What are “Genetically Modified Organisms” (GMOs)?
Leanne Hachey of CBC News Online, summed it up best in her article: “The fuss over genetically modified food” What’s for dinner? It used to be the answer to that household mantra was an issue for debate among family members only. Not any more. Now scientists, advocacy groups, economists, trade experts, geneticists — and let’s not leave out the politicians — all want a say in what’s being served up for dinner. The food fuss revolves around one phrase: genetic modification. Two camps have dug their trenches deep on either side of that phrase. One side argues that genetic modification of food enhances the quality and nutritional value of already-existing foods as well as generating new ways to produce that food. The other side questions the technology’s safety and long-term effects, arguing Canadians simply don’t know what they’re putting in their mouths. Where it all began The term ‘genetically modified’ (G-M) is an offspring of another term: biotechnology. A word that’s been around fo
