GENETICALLY MODIFIED

FOODS
Genetically modified (GM) foods are food items that have had
their DNA changed through genetic engineering. Unlike
conventional genetic modification that is carried out through
conventional breeding and that have been consumed for
thousands of years, GM foods were first put on the market in the
early 1990s. The most common modified foods are derived from
plants: soybean, corn, canola, and cotton seed oil.
 ADVANTAGES OF GM FOODS

After a 12 years of use on more than 690.9 million hectares

worldwide, plant biotechnology delivers proven economic and
environmental benefits, a solid record of safe use and promising
products for our future. 90 percent of who farm in developing
countries have choose to plant biotech crops.
International regulatory standards for GM crops are affirmed
by a decade of safe use.
Biotech crops are among the most studied and reviewed foods in
the world. Using well-established, internationally accepted
standards of risk assessment, regulatory authorities worldwide
have reviewed all biotech crops now on the market and
determined that they pose no more risk than crops produced
through traditional breeding methods.
A proven 12-year history of safe use supports the conclusion that
the regulatory process has been successful. Experts estimate
more than 1 trillion meals containing ingredients from biotech
crops have been consumed with no reliable documentation of any
food safety issues for people or animals.
Each year, global population grows by more than 70 million, and
agriculture is required to produce more food with limited land and
water resources. Scientists believe biotechnology holds great
potential to help farmers produce more food — and healthier food
— with fewer resources.
Over the next decade, biotechnology promises to deliver products
that address land and resource limitations, such as improved
drought tolerance, saline tolerance and increased yields. The
research also will deliver products with direct consumer benefits
such as enhanced nutrition, convenience and taste.
For example:
Food ingredients in which the major allergenic proteins are
modified or eliminated.
Rice enriched with beta-carotene, which stimulates production of
vitamin A. Vitamin A deficiency causes blindness in 500,000
children and up to 2 million deaths annually.
Plants that can tolerate stress from harsh environments — such
as arid or saline soils, cold environments or low nutrient
availability — and continue to produce food.
Farmers have decreased pesticide applications by 289,000
metric tons.
Consumers consistently rank a reduction in pesticide applications
as the most valuable benefit of plant biotechnology — which is
important since farmers have significantly reduced pesticide
sprayings, while conserving the water and fuel otherwise
depleted with tillage or plowing.
Since 1996, the use of GM soybeans has been one of the largest
contributors to reduced pesticide applications, accounting for
cumulative reductions of 41,000 metric tons.
YieldGard corn rootworm is expected to eliminate one million
plastic containers, 68,845 gallons of aviation fuel, 5 million gallons
of water used in insecticide formulations, 5 million pounds of
insecticide active ingredient, and 5 million gallons of diesel fuel
per year.
GM crops benefit the environment and conserve natural
habitat for wildlife.
One of the advantages of gentecially modified foods and crops is
the reduced need for tillage or plowing, allowing farmers to adopt
conservation or “no-till” practices. In the United States alone,
these practices and other conservation measures are reducing
soil erosion by 1 billion tons and saving consumers $3.5 billion in
water treatment costs annually.
Biotech crops also have played an important role in boosting the
productivity of existing farmland — enough to allow for the
protection of at least 400 million acres of prairies, forests and
other natural areas from cultivation over the past decade. These
areas provide food and shelter for wildlife and preserve
biodiversity.
Farmers growing biotech crops increased their income by
US$34 billion.
Farmers have increased income through higher yields and lower
production costs — including fewer pesticide applications and the
more efficient use of farm labor. Research indicates an increase in
income is consistent worldwide with significant economic benefits
realized by small- and large-scale farmers alike.
A century of discoveries and scientific research make plant
biotechnology possible.
People have always strived to grow better, more plentiful foods.
As early as 5000 BC, farmers began saving their best and
sweetest corn to use as seed the next year. But it wasn’t until
1865 that Mendel concluded “unseen particles” pass these traits
from generation to generation.
Researchers then began to understand DNA and determined that
the cells of all living things are composed of the same basic
components. In 1953, Watson and Crick defined the structure of
DNA, allowing us to understand how cells store, duplicate and
pass genetic information. By 1973, Cohen and Boyer had isolated
and moved a gene — a specific piece of DNA — from one
organism to another.
Each of these discoveries paved the way for great improvements
in plant breeding. In 1982, researchers genetically modified a
plant cell for the first time — making precise, controlled
improvements in plant breeding possible. Farmers planted the first
large-scale commercial biotech crop in the United States in 1996.
Today, after a decade of use on more than 1 billion acres
worldwide, crops developed through biotechnology have delivered
significant benefits and a proven record of safe use. The next
decade with plant biotechnology holds even more promise.