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Bioengineered Food, 8/1/07
Overview:
Join Active Minds for an exploration of the scientific advancements around genetically modified crops and the concerns that this has raised. We will explore how science has been able to alter the food we grow to enhance productivity, control for parasites, and optimize certain food characteristics. We will also look at the potential undesirable consequences for health and the environment.
Key Lecture Points:
• Humans have been modifying crops for centuries. For some, genetic engineering is one end of a continuum of increasing sophistication of plant genome manipulation. This new step, however, allows scientists to introduce a gene from one species into another species, something that rarely, if ever, occurs in nature. For this reason, others suggest that genetic engineering is unlike its conventional predecessors.
• In 1999 the European Union (E.U.) imposed a ban on the import of genetically engineered foods, affecting agriculture exports from the U.S.
• In February of 2007, the WTO made a preliminary ruling that the E.U. ban on genetically engineered foods was illegal. The complaint that led to this ruling was brought by the U.S., Argentina and Canada stating that the E.U. ban on genetically engineered foods was in violation of international trade rules. The E.U. lifted the ban in 2004, however some individual E.U. countries still have bans in place.
• On May 3, 2007, a federal judge ruled that the planting of genetically engineered alfalfa across the U.S. was illegal. The judge called on the USDA to ban any further planting of GE alfalfa until it conducted an Environmental Impact Statement on the crop. This ruling was in response to a lawsuit brought about by farmers concerned that the genetically engineered alfalfa may contaminate organic and conventional strains of alfalfa and create herbicide resistant “super weeds”.
Exploration Questions:
• How far should crop scientists be allowed to progress in the manipulation of plant genomes?
• Where does the burden of proof lie for demonstrating that these crops are safe for humans, animals and the environment?
• What should government policy toward GE food look like?
Reflective Questions:
• How do you feel about Bio-Engineered Foods? Do you think that they are a good indication of human scientific progress or are you concerned about the health or environmental impacts of them?
More to Explore:
• FDA support for Bio-Engineered Food: www.fda.gov
• Greenpeace Opposition: www.greenpeace.org
Books For Further Reading:
• Gay, Kathlyn. Superfood or Superthreat: The Issue of Genetically Engineered Food. Enslow Publishers, 2007. 112 pages. Genetically engineered food is made by inserting genes from other organisms to give an animal or crop desirable traits. Some say GE food is dangerous to people and to the environment. Others say it can solve the worlds hunger problems. Author Kathlyn Gay explores the viewpoints on both sides of the argument so that readers can make up their own minds on this controversial topic. Click here to order.
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