In our cookbooks, at our restaurant, and in our home kitchens, we celebrate and love food. We certainly don’t want to associate food with danger, but the current controversy concerning genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is important, and we think it needs to be acknowledged.
Biotechnology isn’t new. Farmers, gardeners, and scientists have developed the foods we eat today by observing how nature works. Ancient Egyptians used principles of biotechnology when they developed yeast cultures for baking bread and brewing beer. Mayans developed corn from wild grasses. The breeding of seeds for color, size, and flavor, and for increased nutritional qualities and plant yields has been going on for about twelve thousand years.
Today, agricultural chemicals, irradiation, and genetic engineering are all part of biotechnology. The current revolution in biotechnology has set the stage for going beyond natural boundaries by transferring genes from one species to another species with which it could not breed in nature. (Introducing fish genes into tomatoes for frost resistance is an example.) Through genetic engineering, we can change genetic codes to produce food and medicine with desirable traits such as pest and herb resistance, greater yields, and modified nutritional qualities. At first glance, these discoveries and advances appear to be benignly beneficial, but genetic engineering comes with a multitude of challenges. Both the benefits and the risks of genetically modified crops are inconclusive because the crucial studies have not yet been done. The unintended effects of genetic manipulation may pose the most challenging problems.
So, many knowledgeable people are saying that we need to evaluate this new technology before we proceed further. In 2001, the United States still does not require labeling or premarket testing of genetically engineered foods, whereas the European Union enforces strict regulations and refuses to accept genetically modified crops from the United States.
GMOs cannot be recalled. They grow, mutate, and travel. It is too soon to know the unintended outcomes that may develop. People from all walks of life are demanding that we employ a precautionary approach to the development of transgenic products. Critical issues include ownership and patenting of genetic materials, the labeling of GMOs and our “right to know,” access to the technology, and the speed of its introduction to the marketplace. Staying informed and understanding the potential long-term, far-reaching effects of GMOs is of paramount importance in the new millennium