What is a genetically-modified food ?
Genetically-modified (GM) food, as the term implies, stands for food that has its genetic make-up altered to display certain characteristics. The food, generally a crop, contains one or more genes which have been artificially inserted into the cell, e.g. for resist stance to pests, for tolerance to adverse environments, for improving the nutrition quality, for the expression of therapeutic agents etc. The inserted genetic material may be from another plant or even from another source. Scientists refer to genetically modified strains as ‘transgenics’ to indicate the presence of foreign genetic material (transgene). Technically, transgenics is a more accurate term for GM foods as even natural food have been genetically modified through selection and controlled breeding.
GMO, or genetically modified organism, refers to a food that has been altered through some form of genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is a form of biotechnology that includes a spectrum of techniques ranging from fermentation to plant and animal breeding, cell and tissue culture and antibiotic production. In any plant or animal, its traits are encoded in its genetic material (DNA or RNA). Genetic modification focuses on the manipulation of the genetic material inside the cells to block or add desired traits to the organism. The most commonly genetically modified crops include corn, canola, potato, soybean and flax. To date in Canada, no animal genes have been transferred into foods available in our supermarkets. The majority of the genetic modification has been done to the plants to make them more resistant to pests and environmental stress thereby producing higher yields.
