The Food Revolution - Genetic Engineering, Part I

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More info on Agbiotech's gifts to the world that promise to keep on giving everything but what Agbiotech promises they'll give! Happy Holidays!
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The Food Revolution - Genetic Engineering, Part I

by John Robbins

Editor’s Note: Continuing our Food Revolution series, John Robbins tackles the topic of transgenic crops (GMOs). This is the first installment of three parts on this important topic, and includes info on a modified bacteria that could have wiped out our entire food supply and more.

Pandora’s Pantry

by John Robbins, an author widely recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on the intimate link between diet and environmental and personal health. Amongst others, John is the author of the revolutionary book ‘Diet for a New America‘, a book nominated for a pulitzer prize, as well as the updated ‘Food Revolution‘ and ‘Healthy at 100‘.

Can answers to world hunger, human health, and environmental problems be found in the genetic engineering of our food supply? Genetic engineering involves the permanent alteration of the genetic blueprint of a seed. By modifying a seed’s hereditary makeup, scientists hope that a plant grown from the seed, and its descendants forever, will have certain characteristics.

For example, the first genetically engineered food sold in the United States was the “FlavrSavr” tomato. The Calgene Corporation (now a subsidiary of Monsanto) isolated the tomato gene that codes for a ripening enzyme, then found a way to alter the gene to block the expression of that enzyme. The company hoped thereby to produce a tomato that would have an extended shelf life; after it was picked, it would not continue to ripen but would instead remain firm.

The FlavrSavr tomato was announced with great fanfare in 1995, and the company planned to bring the variety to market as a high-end gourmet product. But things didn’t work out as the people who created it had wanted. The tomato turned out to have reduced yields and disease resistance. And contrary to Calgene’s expectations, the tomatoes were so soft and bruised so easily that they had no appeal at all as fresh produce.

At first, Calgene put labels on the tomatoes saying they were genetically engineered, hoping that the scientific aura of such a label would heighten demand for the tomatoes and allow them to be sold for a higher price. But when consumers responded warily to the labels, not only Calgene but the entire genetic engineering industry learned a lesson it would not forget.(1) Since that time, the industry has not labeled any genetically engineered foods. And it has gone further than that. With its political allies, the industry has fought unceasingly against labeling requirements for genetically engineered foods.

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complete article here

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1. k&r nt