Genetically Modified Food Technology

Genetically modifed food is becoming an increasingly prevalent term in modern vernacular. Urban sprawl and drastic increases in population has made reliable, sustainable food sources the holy grail of genetics and environmental sciences.

What is Genetic Engineering?

• To put it simply, genetic engineering is the act of removing a gene from one plant or animal cell and transferring it to another. Genes are basically codes that tell the cell to make a certain protein or enzyme. Genetic engineering gives a desired trait to a plant or animal; some genes give resistance to disease/blight and others can increase the size or productivity of the subject. This isn't necessarily a new concept. For centuries, people have been breeding different dogs to alter their progeny's size, personality and other characteristics. The difference today is that scientists are more accurately picking and choosing the desired traits at the genetic level. A gene gun is used to shoot an element particle covered with plasmids into the a receiver cell. Plasmids are extra-chromosomal DNA strands that can replicate on their own inside a suitable host. Once inserted, the new particle becomes part of the recipient's genome or hereditary information. Therefore, the recipient will adopt the new plasmid's traits after replication.

Current Use

• Today, up to 45 percent of U.S. corn is genetically modified, the vast majority of which is used as feed for cows, pigs, and chickens. 85 percent of soybeans along with canola and cotton seed oils are engineered as well. It has also been estimated that up to 75 percent of processed foods have genetically engineered ingredients. Some examples include genetically modified sweet corn, which contains a poison that kills insects. Golden Rice is white rice that is injected with beta-carotene and A vitamins. Tomatoes were one of the first modified vegetables made available to consumers, and they were engineered to produce less of the enzyme that causes them to rot, thus making longer-lasting tomatoes.

The Advantages

• Vegetables that are engineered to repel or resist pests have a higher yield and therefore provide more food. It also saves farmers the costs of spraying pesticides, and those savings can be passed on to the consumer. The poison genetically injected into the vegetables is supposedly harmless to humans. The vegetables that have been given the long-lasting gene will stay fresh longer and therefore be able to travel greater distances to those in need. Other foods are genetically engineered to have more vitamins and minerals, creating a more nutritious meal. The overall hope of scientists is to create disease/pest resistant food that tastes better and is better for the consumer.

The Disadvantages

• There is a great deal of controversy surrounding genetic engineering. There is a fear that insects will become resistant to the vegetables that are engineered to kill or repel them and therefore make all pesticides useless. Foods such as the long-lasting tomatoes raised concerns because they were first engineered with antibiotic-resistant genes that could be passed on to the humans that ate them, which would make the humans resistant to antibiotics. (The tomatoes can now be made without such genes.) Such antibiotic resistance could be detrimental to public health. There are economic issues as well. As of now, mostly wealthy, Western countries can afford the research and related costs of genetically engineering crops. This could make poor countries too dependent on the Western powers. There is also belief that consumption of such foods could create new allergens or even new diseases/disorders.

The Consensus

• There are still many unknowns concerning genetic engineering. Most critics believe that more research and better studies need to be done on the effects of genetically modified food. Then there are the issues of regulation and labeling of the foods. Germany has banned genetically engineered corn as of May, 2009, and the issue is being discussed in many other countries as well.