Can genetic engineering lower the nutritional value of food?
Genetic change, regardless of cause, can change the kind and quantities of nutrients food contains; so, certainly. The same is also true for foods (both plants and animals) genetically modified by artificial selection. Further, random mutation may also change foods’ nutritional value. Indeed, within any species of food plant or animal, there is some variation in nutritional quality, as there is some variety in genes. In general, though, nobody monitors these things. See these topics in Life’s Big Instruction Book: What’s that? genetic variation within a species, variety (of a species), mutation, artificial selection, genetic engineering • Can genetic manipulation lead to new poisons in foods? Certainly. Most plants produce small amounts of poisons, to fight off insects and diseases. Occasionally, mutation — either spontaneous or caused accidently via artificial selection — has increased these amounts, or led to plants producing poisons they hadn’t before. Two cases have been studied
