A while ago, there were some intriguing posts about concerns over
genetically engineered soybeans that might be used in soy formula or
gentically engineered and other such "Frankenfoods". Having once upon a
very long time ago done my undergraduate degree in molecular biology and
worked at a genetic engineering firm that was working on modifications to
crop plants, I was geniunely curious about the specific fears that some of
you had about these genetic modifications.  In the late 70s and early 80s
when I worked in what was then an exciting new field, ethics were discussed
extensively and the corporate focus had not yet taken hold.  Many at the
firm I worked for sincerely believed that they would be contributing
something significant towards more nutritious or better yielding crop
plants. I left the firm, not because of fears about the monstrous plants
they would create, but because I thought the process of working on single
plants far too isolated from the ultimate consumer of these crops and from
the root causes of nutritional problems I had seen while in Peace Corps in
the Democratic Republic of Congo.

My fears do not stem from genetic modifications per se.  Thousands of years
ago, humans began the process of genetically modifying crop plants and
domesticated animals through breeding. There are both notable successes and
notable failures in that process. Personally, I mourn the loss of tasty
tomatoes that have been forsaken for the more easily shipped varieties that
were bred prior to genetic engineering. One has only to look at the bizarre
shapes and sizes of some of our domestic pets to recognize that we have
long been altering nature through genetics.  The Ti plasmid that was one
technique for genetically engineering plants actually occurred naturally in
tobacco plants.  I see engineering as a tool that, like plant breeding, can
be used or misused.

So, I was trying to think of why genetic engineering would cause such fear
as to label the products of this process "Frankenfoods".  The list I came
up with (not necessarily in any order of priority) was:

1) Corporations not informing the public of what modifications have taken
place (which actually happens all the time with other plant breeding).
2) Corporations not fully testing all the potentially harmful effects of
the genetically modified products (which also happens all the time with
plant breeding)
3) Corporations patenting genes so that low income farmers have to purchase
seeds at a higher cost (e.g. the attempt to patent the gene for Basmati
rice which is grown throughout India)
4) Corporations modifying the genes such that low income farmers can no
longer propagate seeds on their own and must repeatedly purchase these from
the corporations.
5) The rapidity and precision with which genetic engineering can take place
such that it might be difficult to fully evaluate all of the new varieties
and their potentially harmful effects.
6) Some of the harmful marketing practices of formula companies might be
repeated in the approach to genetic engineering.
7) That the repeated attempts to "improve" formula might be miscontrued as
approaching the qualities of human milk (as a nutritionist I don't believe
we will ever really get to the bottom of all the components of foods let
alone breast milk).

I found this to be helpful in thinking through how I might approach
analyzing the genetically engineered foods that will inevitably reach the
market, and, as it appears from some of the posts, ultimately reach the
market in the form of ever "improved" formula.  But then I realized that I
might be missing some of the other concerns and I would love to understand
some of the other fears that some of you may have that I most certainly
have missed.

Susan Burger, PhD, MHS

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