Genetically Modified Food

To meet the increasing food needs of a growing world population, science has discovered the technique of genetically modifying plants and crops to enhance crop yield and create superior and stronger varieties of crops and fruits.

The main method is to genetically modify the DNA structure of the crop or plant. These genetically-modified plants are used as medicines and vaccines, foods and food ingredients, feeds, and fibers.

Controversies surrounding GM foods and crops commonly focus on human and environmental safety, labeling and consumer choice, intellectual property rights, ethics, food security, poverty reduction, and environmental conservation.

What is genetically modified food?
Genetic Modification requires a special set of technologies that alter the genetic makeup of such living organisms as animals, plants, or bacteria. The technology involves combining genes from different organisms (known as recombinant DNA technology) and the resulting organism is said to be "genetically modified", "genetically engineered", or "transgenic." Visit this website to find out more.

History, Future and Science of GM food
The controversies surrounding GM are sometimes misunderstood and people take extreme positions on the issue, whether they are for it or against it. To get a comprehensive overview of GM, you should know the history of this technique, the science it involves and what kind of future it has. Explore this website to understand GM from a health and safety perspective.

Concerns
Though the term Genetic Engineering is used to describe genetically modifying food techniques, farmers used to practice a form of genetic engineering much before the term was introduced. Selective breeding- the technique of breeding only the stronger crop variety was a form of natural genetic engineering.

Genetic engineering techniques now allow scientists to insert specific genes into a plant or animal without having to go through the trial-and-error process of selective breeding. Genetic engineering is therefore extremely rapid compared to selective breeding. Explore the links at this page to know more about the concerns regarding GM.

Alternative take on the concerns about GM Food
For a different perspective on the controversies about GM visit this page. It offers links that trace the issues of health, food safety and the future of GM. Some of the issues it discusses are: if genetically engineered food, fortified with Vitamin A, has the potential to reduce blindness in Africa and Asia, should we go ahead with that research or be cautious because of concerns over the harmful effects of genetic modification.

GM Food: An opportunity or a risk?
Modern agro science has produced some astonishing innovations in the last several years. We now have grains and cereals that can tolerate early frosts, acidic soil, and drought. But there are critics that say that not enough tests have been done to know what effects such food have on humans.

They worry about hidden allergens. If an apple, for example, is embedded with part of the genetic code of a peanut, will eating that apple adversely affect people who are allergic to peanut? Another concern is that of "genetic pollution" or cross-contamination.

There is concern that pollen from genetically modified fields will eventually find its way to organic crops and wild plants creating new strains of plant life. This website has a good resource base of articles that follow the controversy. Read the links from the collection of pro and con articles from New Scientist.

Though a section of concerned groups highlight the potential harm that GM can cause to health and environment, there are some good benefits of GM too. Science has used GM techniques to increase food supply to meet the food needs of the developing world, and created stronger yields that survive extreme weather.

Read these articles here to know about health concerns, environmental concerns. See both sides of the picture for a balanced perspective. You can also read about how GM is used to create decaffeinated coffee, and do research on rats to lessen allergies to common food like peanut.

Reports by Food and Agriculture Organization
Amid the controversies about GM, there are international agencies like the FAO that provide reports on safety and related issues regarding GM. Read more about it here.

Additional Resources
For interested students, this website is a good resource library for everything you wanted to know about GM.