Genetic Engineering

Genetic Engineering We find it mixed in our food on the shelves in the supermarket, genetically engineered soybeans and maize. We find it growing in a plot down the lane, test field release sites with genetically engineered grape seed, sugar beet, wheat, potato, strawberries and more. There has been no warning and no consultation. It is variously known as genetic engineering, genetic modification or genetic manipulation. All three terms mean the same thing, the reshuffling …

…and gene instability? How do we know that a genetically engineered food plant will not produce new toxins and allergenic substances or increase the level of dormant toxins and allergens? How about the nutritional value? And what are the effects on the environment and on wild life? All these questions are important questions yet they remain unanswered. Until we have an answer to all of these, genetic engineering should be kept to the test tubes.