GM Organism's Future

As we all know, the most common GM organisms are crop plants. But technology nowadays has broaden GM organisms from crop plants to different forms of life. Examples from previous posts: glow in the dark animals, bacteria to prevent HIV, pigs having spinach genes, and goats that produces spider silk.

According to the article, “GM Organisms” by John Pickrell, mentions genetic modified tomatoes appeared in British during the 1996, but a different GM tomato appeared in the United States during the 1994. Although it has been a decade, but the genetic modified food issues didn’t arouse until the 1999. Because there were studies that genetic modified potatoes might be toxic to the rats in the laboratory. There were many critics for the news, especially from a biochemist Arpad Pustzai in Scotland.

There are very little genetic modified crops in Europe nowadays. Because there was an anti-GM food campaign in United Kingdom after the critics from Pustzai aroused. But in the end, it pushed forth trade disputes with the U.S. Therefore, GM crops are very rare in Europe. They have strict labeling laws and regulations. “Several UK government reports have offered qualified support for GM crops and produce, though they argue that the economic benefits of the technology are currently small.” Some African nations rejected international food aid to oppose engineered crops.

In contrary, United States do not require to label the food. Other places that do not require labeling include India, China, Canada, Argentina, Australia, and some other places.

http://www.newscientist.com/channel/opinion/gm-food/dn9921