Genetic Modification

Although "biotechnology" and "genetic modification" commonly are used interchangeably, GM is a special set of technologies that alter the genetic makeup of such living organisms as animals, plants, or bacteria. Biotechnology, a more general term, refers to using living organisms or their components, such as enzymes, to make products that include wine, cheese, beer, and yogurt.

Combining genes from different organisms is known as recombinant DNA technology, and the resulting organism is said to be "genetically modified," "genetically engineered," or "transgenic." GM products (current or in the pipeline) include medicines and vaccines, foods and food ingredients, feeds, and fibers. Locating genes for important traits—such as those conferring insect resistance or desired nutrients—is one of the most limiting steps in the process. However, genome sequencing and discovery programs for hundreds of different organisms are generating detailed maps along with data-analyzing technologies to understand and use them.

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.

In 2006, countries that grew 97% of the global transgenic crops were the United States (53%), Argentina (17%), Brazil (11%), Canada (6%), India (4%), China (3%), Paraguay (2%) and South Africa (1%). Although growth is expected to plateau in industrialized countries, it is increasing in developing countries. The next decade will see exponential progress in GM product development as researchers gain increasing and unprecedented access to genomic resources that are applicable to organisms beyond the scope of individual projects.

Technologies for genetically modifying (GM) foods offer dramatic promise for meeting some areas of greatest challenge for the 21st century. Like all new technologies, they also poses some risks, both known and unknown. 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 (see below for a summary of "GM Foods: Benefits and Controversies").

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Genetically-engineered foods are being rushed to market without long-term testing. Dr Ann Clark, Associate Professor of Crop Science at the University of Guelph, looked at the research on all 42 approved biotech foods in Canada. She found that 70 per cent of these crops were approved without laboratory tests for toxicity. None of the crops was tested for allergenicity. Even for the 30 per cent studied for toxicity, the tests were quite limited. For instance, potatoes and corn were engineered to contain a toxin to kill insect pests. These foods are already on the market, though no one knows the long-term effects on animals or on humans who eat the "toxin enriched" crops.

Already, one genetically-engineered (GE) soy, developed by Pioneer Hybrid, was discovered to be allergenic and could have killed people with life-threatening allergies if it had not, by chance, been caught and kept off the market. Since GE soy came on the market, soy allergies have risen 50 per cent. In 1989, 37 people died and thousands were permanently damaged after ingesting an altered food supplement, GE tryptophan. Beneficial insects, such as monarch butterflies and ladybugs, have also died after eating GE crops.

Because scientists are creating genetic changes overnight that might in nature take thousands of years, unexpected effects are no surprise. The potential for damage to human health or to the environment is unknown. The British Medical Association, representing 115,000 physicians, calls for