The food that we eat is increasingly being produced using biotechnology. Genetically modified crops, which were first grown commercially in 1996, covered over 58 million hectares worldwide by 2002. Transgenic microbes, fish and animals are also being developed for food production purposes. Eat Your Genes describes the genetic engineering techniques used in agriculture. It explores the food industry's commercial motivations, why certain crop modifications have predominated, and the importance of patenting to the genetic engineering enterprise. Genetically modified (GM) food has entered our diet through a wide range of processed foodstuffs. This book explains how crop segregation and labelling are central to the debate, and outlines the development of consumer resistance to the marketing of GM food in Europe. The potential health and ecological risks, the ethical issues, and the implications for both industrialized and developing countries are examined. The author argues that genetic engineering is still a long way from meeting its promises of feeding the world's hungry and contributing to a more eco-friendly agriculture. The issues surrounding GM food affect us all.
Consumer choice, health and safety, the environment, the freedom of traditional breeders to improve major food crops, and justice towards the Third World are all at stake. As the public debate over the desirability of GM food continues, this is the book to help you think through what is involved.