Last updated: 28 August 2020
People have been manipulating the genetic make-up of plants and animals for countless generations. This is referred to as traditional cross breeding and involves selecting plants and animals with the most desirable characteristics (e.g. disease resistance, high yield, good meat quality) for breeding the next generation.
Today’s techniques use new ways of identifying particular characteristics and transferring them between living organisms. For example, it is now possible to make a copy of a particular gene from the cells of a plant, animal or microbe, and insert the copy into the cells of another organism to give a desired characteristic.
Foods derived from genetically modified organisms are called ‘GM foods’. All of the GM foods approved so far are from GM plants, for example corn plants with a gene that makes them resistant to insect attack, or soybeans with a modified fatty acid content that makes the oil better suited for frying. Plants that use less water to grow have also been developed so they are more suitable for changing climatic conditions.
How are GM foods regulated?
Not every approved GM food enters the marketplace as food. Many GM crops approved for use as food, are grown for animal feed and some GM approved plants don’t make it to market for a variety of reasons, for example, if they are not commercially viable or if they are used for production of hybrid seeds.
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