1. What are they?

2. Are they safe to eat?

3. Are public concerns rational?

Genetically modified foodsby Tim Harding B.Sc.

1850s: natural selection and sexual selection (Darwin)1860s-90s: basic rules of genetics (Mendel)1910-13: genes arranged linearly on the chromosome

(Morgan and Sturtevant)1944: DNA identified as gene carrier1953: discovery of the chemical structure of DNA

(Watson and Crick)

Brief history of DNA research

DNA structure

Genetic code

Genetic modification

evolution: natural selection and sexual selection human intervention: artificial selection

Artificial selection

plant and animal breeding (long-term)

mutagenesis (hit or miss)

genetic engineering (short-term)

End result is the same = modification of genetic code

All DNA is safe to eat

DNA is DNA – no ‘natural’ vs ‘artificial’ DNA

biochemically and nutritionally the same

only difference is in the genetic code i.e. sequence of the bases G, C, T and A.

Current food regulations in Australia

Australia has one of the most rigorous food safety testing regimes in the world

GE foods are tested even more rigorously than non GE foods ‐

principle of ‘substantial equivalence’

foods certified as organic or biodynamic should not contain any GE ingredients (according to voluntary organic food industry guidelines)

GM foods

all farmed foods

all meats except for wild game and kangaroo

farmed fish e.g. salmon

all plant foods except bush tucker

all cultivated mushrooms

GE foods

cisgenesis (within the same species) or

transgenesis (from different species)

early 1990s: transgenic plant products (soybean, corn, canola, and cotton seed oil)

no GE whole foods available in Australia – why?

Objections to GE foods

the appeal to nature fallacy

alleged but unproven safety issues

ideological concerns

ecological concerns

Benefits of GE foods

• sturdy plants able to withstand weather extremes• better quality food crops• higher nutritional yields in crops• inexpensive and nutritious food• foods with a greater shelf life• food with medicinal (nutraceutical) benefits• crops resistant to disease and insects • produce that requires less chemical application