Following a case of GM-contaminated rice making its way into supermarkets and news that trials of GM potatoes will be conducted in the UK, the debate concerning genetic modification has resurfaced once again. Questions of whether GM food is ethical, safe and beneficial are greatly disputed. In addition, the issue of ‘pharming’ – growing GM crops to produce medicines – is also highly controversial. This book looks at current GM trends and the debate about genetic modification.
The information comes from a wide range of sources and includes government reports and statistics, newspaper reports, features, magazine articles and surveys, literature from lobby groups and charitable organisations.
Table of Contents
Chapter One: GM Trends
What is GM?, Genomics in the UK, Glossary, GM (Genetic Modification), Why GM?, GM labelling, Genetic modification and the environment, Scientists create healthier tomatoes, Biotechnology: growing in popularity, UN upholds moratorium on terminator seed technology, GM contamination, GM drug crops, Modified hens lay eggs to help beat cancer, GM tobacco could save lives.
Chapter Two: The GM Debate
What are the ethics?, What’s the problem?, GM material in animal feed, Supermarkets supporting GM through the back door, International politics, Potato research trials, Farmer quits GM trial after phone threats, EU must wake up from ‘GM food inertia’, Are EU GMO rules starving the poor?, Rice contaminated by GM, Legal challenge to FSA, Out of control?, Developing countries and GM crops, Plans to allow GM farming in secret ‘are irresponsible’, This crop revolution may succeed where GM failed, There’s no chance that this technology will replace GM, Tories rally against Frankenstein foods.
Key Facts
Glossary
Additional Resources
Index
Acknowledgements
• Overall public attitudes towards GM foods are still negative with 47 per cent of people feeling that GM crops should not be grown for commercial use and with 29 per cent of people still undecided on the issue. (page 3)
• There are currently no GM crops being grown in the UK. (page 5)
• People disagree about whether GM crops will help solve the world food crisis, or whether GM is just a ‘technical fix’ for a much more fundamental problem. (page 10)
• EC figures show that 23% of Europeans would definitely buy GM foods if they could be shown to be healthier. 33% said that they probably would. (page 17)
• Materials from GM crops are used in animal feed in the UK, and are subject to a safety assessment as part of their authorisation. On the basis of these assessments, there is no reason to suppose that GM feed presents any more risk to farmed livestock than conventional feed. (page 25)
• The global area of GM crops for 2005 was 90 million hectares in 21 countries, up from 81 million hectares in 17 countries in 2004 and 67.7 million hectares in 18 countries in 2003. (page 25)
• 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 26)
• In a survey by the Nestlé Social Research Programme, 35% of young people aged 11 to 21 said they would support genetic modification of plants if it was necessary to obtain nutritionally improved food that tastes and costs the same as the food they eat at the moment. (page 31)
A Genetically Modified Future? Study Guide
Each book in the Issues series has a study guide. These four-page guides provide a variety of discussion points and other activities to suit a wide range of ability levels and interests.
Publisher: Independence Educational Publishers
Price: £1.50
ISBN: 978 1 86168 416 5
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