Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Financial Impact
With.the.introduction.of.enhanced.nutrition,.antioxidants,.shelf.life,.lavors,.and.
other.consumer-desired.attributes.using.GM.technology,.consumers.will.for.the.
irst.time.enjoy.the.direct.beneits.of.genetic.engineering..GM.plants.have.reduced.
farmers'.costs,.which.mean.lower.food.prices..Worldwide.the.number.of.hungry.
people. is. declining.. GM. technology. is. helping. to. feed. the. world. and. improve.
worldwide.nutrition.
Environmental Impact
Genetic. modiication.of. plants.has.the.potential.to.be.one.of.the. most.environ-
mentally.helpful.discoveries.ever..GM.technology.has.produced.new.methods.of.
insect.control.that.reduce.chemical.insecticide.application.by.50%.or.more..GM.
weed.control.is.providing.new.methods.to.control.weeds,.which.are.a.problem.in.
no-till.farming..This.means.greater.crop.yields.and.less.environmental.damage.
C..The.following.is.a.statement.on.genetic.modiication.approved.by.a.third-party.
group.consisting.of.a.variety.of.individuals.knowledgeable.about.GM.foods,.includ-
ing.scientists,.professionals,.religious.leaders,.and.academics..These.parties.have.no.
inancial.stake.in.GM.foods.
General Information
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.
companies..
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.the.crop..Hence,.
intragenic
.modiication.has.much.in.
common.with.conventional.plant.breeding.
Scientiic Impact
The. FDA. standard. for. GM. food. products. is. based. on. the. principle. that. they.
have.essentially.the.same.ingredients,.although.modiied.from.the.original.plant..
Almost.all.GM.crops.meet.the.FDA's.substantive.equivalent.requirement..Hence,.
they.do.not.require.special.testing.before.commercial.marketing.can.occur.
Human Impact
Many.scientists.see.
intragenics
.as.having.real.potential.for.enhancing.consumer.
attributes.of.plants.such.as.dramatically.increasing.vitamin.and.antioxidant.lev-
els,.extending.shelf.life,.and.reduced.chemical.pesticide.application.without.con-
cerns.about.gene.transfer.across.species..These.improvements.to.plants.are.only.
possible.using.genetic.modiication.and.not.conventional.breeding.
All.foods.present.a.risk.of.an.allergic.reaction.to.a.small.fraction.of.the.popula-
tion..No.FDA-approved.GM.food.poses.any.known.unique.human.health.risks,.
but. when. genes. are. transferred. across. species,. a. new. allergen. is. possible.. This.
is.more.likely.with.
transgenics
.than.
intragenics
..While.GM.crops.can.result.in.
higher. yields.and. enhanced. nutrition,.there. is. no. consensus. whether. GM. foods.
have.or.will.reduce.worldwide.hunger.
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