UNIT 6 LIS 2

Announcer: Turning now to the world of science, genetically altered food may soon be available
at your local vegetable stand. The "Flavr Savr" tomato is already on sale in the United States. It's
supposed to stay riper, fresher, and more (1)_______ than an ordinary tomato. It's also one of the
first foods to be produced by (1*)___________. But not everyone is a fan. As Nina Winham
reports, consumers often have an uneasy ________ to scientifically improved food. Nina
Winham: At the Kensington Fruit Market in Toronto, tables are piled high with everything from
rutabagas to radicchio. People are picking through the produce, comparing prices and freshness.
Ask them about genetically engineered vegetables.
Speaker I: Oh, no. No, I wouldn't go for genetically altered. I wouldn't go for it. Winham: Yeah,
and if it.
Speaker 1: If it would be sweeter and maybe more tastier, but I wouldn't go for it.
Speaker 2: I guess, to begin with, you would want to know what goes into it, to see whether it is
going to affect us.
Speaker 3: I feel that if you lamper with nature, there's bound to be a rebound.
Speaker 4: I think most people are scared of what, if something can be altered that much, is it
really going to be good for them in the long run?
Winham: Genetic ________ is when scientists ______ the chemical blueprint of an organism.
They can make it develop the _____ they want, sometimes by adding a part of the blueprint from
a completely different species. To some, the process seems fantastic, but to others, it's disturbing.
Professor Robert Strong studies the ethics of biotechnology at the University of Redding. Robert
Strong: People think that um, certain, many aspects of our modern lifestyle are _____, and that
is, sort of, colored with moral overtones. Because it's unnatural, it must be bad. Winham: But
society has already accepted some genetic engineering, especially for medical uses. Insulin for
diabetics, human growth ______ for underdeveloped children are two widely used products of
biotechnology. It's when the science lab produces food that people start to back away. Steven
Burke is vice president of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.
Steven Burke: With food ______, the issues are, in many cases, compounded. Not only are we
concerned, or at least interested in the application of the techniques and in the movement of
different genes apparation orent organisms, we are doubly interested because we are. ourselves,
ingesting the resull. Winham: Burke says the biotechnology industry is realizing people have
moral and cultural reactions to food, and so this very personal commodity may be the area where
the debate over the _______ of biotechnology comes to a head. Susan Harlander is director of
research with Land o' Lakes Dairies. She says the key for food producers will be to underline the
benefits of biotechnology, such as higher-quality foods. And she says that people need to see the
science done in a lab as a continuation of the science that has long been a part of farming. Susan
Harlander: I think most people don't understand breeding and selection and how much
modification of the food supply has gone on with traditional _______, and how litle we can
actually control what's happening in a traditional breeding experiment versus what we can
control with genetic engineering. Winham: Back at the Kensington Market, Linda Arugio is busy
helping customers at the checkout counter. She says genetically engineered foods aren't that
different from other hybrid products she's sold in the past. She remembers a lettuce, a cross
between two varieties, that people just wouldnt buy. But she says watermelon with no seeds has
caught on and has loyal fans. Linda Arugio: Most people get used to trying different things, and
they start thinking that it's all right or even accepting that it's all right, or knowing that it's all
right, they'll start buying it and getting more into it. Winham: The uncertain reaction of _______
is only part of the hurdle faced by food producers. Genetically engineered foods are expected to
cost considerably more than their old-fashioned counterparts, and people here will tell you that
may be the ultimate turn off.