Genetically Modified Foods Yummmmm

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Genetically Modified FoodsYummmmm
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All Foods are products of genetic modifications
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History of GM foods

• From 6000 BC onwards, the Babylonians, Egyptians
  and Sumerians were all using various methods of
  fermentation. Yeast was very common in making
  beer and wines
• In 1724, cross fertilizing of corn was
  discovered.
• Born in 1823, Gregor Mendel was the very first
  person to trace the genetic characteristics of
  living things.
• In 1962, James Watson and Francis Crick won the
  Nobel Prize for Medicine for unravelling the
  mystery of the structure of DNA
• When scientists realised that all living things
  use the same genetic message code, those being
  adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C) and
  guanine (G). The characteristics of organisms
  could now be altered just by changing its DNA GM
  foods came into existence
• In 1980, the US Supreme Court made a ruling that
  genetically altered life forms would require
  patentings.
• 1983 First GE plant - A tobacco plant engineered
  with a yeast gene
• 1993 Field trials of GM crops were underway in 32
  countries
• 1995 4000 trials of GM plant species

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Examples of GM Food Food that has already being
modified, or are very likely to be genetically
modified in the near future include Apple
Canola Grapevine Lentil Lettuce Maize
PapayaPea Pineapple Potato Soya Bean
Sugarcane Tomato WheatGenetically modified
food and ingredients already on sale in Australia
are Sugar Beet - Sugar, Glucose Canola - Edible
seed products, Edible oil products Soya Bean -
Soy beverages, Tofu, Soy oil, Soy flour Potato -
Potato flour, Potato starch Corn/Maize - Corn
oil, Corn meal, Corn starch (flour), Corn sugar
or syrup
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• Crop Improvements
• The basic benefits in the application of gene
  technology in the agricultural industries and
  type of Improvement
• Environmental benefits such as lower amounts of
  chemical pesticides, lower levels of carbon
  dioxide in the atmosphere.
• Sustainability of the natural resource base,
• Food security for a growing world population
• Herbicide - tolerant plants, Bt - maize, rice
  with increased photosynthesis due to presence of
  maize genes.
• More exact, faster breeding methods.
• Gene- transfer vectors and viruses,
  electropration, biolistics.
• Improved nutrition.
• Iron enriched rice, Vitamin- A containing rice.
• Increased yields.
• Boosted rice output with maize genes.
•  

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Genetically Modified Food onlineNewsFrom
October 12 21st2003Reuters - British
Government Seen Postponing GM Decision UK
October 21, 2003 LONDON - Britain is likely to
have to wait several years before it sees
genetically modified crops being grown
commercially, if at all, because of the high
political risk, analysts said Monday. BBC News -
The Co-op has announced that it is banning
genetically modified food and ingredients
throughout its entire business. New Scientist
The results of the world's largest ever trial of
GM crops show that two out of the three tested -
oilseed and sugar beet - had a worse impact on
farmland wildlife than conventional crops.
Independent, UK American biotech companies
tried to lie to Europe in an attempt to force
genetically modified crops upon them, Margot
Wallström, the European environment commissioner,
said yesterday. Independent, UK Study Reveals
First Evidence that GM Superweeds Exist
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The ProcessSee http//www.balwynhs.vic.edu.au/ho
me/mendels/howto.html The steps in genetically
engineering/modifying an organism are 1. 
Identifying the gene of interest and decoding or
sequencing the gene to determine its DNA
structure. 2.  Inserting the gene into single
cells of the target organism. 3.  Growing
transformed cells into a complete organism.
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What are the health advantages, disadvantages, of
GMF?Crops with defined health benefits will
become available.For example "golden
rice"--rice genetically modified to produce
enhanced levels of vitamin A and rice with
elevated levels of bioavailable ironDeveloping
vaccines in plants is very attractive and appears
to be quite feasible--for example, people may be
immunized against measles or other diseases by
eating bananas.Exposure of human populations to
large amounts of novel proteins that have never
previously been in the human food chain could
cause unpredictable problems. In particular,
allergenicity could cause problems that would be
difficult to detect, as symptoms can take a long
time to develop.