Impact of the Genetic Modification on Agriculture, Food and Health- An Interim Statement": p.13.

4. Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes. 1996, op cit: page 145.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust