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SCIENCE83TECHNOLOGY
feday, April 6, 2000
THE BATTALION
Page 7
odified foods stir safety debates
rmers, scientists and consumers disagree on risks from altered foods
BY YOLANDA LUKASZEWSKI
The Battalion
We’re running out of farmland,” said Mari-
damek, a Texas A&M junior horticulture
. “If we can produce more tomatoes this
, we should.”
or Adamek, modifying foods is not a contro-
ial issue, whether the modification is through
entional methods or genetic engineering,
damek’s family practices a form of biotech-
gy in their peach orchard near Yoakum by
ting, or growing together, high fruit-pro-
ing tree tops with strong root stocks of oth-
otech crops
courtesy of DREAMwoRKs-ifrmers are planning to scale back
e road touring or vvritimw« altered crops amid
restaurant in Sconce tF nCemS about their impact on the
V. Keith Will pla\ attM J' /ironment and controvers y overseas
r, l ■, i „ i,. u, ' tBout biotech food. Here are the
. i icKets tor tne show nia\ sH ^
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iro biotech.
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vised simply on Conger') Cotton
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i. Conger said she neverpl,,
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iave to learn from this* p )fe 2000 figures are projected crops
ie said. based on USDA survey of farmers in major
en a reporter asked !iBoctL/c/ng states.
11 r Source: USDA’s National Agricultural AP
d: Is that a proposal. Statistics Service
nicliving.com/cai
‘Includes some conventionally bred
varieties.
er trees. These two parts combined produce bet
ter peaches.
Scientists have long used these traditional or
classic breeding techniques to develop new va
rieties of peaches.
But greater controversy surrounds organisms
that have been genetically engineered. The public
perceives these foods as riskier and more danger
ous than those foods bred using the methods which
have been implemented for hundreds of years.
A report released Wednesday by the Nation
al Academy of Sciences said that genetically en
gineered crops seem to be safe. But it’s too ear
ly to tell if the report will have an effect on
public opinion.
Small-scale farmers fear that they will be un
able to afford genetically altered seeds. Con
sumers worry about labeling and food allergies.
And environmental groups protest against po
tential ecological damage.
Last week, the Associated Press reported that
farmers nationwide are projected to plant fewer
genetically-altered crops, especially com altered
to produce Bt, a biopesticide. The expected de
cline is attributed to a drop in market interest in
genetically-aitered crops and a decline of the
European corn borer, the
primary insect targeted by
the biopesticide corn.
In January, Plano-based
Frito Lay announced that it
would stop using geneti
cally-altered corn in its
products.
Texas, however, might
not reflect the national
trends in Bt-corn planting
because there are fewer
acres of corn production
here, and the European corn
borer is still a common pest
in Midwestern states, but
not in Texas, said Dr. Tom
Vestal, lecturer and Exten
sion Specialist in the De
partment of Agricultural
Education.
The planting of cotton,
however, may reflect national projections.
“In Texas, because cotton production is in
tense, local use of biotech varieties for crop pro
tection from cotton bollworms and weed infes
tations may follow national projections more
closely,” Vestal said.
Some scientists remain proponents of the
"People have to eat. The
more that you can pro
duce, the better."
— Mariah Adamek
junior horticulture major
technologically altered foods.
They see genetic engineering and genetical
ly-modified crops as ways to improve nutrition,
end world hunger, apply less pesticide and her
bicide and extend the shelf life of produce.
Earlier this year, for example, a team led by
Dr. Craig Nessler, professor of biology at A&M,
successfully engineered a head of lettuce with
seven times the amount of vitamin C of normal
lettuce. The new lettuce could help battle scurvy, a
disease caused by dietary deficiencies of vitamin C.
Wealthier nations will use genetic engineer
ing to improve the value of crops, but for the
third world nations, such crops could become a
matter of survival, Nessler said.
“Scientists have to eat, and they have chil
dren of their own,” he said. “We’d be reluctant
to harm our children. We also feel a social re
sponsibility to less fortunate countries,” he said.
Other scientists said the question boils down
to how much risk people accept in their lives.
“You always have some risk. The real ques
tion is: Have we created an unacceptable risk, or
do we not want this risk?” said Dr. James Gio-
vannoni, A&M assistant professor of horticul
tural sciences.
Adamek said she plans to work on her fami
ly’s orchard after she graduates. She also plans
to sell vegetables commercially. Depending on
the area where she will plant her crops, she will
use either modified or unaltered seed to grow
more and bigger vegetables.
“People have to eat,” she said. “The more
that you can produce, the better.”
A&M panel describes public’s gene fears
BY LINDA WANG
Special to the Battalion
The recent explosion of information about genetically-
modified foods leaves many people not knowing exactly what
to believe.
According to John Howard, CEO of Prodigene, a College
Station-based biotechnology company, part of the problem is
that the public is hearing different opinions from many differ
ent groups.
“There are a lot of agendas going on that’s left the con
sumers absolutely confused about what the issues are,”
Howard said.
Howard, and Dr. Susanna Priest, Texas A&M professor of
journalism, spoke on a panel Wednesday about issues in ge
netically-modified foods as part of the Bioethics Awareness
Week, sponsored by the Texas A&M Bioethics Forum.
Howard said that, contrary to public perception, genetically
modified organisms (GMOs) are very safe.
“These new products have undergone more safety tests
than any other products that we’ve been eating,” Howard said.
“We’re now left with the issue of how to give the public more
understanding of what’s going on.”
Priest says that, in general, the public has legitimate con
cerns about genetically-modified foods.
“One of the tendencies over the last decade is to say that
people need more education and then they will accept genet
ic engineering of foods,” Priest said.
But she said her research of the media and public percep
tions of biotechnology has revealed that people are concerned,
not only with the risks to their health, but also with environ
mental impact, economic concerns and moral issues.
“I think the more debate and discussion we have [about the
issues of genetic engineering], the better,” Priest said.
Space spectacle
As Mars, Jupiter and Saturn
move toward alignment with
other planets in May, they afford
the earthbound a week’s worth
of heavenly views in April.
• Alderbaran
Pleiades
star cluster
Dusk, April 6
Saturn
Mars
Alpha
Ceti
Jupiter
Source: Sky and Telescope Magazine
April brings planets
into view, alignment
Three planets — Jupiter , Saturn and
Mars — along with the moon, will provide
a remarkable display for stargazers across
North America according to Don Carona,
program director for the Texas A&M Uni
versity observatory.
Corona said that at approximately 8 p.m.
in the southwest sky, the crescent moon will
be 30 degrees above the horizon. He said
what will look like a bright star nearby is
Jupiter. Mars will be just north of Jupiter,
and Saturn will be north of Mars and less
than three degrees west of the moon. Peo
ple will be able to view these planets with
the naked eye.
— Noni Sridhara
animal instincts.
Co-sponsored by
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