 Issues Today Volume 6: GM Food
Editor: Lisa Firth
Publisher: Independence Educational Publishers
Price: £5.95
Cover: Paperback
Pages: 32
ISBN: 978 1 86168 403 5
Published: October 2007
GM stands for Genetically Modified – that is, food which has been genetically altered in some way to produce certain characteristics, such as resistance to weedkillers or extra vitamin content. Some people think genetically modifying food is a good idea because of the benefits it can bring, but others think that trying to improve upon nature is risky and brand GM products “Frankenstein food”. This book looks at current GM trends and the debate about genetic modification.
The information comes from a variety of sources, including government reports and statistics, newspaper and magazine articles, surveys and polls, academic research and literature from charities and lobby groups; articles have been tailored to an 11 to 14 age group. Additionally, at the end of each chapter is a page of activities relating to the articles and issues raised in that chapter.
Table of Contents
Chapter One: GM Background
GM – what is it?, Genomics in the UK, Why GM?, GM labeling, Scientists create healthier tomatoes, Genetic modification and the environment, GM contamination, Modified hens lay eggs to help beat cancer, Biotechnology: growing in popularity, GM drug crops, Activities.
Chapter Two: The GM Debate
What are the ethics?, What’s the problem?, Supermarkets ‘supporting’ GM, Rice contaminated by GM, GM farming in secret – ‘irresponsible’, Developing countries and GM crops, This crop revolution may succeed, Replace GM? No chance!, Activities.
Key Facts
Glossary
Acknowledgements
• Current GM techniques are based on scientific discoveries made in the 1950s. Research into molecular biology and genetics in the 1970s resulted in the first GM plants being bred during the early 1980s. The first commercial crops were grown on a large scale in 1996. (page 2)
• In the EU, if a food contains GMOs or contains ingredients produced from GMOs this must be indicated on the label but products such as meat, milk and eggs from animals fed on GM animal feed do not need to be labelled. (page 6)
• A flock of designer hens, genetically modified with human genes to lay eggs capable of producing drugs that fight cancer and other life-threatening diseases, has been created by British scientists. (page 11)
• 50% of Europeans aged under 25 said that they would buy GM foods if they were cheaper, compared to only 32% in the 46 to 65 age group. (page 12)
• A new survey by Friends of the Earth reveals that most animal products sold in supermarkets, including milk, cheese and meat, come from animals fed on GM feeds. But consumers are not aware of what they are buying, with five out of 10 supermarkets failing to tell customers when food comes from animals fed on genetically modified feed. (page 18)
• Up to one-fifth of rice entering the EU is contaminated with an illegal genetically modified (GM) strain from the US. Those are the findings of the European Commission’s investigation into EU rice imports. (page 19)
• According to the John Innes Centre a global food shortage is predicted for 2020 and we need to double food production by 2050 to feed a global population of 9 billion. A key argument put forward by GM producers is that GM technology could be the key to solving developing countries’ food shortage problems. (page 21) |
