A Consumer’s Guide to Genetically Modified Foods: From Green Genes to Red Herrings

Are you surprised to know that there are fish genes in some tomatoes? That brazil nut genes in soybeans can result in potentially lethal allergic reactions? That rapeseed plants bred to be resistant to herbicides could become uncontrollable superweeds? You are not alone. The issue of genetically modified foods has fast become one of the most debated of the late 20th century, with scientists and companies seeking to develop the technology on one side, and consumer groups and environmentalists on the other. However, in spite of the great heat generated by the debate, there is very little real information on the subject, either about the technologies in use or about the regulatory processes established to approve the processes and the products. This book sets out to explain, in clear and direct language, the technologies underlying so-called genetically modified food, and compares them with other natural methods of plant breeding and production. The author then looks at the safeguards in place from regulators around the world and asks whether these are sufficient.