Traditional crossbreeding methods are already used to make corn sweeter and rose more beautiful, but they’re time- and labor-intensive–and leave too much to chance. Using the new technology, scientists plan to reduce plants’ susceptibility to buys and disease–and to improve their taste, nutrition and longevity. A herbicide-resistant gene from the petunia is now being put into the soybean plant. And researchers are even looking at bananas and potatoes that can deliver built-in vaccines for diseases.
Critics forget about the intense scrutiny that these products get from the U.S. regulatory system–and from developer’s legal departments. “If a product has some liability associated with it, it’s not going to make it on the shelf. They die in the laboratory,” says Walter Fehr, director of the office of biotechnology at Iowa State University. Consumers–and Mother Nature–can rest easy: the Flavr Savr is highly unlikely to turn into a killer tomato.
Karen Springen
THE FLAVR SAVR,
Calgene says that except for a new gene that inhibits softening the Flavr Savr tomato is exactly the same as a regular one. Maybe that’s so. Trouble is, scientists have no idea what all the nutrients and non-nutrient substances in a regular tomato (or any other food) might be. Will the new gene set off a chemical chain reaction that proves toxic or prompts unexpected changes in the environment? Test tubes aren’t the same as nature. Bacteria, for instance, are famous for their ability to mutate and adapt to new circumstances.
Caution is in order, but federal policy gives the biotech industry astonishing latitude. The new foods don’t require any testing, unless hey are substantially different from the originals or pose a hazard. And who decides that? Why, the biotech company. If it’s been cutting corners on research–too bad.
Back in the 1940s, a magazine ad showed a housewife with animals and foods, all dancing merrily. The caption? “DDT is good for me!” Commerce won out over caution that time, too.
Laura Shapiro
