Cheese was traditionally made using just four ingredients: milk, salt, starter culture and animal rennet.
But now there are four types of rennet used in the cheese-making
industry: animal rennet, vegetable rennet, microbial rennet and a
genetically modified version called FPC (fermentation-produced
chymosin), which is made by Pfizer.
Bioengineered FPC was granted Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS)
status, which exempted Pfizer from the pre-approved requirements that
apply to other new food additives.
More than 90% of North American cheese is made with the FPC rennet,
but consumers do not know what they are eating because the ingredient
labels don’t distinguish between bioengineered rennet and the original
animal-based type.
In an article for The Defender,
Dr Joseph Mercola explains why he believe you should only be eating
cheese made with ANIMAL RENNET, and how over 90% of the cheese sold in
the U.S. does not use this and instead uses a genetically modified
organism (GMO) version made by Pfizer
“FPC was created by the one and only Pfizer (biotech company) and is made possible by using CRISPR gene editing technology where the genomes of living organisms are modified. The “safety” of FPC was evaluated by a 90-day trial in rats.
How FPC is made
Here’s how it is made: The rennet-producing gene is taken out of the
animal cell’s DNA string and then inserted into the bacteria, yeast or
mold host cell’s DNA string in a process known as gene splicing (a type
of recombinant DNA technology).
Once inserted, the newly placed gene initiates the production of the
chymosin enzyme within the host. The host culture is then cultivated and
fermented.
These recombinant DNA technologies are relatively new and became
popular in the 1980s when the U.S. Supreme Court by a 5-4 vote ruled
that new life forms can be patented.
So then in 1990, in another precedent-setting decision by a U.S.
government office, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved
the use of FPC in food. It was the first time a bioengineered product
was permitted in food in the U.S. It gets better.
This bioengineered FPC was granted GRAS status. This means that
Pfizer was exempt from the pre-approval requirements that apply to other
(non-GRAS) new food additives.
Since Pfizer demonstrated what is often referred to as “substantial
equivalence,” the FDA concluded that bioengineered chymosin was
substantially equivalent to calf rennet and needed neither special
labeling nor an indication of its source or method of production.
In case you didn’t know, this “GRAS” label is a little hand-wavy and
just a big loophole. In general, federal law requires the FDA to ensure
that food additives are safe and mandates a rigorous pre-market safety
review process. But the loophole = GRAS.
The GRAS loophole
Forty-three percent of food additives are designated “GRAS” and don’t
get FDA oversight. Essentially, we must trust that food companies will
conduct unbiased safety determinations before adding these new GRAS
substances to our food.
“According to the FDC [Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic] Act, food
additives that are non-GRAS need approval prior to marketing. In
contrast, GRAS substances do not require approval or notification to the
USFDA prior to marketing.”
Meaning the public and other regulatory agencies lack the data needed to assess the safety of some chemicals in our foods.
In 2014, former Deputy FDA Commissioner for Foods Michael Taylor commented on the FDA’s failure to regulate food chemicals, saying:
“We simply do not have the information to vouch for the safety of many of these chemicals.”
GRAS may have started with good intentions, but it has turned out to be a giant loophole for food companies to get a free pass to use chemical additives in our food with little to no oversight.
And of course, there is no other developed country in the world that
has a system as archaic as GRAS for approving food additives. Okay
tangent aside, back to FPC.
FPC cheese is exempt from GMO labeling
Even though the organisms that produce this FPC are genetically
modified, dairy products using this technology are exempt from having to
label their products as “GMO.”
In fact, FPC is just listed as “microbial rennet” or “vegetable
rennet” on labels. (The source of the rennet is not required to be
listed.) So it is a little deceiving.
The “Non-GMO” national project does not agree with this FPC
technology and believes this is a high-risk ingredient. Moreover, FPC is
not permitted in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic cheeses.
Here is a comment from the American Cheese Society:
“FPC rennet is a genetically modified organism (GMO). According to
the culture companies, 90% of North American cheese is made with FPC
rennet. But ingredient labels do not distinguish between this type of
microbial rennet and the original non-GMO type.
“And the fact that use of FPC-type microbial rennet is not labeled a
GMO leaves those who oppose GMOs in the dark when it comes to choosing
cheese.”
And once again, FPC is used in 90% of the cheese made in the U.S.!
These alternative rennet methods are up to two times cheaper than
using animal rennet since they speed up the aging process to make cheese
ready for market faster, which means more profits.
They also allow cheese companies to market to vegetarians (since
animal rennet, derived from the stomach of a ruminant animal, would not
be allowed). But is FPC safe?
Safety concerns of GM enzymes
Well, again, this technology is new. So there are no long-term studies evaluating the safety of eating a small amount of this genetically modified food additive every single day.
But there are two main concerns: 1) toxicity and 2) digestive issues since these rennet alternatives can serve as an allergen.
Toxicity concerns
Toxicity means that the enzyme solution contains biotoxins from the
genetically modified host (mold or fungus) that is being cultured and
fermented in the lab.
The producers of these enzymes claim the final FPC enzyme solution is
highly purified, but some people react as though they still contain
some of the allergens from the host microorganisms themselves.
In fact, traces of the genetically engineered bacteria have been
found in enzymes. A few quotes from the literature regarding these
toxicity concerns. I don’t know about you, but I have no desire to
consume biotoxins from genetically modified organisms!
“Genetically modified food enzymes
are currently produced from GMOs. Safety concerns have been raised
regarding potential contamination of food with bacterial toxins or
mycotoxins, allergens, or uncharacterized extraneous substances as
impurities.
“Because these enzymes are purified from microbial sources, toxic
substances might be present in enzyme preparations/isolates. The toxic
substances are basically bacterial toxins and mycotoxins, which might
cause problems/risks related to the health of consumers.
“Safety legislation is also very much attentive regarding the
allergenic properties of manufactured enzymes, as it is well known that
enzymes are potent inhalative sensitizers.
“Apart from that, numerous uncharacterized extraneous substances/
impurities of microbial/biological origin may also be present in the
enzyme preparation, which is also a matter of prime concern while
evaluating the safety of commercial enzyme products.
“While food enzyme preparations
are considered unlikely to cause any acute toxicity, genotoxicity, or
repeat-dose oral toxicity, it is the fermentation product(s) of
microorganisms from the manufacturing process that is/are of interest
due to the potential presence of secondary metabolites that may induce
toxicity when ingested (eg. aflatoxins, fumonisins and/or ochratoxins).”
So, some are concerned about continuous ingestion of these biotoxins
over time, and the negative health consequences those would have over
the course of years.
And unfortunately, there isn’t much regulation here. “Currently, the companies themselves are responsible for the quality control of their products.”
(Article by Niamh Harris republished from ThePeoplesVoice.tv)
Click this link for the original source of this article.
Author: Planet Today
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