Consumer Acceptance of Genetically Modified Foods: Traits, Labels, and Diverse Information - Transgenic Horticultural Crops: Challenges and Opportunities - page 213

Environmental Impact
GM.foods.could.pose.major.environmental.hazards..Little.testing.of.GM.plants.
for.environmental.impacts.has.occurred..One.potential.risk.of.GM.crops.is.their.
impact.on.wildlife,.including.wild.species.of.plants.and.insects..A.study.showed.
that.one.type.of.GM.plant.killed.Monarch.butterlies.
Another.potential.environmental.hazard.could.come.from.pests.that.become.resis-
tant.to.new.naturally.occurring.toxic.substances.engineered.into.plants.to.kill.pests—
insects.and.worms—or.to.make.a.plant.resistant.to.a.particular.herbicide.application..
The.target.pests.that.get.exposed.to.these.new.GM.crops.could.quickly.develop.toler-
ances.and.wipe.out.many.of.the.potential.advantages.of.GM.pest.resistance.
B..The.following.is.a.collection.of.statements.and.information.on.genetic.modiica-
tion.provided.by.a.group.of.leading.biotechnology.companies,.including.Monsanto,.
Pioneer,.and.Syngenta.
General Information
GM.plants.have.the.potential.to.be.one.of.the.greatest.discoveries.in.the.history.
of. farming.. GM. crops.have. lowered. food.production. costs.by. improving. insect.
and.disease.resistance.and.weed.control.in.plants..New.genetic.engineering.tech-
niques.could.dramatically.enhance.consumer.beneiting.attributes.of.food.such.as.
vitamins,.antioxidants,.lavor,.and.shelf.life..These.improvements.to.plant.quality.
can.only.be.attained.through.GM,.not.conventional.breeding.
The.process.of.genetic. modiication. takes.genes.from.one.organism.and. places.
them.into.another..There.are.two.distinct.types.of.GM.used.by.biotechnology.compa-
nies.. Transgenic .GM.transfers.genes.between.two. unrelated .organisms,.for.example,.
from.soil.bacteria.to.corn.. Intragenic .GM.involves.transferring.genes.between.two.
breeds.of.the. same .organism,.for.example,.from.wild.species.of.corn.to.a.commercial.
variety.of.corn.
Scientiic Impact
Both. transgenic . and. intragenic . techniques. are. used. to. produce. food. products.
that.are.approved.by.the.FDA.. Intragenic .modiication.is.a.genetic.technique.for.
signiicantly.speeding.up.the.conventional.process.of.plant.cross-breeding,.which.
has.been.undertaken.by.farmers.and.plant.breeders.for.thousands.of.years..Many.
industry.groups.believe. intragenics .should.require.minimal.FDA.testing.because.
no.foreign.genes.or.proteins.are.added.to.the.GM.plant..We.have.only.seen.the.tip.
of.the.iceberg.of.the.future.potential.of.GM.for.improving.worldwide.health.and.
nutrition.through.enhanced.plants.
Human Impact
The.potential.exists.for.GM.to.dramatically.enhance.traits.that.have.direct.value.to.
consumers,.such.as.increased.vitamins.and.antioxidants,.more.lavor,.longer.shelf.
life,.lower.pesticide.use,.and.reduced.cost.of.production..Superior.GM.plants.will.
help.reduce.worldwide.malnutrition.and.improve.the.healthiness.of.foods..The.FDA.
has.approved.GM.food.for.human.consumption,.and.Americans.have.been.consum-
ing.GM.foods.for.a.decade..While.every.food.(modiied.or.not).poses.some.risks,.
there.has.never.been.a.documented.case.of.a.person.getting.sick.from.GM.food.