6. GE products on the market

By December 1998, the following genetically engineered products had received approval in the US: herbicide-resistant canola (oilseed rape), radicchio, maize, cotton, and soybeans; insect-resistant maize, cotton and potatoes; virus-resistant papaya, potato and squash; canola (oilseed rape) designed to produce high concentrations of lauric acid; tomatoes engineered to delay their ripening, or have thicker skins; a rabies vaccine; a bacterium designed to enhance nitrogen fixation in the soil, and a genetically engineered growth hormone (rBST/rBGH) designed to boost milk production in dairy cows.(1)

Sixteen genetically engineered crops had been granted marketing approval in the EU by December 1998.(2) Of these, the only ones to have received unanimous approval by all the member states were two varieties of genetically engineered carnation: one with 'improved vase life', and one with altered colouring. All the other approvals have been disputed. Products officially approved as 'safe' have subsequently been banned in certain countries, while the introduction of many of the food crops which have been approved are now subject to delays as a result of concern about their impacts on health and the environment.

Besides the carnations mentioned above, the crops granted EU approval include herbicide-resistant tobacco, maize, chicory (allowed for breeding prupose only), soybeans, and oilseed rape; and insect- resistant maize.(3) The genetically engineered ingredients already in European shops include soybeans and maize.

"Within five years-and certainly within ten-some 90-95 per cent of plant-derived food material in the United States will come from genetically engineered techniques."

Most of the genetically engineered crops already on the market have been designed to be resistant to herbicides or insects. Over the next few years, the industry plans to introduce more crops with 'quality traits' perceived as benefits for consumers or the food processing industry. An example of this is the attempt to engineer fruit and vegetables that ripen more slowly, allowing them to be transported over greater distances and kept for longer on supermarket shelves without losing the appearance of being fresh.(5)

Other kinds of food on their way include the so-called 'functional foods' and 'nutraceuticals', which claim to enhance health and wellbeing. Examples include foods with added vitamins and altered nutritional values, such as 'vitamin A rice',(hyperlink here to new section on Golden Rice) or 'low-fat crisps' from potatoes that have a higher starch content and less water, so can be fried in less oil.(6)

References:

1.  Union of Concerned Scientists (June 2001) Foods allowed on the market. <http://www.ucsusa.org/food/gen.market.html> (as of November 2001).
2. Most of these approvals have certain restrictions e.g. the crops have been approved for import only, but not for planting, crops approved for breeding purpose only etc.
3. GeneWatch UK (1999) Genetic Engineering: A Review of Developments in 1998. GeneWatch Briefing Number 5, p. 2
4. Quoted by Kathy Koch in the 4 September 1998 issue of the Congressional Quarterly Researcher.
5. Evans D. (1996) Produce-on-demand: What's good for US markets is good for world markets too. Nature Biotechnology Vol. 14, p. 802.
6. Marvin Hayenga (1998) Structural Change in the Biotech Seed and Chemical Industrial Complex. AgBioForum, Vol. 1 No. 2
GeneWatch (1999) Genetic Engineering: A Review of Developments in 1998. Briefing Number 5, p. 6
RAFI (1999) The Gene Giants: Masters of the Universe? Communiqué March/April 1999
 

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