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GENETICALLY ENGINEERED/ MODIFIED CANOLA he first seed oil to be created through genetic manipulation, canola is also the focus of a variety of genetic engineering/modification (GE/GM) projects in which genetic material from other species is insert- ed into the seeds in order to magnify certain traits in the resultant plant. Herbicide-resistant GE canola now comprises a large portion of the total canola crop. Apologists point to endorsement by the FDA and the American Dietetic Association that GE canola is nutritionally and envi- ronmentally safe and claim that the GE variety means less spraying of herbicides, less chemical runoff and a boon to farmers. Percy Schmeiser, a third-genera- tion Saskatchewan farmer, found out the hard way that GE canola may not be a boon to farmers. Pollen from Monsanto's patented GE canola seeds blew onto his land from neigh- bouring farms; unlike grains, rape and canola plants spread their pollen on the wind. Monsanto's "gene police" then invaded his farm and took seed samples without his per- mission. Because Schmeiser did not spray his crop with herbicides, a Canadian court ruled that he had taken advantage of Monsanto's GE technology. Schmeiser was ordered to pay $10,000 for licensing fees and up to $75,000 in profits from his 1998 crop. Meanwhile, genetic engineers are involved in projects to make canola oil "even more nutritious" by further reducing the amount of saturates in the fatty acid profile and raising the levels of monounsaturates. This, they claim, will make it possible to reduce the amount of trans fats in the processed oil, presumably because levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which need to be deodorised, will also be lowered. Should the genetic engineers be successful, it might be possible to create a diet in which the vast majority of fatty acids is monounsaturated—something that does not exist in any traditional diet anywhere in the world. (Source: Eric Peters, "Let them eat canola", Washington Times, April 29, 2002) since the mid-1990s, major publishers would not accept cookbooks unless they included canola in the recipes. In 1997, HarperCollins engaged Dr Artemis Simopoulos to write a cookbook featuring the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids.* Dr Simopoulos is a paediatrician who had served for nine years as chair of the Nutritional Coordinating Committee of the National Institutes of Health before becoming president of the Center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health. She had published several papers on omega-3 fatty acids, calling attention to their disappearance from the food supply due to the industrialisation of agriculture. Her most famous paper, published in 1992 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, compared omega-3 levels in supermarket eggs from hens raised on corn with eggs from hens allowed to roam and eat a more varied diet.* The more natural eggs contained 20 times more omega-3 than supermarket eggs. Simopoulos's The Omega Plan came out in 1998 and was reissued as The Omega Diet in 1999. The book discusses the virtues of monounsaturated and omega-3 fatty acids in the Mediterranean diet.’ Since unprocessed canola oil contains not only lots of monoun- saturated fatty acids, but also a significant amount of omega-3, it shows up in most of the book's recipes. Simopoulos claims that the Mediterranean diet is low in saturated fat, and she recommends lean meat and low-fat yoghurt and milk as part of her regime. The canola industry's approach—scientific conferences, promotion to upscale con- sumers through books like The Omega Diet, and articles in the health section of newspa- pers and magazines—was successful. By the late 1990s, canola use had soared, and not just in the United States. Today China, Japan, Europe, Mexico, Bangladesh and Pakistan all buy significant amounts. Canola does well in arid environments such as Australia and the Canadian plains, where it has become a major cash crop. It is the oil of choice in gourmet and health food markets like Fresh Fields Whole Foods Markets, and shows up in many supermarket items as well. It is a commonly used oil in sterol-containing mar- garines and spreads recommended for cholesterol lowering. Use of hydrogenated canola oil for frying is increasing, especially in restaurants. REASONS TO BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT CANOLA Reports on the dangers of rapeseed oil are rampant on the Internet, mostly stemming from an article, "Blindness, Mad Cow Disease and Canola Oil", by John Thomas, which appeared in Perceptions magazine, March/April 1996. Some of the claims are ludicrous. Although rape is a member of the Brassica or mustard family, it is not the source of mus- tard gas used in chemical warfare. Glycosides or glycosinolates (compounds that produce sugars on hydrolysis) are found in most members of the Brassica family including broccoli, kale, cabbage and mustard greens. They contain sulphur (not arsenic), which is what gives mustard and cruciferous vegetables their pungent flavour. These compounds are goitrogenic and must be neutralised by cooking or fermentation. As rapeseed meal was high in glycosides, it could not be used in large amounts for ani- mal feeding. However, plant breeders have been able to breed out the glycosides as well as the erucic acid from canola oil.* The result is a low-glycoside meal that can be used as an animal feed. In fact, canola meal for animal feed is an important Canadian export. Haemagglutinins—substances that promote blood clotting and depress growth—are found in the protein portion of the seed, although traces may show up in the oil. And canola oil was not the cause of the mad cow epidemic in Britain,’ although feeding of canola oil may make cattle more susceptible to certain diseases. Like all fats and oils, rapeseed oil has industrial uses. It can be used as an insecticide, a lubricant, a fuel and in soap, synthetic rubber and ink. Like flax oil and walnut oil, it can be used to make varnish. Traditional fats like coconut oil, olive oil and tallow also have industrial uses, but that does not make them dangerous for human consumption. We have had reports of allergies to canola, and Internet articles describe a variety of symptoms—tremors, shaking, palsy, lack of coordination, slurred speech, memory prob- lems, blurred vision, problems with urination, numbness and tingling in the extremities, and heart arrhythmias—that cleared up on discontinuance of canola. None of this has been reported in the medical journals, however. Writing for the Washington Post, Professor Robert L. Wolke (http://www. professor- science.com) chastises the publishers of these reports as spreading “hysterical urban leg- ends about bizarre diseases".'° The industry actually profits from such wild claims, because they are wrong and easily dismissed. Nevertheless, consumers do have reason to be cautious about the establishment's favourite oil, which is now showing up in an increasing number of products. NEXUS = 33 AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2002 www.nexusmagazine.com