genetically modified foods

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Foods produced using genetic engineering technology. Individual genes can be copied or transferred from one living organism to another, to incorporate particular characteristics into the organism or remove undesirable characteristics. The technology, developed in the 1980s, may be used, for example, to produce crops with higher yields, improved taste, resistance to pests, or a longer growing season. The first genetically modified (GM) food, the ‘Flavr Savr’ tomato, went on sale in the USA in 1994. GM ingredients appearing in foods on the market today include tomatoes, soya, and maize. However, there remain some doubts and reservations about GM products, and some companies and countries, including the UK, have taken steps to delay the growing of GM crops until risks have been assessed, and to introduce legislation forcing GM products to be declared as such.

The higher yields and increased nutritional content produced by the new technology may help in feeding the world's rapidly-increasing population, and it may be possible in future to produce health foods such as oil seeds that produce oils with lower saturated fat content. Other advantages are that higher yields mean less land will need to be given over to farmland in order to produce more food, and that reliance on pesticides will be reduced by creating crops that are themselves resistant to pests.

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