Genetically modified foods are an established part of American agriculture. It began in 1994 with the Flavr Svr tomato, the first genetically modified food licensed for human consumption.
Ultimately, the Flavr Svr was a flop. Not because of public outcry, but because the high-tech tomatoes proved bland and too fragile to ship.
Instead of focusing on the consumer experience, such as taste and nutrient content, today’s successful genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, have traits that benefit producers, such as the ability to resist pests or tolerate copious amounts of weed killer.
Corn, cotton, and soy beans lead the pack. The U.S.D.A. Economic Research Service reports that in 2011 some 88 percent of corn, 94 percent of soybeans, and 90 percent of cotton crops were grown from seeds engineered to create insecticides or resist herbicides.
Some 80% of processed foods contain GMOs, from the cottonseed oil in margarine to the soy protein in frozen meatballs. Whole-food GMOs include papaya, radicchio, and potatoes. And the FDA could soon approve genetically modified salmon.
Scientists are scrambling to understand the impact that large-scale adoption of GMOs has had on the environment. Evidence is mounting that engineered traits can have unintended consequences, from killing non-target organisms to creating ‘superbugs’ due to excessive herbicide use.
Over forty countries require the labeling of GMO foods. Most American consumers would like to know the origins of their dinner, but in the U.S. transparency has remained elusive.
Photo, taken on April 6, 2008 using a Leica D-LUX 3, courtesy of Timothy Valentine via Flickr.
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