Genetically Modified Plants: Are You Freaked Out by "Franken-Food?"

Since the dawn of agriculture, human beings have sought to ease the relative burdens of existence by maintaining renewable food sources. Pursuing this endeavor led to the discovery that some individuals of an entire crop were more productive than others, and that their traits could be passed on to the next generation of seedlings through selective breeding. The goal was to produce crops that were resistant to disease, grew faster and produced better quality fruit. Unfortunately, selective breeding was a slow process, given the annual nature of some crops and the random nature of genetic mutations.

Today's scientists have developed a means to hasten the results of selective breeding through genetic engineering techniques. The replacement of certain genes in select crops can result in an increase in fruit size and nutritional value without having to screen millions of individual plants for the same properties. The actual "replacement" of genes can be accomplished by two relatively inexpensive methods; one involving a modified virus containing the gene of interest and another using a simplistic "gun" that fires beads coated in DNA into the plant. Given the ease and relatively low cost for creating genetically modified plants, one can easily see how many commonly consummed plants can be altered in this fashion.

So, just how prevalent are genetically modified plants in the American grocery store? Have you ever eaten corn? How about soy beans? Have you eaten a papaya since 1997? Chances are, you have eaten numerous genetically modified plants since their major influx in the late 1990's. In fact, given the USDA's Guidelines for Organic Foods, a product broadly labelled "organic" must only be 95% organically derived. You can easily argue that the addition of one gene (less than 0.001% of the genetic content of a plant) fits this designation without incurring legal action. Unless you're eating 100% certified organic foods, you're most likely eating "franken-food."