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Like the recent public dialogue on human cloning, the passionate debate about the ethics and safety of genetically modified (GM) foods is spurred by advances in biotechnology and genetic engineering. Our first concern was to find objective, unbiased information. We typed "genetically modified food" into the search box and browsed through Yahoo! News for in-depth coverage of the subject. We also browsed through the collection of sites about the pros and cons
of genetic engineering in the Yahoo! Directory. We found a brave, new frontier of science where agribusiness and biotech leaders and government agencies in the U.S. disagree with their European counterparts. Simple, dispassionate information was not easy to come by. We tried the Environmental News Network's (ENN) GM food quiz. GM food has been altered at the genetic level, using lab techniques that make a particular crop drought-tolerant, resistant to pests, richer in a particular nutrient, or otherwise enhanced. Transgenic food crops contain DNA from an entirely different organism, such as Bt crops, which are bred with GM bacteria that are resistant to specific agricultural pests. We read about a new genetically modified potato, rich in protein and essential amino acids, and transgenic golden rice, which contains a beta-carotene-producing daffodil gene, to combat the vitamin A deficiency that puts 250 million people worldwide at risk for blindness. According to the ENN quiz, opponents of GM foods worry that genetically engineered insect-resistant crops could harm beneficial insects, upsetting ecosystem balances in ways we don't fully understand. Pests may become resistant
to the GM plant toxins that are being developed to reduce the need for dangerous and expensive pesticides. We learned more about the risks and benefits of GM food from the BBC. Their GM Food Consumer Guide answers common questions while reassuring us that "no one has ever reported any bad effects as a direct result of eating GM food." Nevertheless, scientists and lay people share the concern that genes inserted into plant or animal foods may inadvertently create new allergens (substances that cause allergies in some individuals) or toxins. There are also concerns about cross-pollination, gene flow, and the overall threat to
the seed diversity and the healthy diversity of our food supply. Even the World Health Organization of the United Nations, in their PDF resource titled "20 Questions on Genetically Modified Foods" advises governments and consumers to evaluate GM food risks on a case-by-case basis. Meanwhile, don't expect the next crop of genetically engineered tomatoes to glow in the dark.
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