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Genetic engineering in food is one of the most controversial topics you will hear about on the news today. Some people say that the effects of biotechnology are unpredictable and may lead to many predicaments in the future. Others say that biotechnology will solve many of the world's problems by producing better and more plentiful products. While both sides of this have strong and weak points in their argument, this page will provide an unbiased description of biotechnology today.

Gregor Mendel
Genetic engineering in food has its roots hundreds of years ago when a Catholic monk named Gregor Mendel experimented with pea plants and seeds. Farmers also knew this process, called selective breeding , and used it in their crops for many years. This process dates back very far, but this process requires many plant generations to find a significant improvement in the crops. Today, scientists speed this process up using means of recombinant DNA technology . For more information on recombinant DNA methods, go to the link provided above.

Tomatoes
The first food made by recombinant DNA methods and put on shelves was the Flavr Savr tomato in 1994. Since tomatoes only grow in select areas, they must be transported to places where it is not profitable to grow large amounts of tomatoes. En route to the supermarkets, many tomatoes spoiled and cost farmers considerable sums of money. The Flavr Savr tomato solved this problem using genetic engineering and these tomatoes were designed to last longer and be fresher even after many days.

Today, genetic engineering in foods are more widespread then an average person may think. In fact, over 60 percent of foods on supermarket shelves contain traces of biotechnology. Genetic engineering in Canola oil, corn, cottonseed oil, papayas, potatoes, soybeans, and tomatoes were all evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and they were found to be as safe as conventionally bred foods, In fact, the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, Mark B. McCellan said, "The Food and Drug Administration is confident that the genetically engineered food products on the U.S. market today are as safe as their conventionally bred counterparts." In 2003, 81% of all soybeans, 73% of cotton, and 40% of all corn were genetically engineered." This means that you probably have been eating more genetically engineered products than you may think.

Genetically engineered foods can be made to be larger, healthier, and quicker to mature than ordinary plants. Thus, people have hailed them to be the solution to world hunger. Since the world's population is growing rapidly, the need for food is growing with it. However, due to many things, arable land is steadily decreasing. If bioengineered plants can produce more food than regular plants, then it surely can help against the fight against hunger. However, critics say that by producing more genetic engineered plants may cause something to go awry and hurt the environment with the damage being incorrigible.

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