Genetically modified food. What’s new.

Global biotech crop acreage grew to 222 million acres in 2005 from 7 million in 1996. Except for this, and the growth of anti-genetically modified (GM) foods websites, not much has changed pro or con.

The hyperbole continues. Last Sunday protesters damaged two GM maize testing fields in France. A few days earlier, Greenpeace activists chopped a giant cross through the maize. In case you don’t get the message, that’s the universal danger sign for “contamination.”

For some perspective, here is an article I wrote 6 years ago.

The fact is that mixing genes to improve crop quality and yield is not new. Prior to recombinant DNA technology, success was achieved ? although with little understanding of the biochemical mechanisms that determined the selected traits.

The advent of recombinant DNA technology for genetic manipulation simply provides a more powerful and selective tool.

Illustration: Dansk Forsknings

8/15/06 9:31 JR