Genetically Modified Food

Here’s what the Human Genome Project says about GMOs.

“In 2006, a total of 252 million acres of transgenic crops were planted in 22 countries by 10.3 million farmers. The majority of these crops were herbicide- and insect-resistant soybeans, corn, cotton, canola, and alfalfa.

“Other crops grown commercially or field-tested are a sweet potato resistant to a virus that could decimate most of the African harvest, rice with increased iron and vitamins that may alleviate chronic malnutrition in Asian countries, and a variety of plants able to survive weather extremes.

“On the horizon are bananas that produce human vaccines against infectious diseases such as hepatitis B; fish that mature more quickly; cows that are resistant to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease); fruit and nut trees that yield years earlier, and plants that produce new plastics with unique properties."

Sounds like a good thing, right.

Say No To GMOs has a different perspective.

They say that GM crops failed to deliver promised benefits and have even caused crop failure; that they pose escalating problems on the farm and have led to herbicide tolerant super weeds; that they cause unavoidable contamination to other fields since the pollen can be wind blown; and that neither the crops or they food made from them have been proven to be safe.

The subject of GMOs is particularly nettlesome in the European Community where consumers are well known for their antipathy towards GMO foods. Between 1997 and 2000, five European Union countries banned specific GMOs on their territory, focusing on three maize and two rapeseed types.

Here are some other sources of information;

CSA, which describes itself as a a worldwide information company, has published a well-researched and foot noted paper on genetically modified foods at  http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php.

GMO Compass, a project that is financially supported by the European Union, is the work of independent science journalists. It gives a balanced view of the benefits and risks of genetically modified organisms and is a source of information on the state of GMOs in Europe.

Monsanto has a Q&A on its web site that, as you would expect, casts GMOs in a favorable light.