What evidence is there that genetically modified foods have ever harmed anyone?
There is abundant evidence that GM foods cause sickness and death.
One example was an outbreak of a previously unknown disease in the US in the 1980s. The bizarre nature of its symptoms caused it to be investigated. It was found that all of the sufferers had consumed a food supplement (L-Tryptophan) from the Showa Denko factory in Japan where GM bacteria had been introduced as part of the production process.
There were no cases reported that were caused by consumption of the products of factories that used the same process but using non-GM bacteria.
L-Tryptophan is found in many foods, e.g. turkey and milk - there were no cases reported that were caused by consumption of such foods.
According to CDC officials, about 100 people died and over 5000 were made sick or disabled.
If the product had produced, for example, diabetes or cancer instead of its bizarre symptoms, the cause of the outbreak would probably never have been discovered and the product would probably still be on the market. There may well be other GM foods at present on the market that are causing death and disease, but undiscovered.
Further details of the Showa Denko incident are in the book "Genetic Roulette" by Jeffrey M. Smith, with with a forward by Michael Meacher MP, who was Minister of State for the Environment in the UK from 1997 to 2003.
There is also in an earlier less technical book by Jeffrey M.Smith, "Seeds of Deception". For details of these books see www.seedsofdeception.com
Other evidence
Here are some links to websites where you can read (for example) reports of pieces of university research and government studies into GM safety.
They paint a clear picture of the harmful nature of GM foods. They include harm caused to animals in feeding experiments.
One cannot ethically perform such experiments on humans, but it would be remarkable indeed if the human species were exempt from the harm that has been demonstrated on mice, monkeys and other animals.
An Austrian Government Study
An Austrian government study confirms that genetically modified crops threaten human fertility and health safety
GM Corn MON863 found to be harmful to health
Monsanto's GM corn MON863 showed kidney and liver toxicity in an animal feeding study
Russian research demonstrates dangers
Russian researchers find evidence of GM harm to human health
Ban GMOs now
An overview of the dangers of GM foods
GM technology is wrong and obsolete
A rather technical explanation by a scientist on why the science behind GM technology is wrong and obsolete
GM genes 'can spread to people and animals'
A brief non-technical outline of why you should avoid GM foods
A claim sometimes made
A claim is sometimes made that Americans have been eating GM foods for years without any ill effects being apparent.
In fact, since the introduction of GM foods into human foods in the US, many disease rates there have soared, e.g. diabetes.
But there is little direct evidence, either way, that the health of the general population has or has not been harmed. That is simply because in the US, genetically modified foods are not labelled as such. So when someone becomes ill, it is not known which, if any, genetically modified foods that person has consumed.
Related pages
Are our governments doing enough to protect us from the dangers of GM foods?
What can we do to protect ourselves?