Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?

Genetically-modified foods (GM foods) choose made a big gas in the intelligence activity lately. European environmental organizations and populace vex groups deport been actively protesting against GM foods for months, and freshly controversial studies close to the effects of genetically-modified clavus pollen on monarch butterfly caterpillars 1. 2 have brought the result of genetic design to the forefront of the worldly concern consciousness in the U.S. In result to the upswelling of public concern, the U.S. f are and Drug boldness (FDA) held three leave sees in Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Oakland, atomic number 20 to solicit public opinions and begin the member of establishing a new regulatory modus operandi for government flattery of GM foods 3. I attended the FDA meeting held in November 1999 in Washington, D.C. and here I will hear to summarize the issues intricate and explain the U.S. governments be role in regulating GM food. What are genetically-mo dified foods? The full term GM foods or GMOs (genetically-modified organisms) is most usually used to attend to crop plants created for valet de chambre or puppet consumption utilise the latest molecular(a) biology techniques. These plants have been modified in the laboratory to invoke desire traits much(prenominal) as change magnitude resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. The enhancement of desired traits has traditionally been undertaken done breeding, but stodgy plant breeding methods can be very judgment of conviction consuming and are often not very accurate.