CROPS FOR CHANGE
CHANGE THE WORLD WITH GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS
GM Crops
Golden Rice
Description:
Golden rice is a genetically modified crop that produces high amounts of vitamin A.
Researched By:
The original golden rice was developed by Professor Ingo Potrykus (professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) and Peter Beyer (professor at the University of Freiburg. The research was funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, the EU, the Swiss Federal Office for Education and Science, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.
Funded By: Currently, golden rice is patented by Syngenta.
Manufactured/Produced By:
Syngenta now owns golden rice (after a partnership with the original inventors was made in 2000).
Regulated By:
Golden rice is still being developed and tested in regions of Philippines, Indonesia, and Bangladesh. It is not for public sale in the United States and therefore is not currently regulated.
Typical Consumer and Market size:
Although golden rice can be used to feed people all over the United States, its target market is rural areas of the world where people are living below the poverty line. The market size can potentially be hundreds of millions of people, depending on where and how the Golden Rice Project is implemented.
Benefits And Applications Of This Product:
Millions of people around the world - including children - suffer from VAD (vitamin A deficiency). Not only is VAD linked to blindness, but it also makes people more susceptible to diseases (AIDS, measles, etc). This causes higher mortality rates in rural areas of the world. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 250 million preschool kids suffer from VAD and are at risk for diseases and even death.
This is where the Golden Rice Project comes in. Not only is rice a sustainable source of calories, but - based on research by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2009 - eating around 1 cup a day provides half of an adult's daily vitamin A need. Golden rice has the potential to alleviate the VAD crisis as well as provide a valuable source of food for poor populations.
Purple Tomatoes
Description:
Purple tomatoes are genetically modified tomatoes that contain higher amounts of antioxidants. Their purplish hue is a result of anthocyanin, an antioxidant that has the potential to fight cancer (according to research done on animals). The purple tomatoes are made by transferring a snapdragon plant gene into the tomato's DNA (which triggers the production of anthocyanin in the tomato).
Researched By:
The tomatoes were developed by Professor Cathie Martin and her team at the John Innes Centre in Norwich. Then, Cathie Martin - along with Professor Jonathan Jones - established NPS (Norfolk Plants Sciences) to further their research on the purple tomatoes and other GM foods.
Funded By:
The research is being funded by a group of investors - including angel investor Stephen Thomson
Manufactured/Produced By:
Because UK regulations on GM foods are more strict, a deal was made with New Energy Farms (a Canadian company). They are currently producing the purple tomatoes to be tested.
Regulated By:
Because the purple tomatoes are not for sale yet, they are not currently regulated.
Typical Consumer:
The general population is the target market for purple tomatoes. Instead of eating regular tomatoes, hundreds of millions of people across the world can use purple tomatoes for their higher nutrition content.
Benefits And Applications Of This Product:
Because of the high levels of anthocyanin, the purple tomatoes are a great source of antioxidants with the potential to fight diseases. Since the general population eats tomatoes more than high antioxidant foods (like blueberries), purple tomatoes can provide valuable nutrition without compromising taste.
Tobacco Plants (For Fuel)
Description:
There are a few research projects aiming to create fuel from tobacco plants, but the biggest one is perhaps FOLIUM - a research project that wants to produce high amounts of biofuel using tobacco plants. They are genetically engineering the tobacco plants to produce hydrocarbon fuels by using DNA from microorganisms and other plants.
Researched By:
FOLIUM is led by Christer Jansson, Ph.D (Senior Staff Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories) who works along with researchers from UC Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the University of Kentucky.
Funded By:
The project is funded by a $4.8 million grant from the ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy).
Manufactured/Produced By:
The tobacco plants are still being developed and therefore are not for sale.
Regulated By:
The tobacco plants are still being developed and therefore are not regulated.
Typical Consumer:
The typical consumer can be anyone and everyone with a motor vehicle that is powered by gasoline. If the fuel from the tobacco plants can indeed replace the regular fuel currently being used, the market size for this biofuel can be hundreds of millions - even billions - of people.
Benefits And Applications Of This Product:
The main benefit that can result from biofuels is a higher supply of energy for the national and international markets - which can possibly result in lower prices. Furthermore, using biofuels instead of the traditional gasoline can lead to less pollution from burning fossil fuels.
"Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future. "
-John F. Kennedy
Purple Tomatoes
Description:
Researched By:
Funded By:
Manufactured/Produced By:
Regulated By:
Typical Consumer:
Benefits And Applications Of This Product:
The true mark of successful research is the resulting benefits within our local and global communities. Below are a few genetically modified products that are available in the market or are currently being developed. These products hold applications for growing crops efficiently, protecting against viruses that affect crops, alleviating malnutrition in third-world countries, developing fuel sources, making our food healthier, protecting our environment... the list goes on and on!
Benefits
Bt Corn
Description:
Bt corn is a genetically modified version of corn. "Bt" stands for Bacillus thuringiensis - a type of soil bacterium that creates insecticidal toxins. Therefore, Bt corn contains DNA from Bt that allows the corn to produce insecticidal toxins - making the corn resistant to certain insects.
Researched/Funded/Produced By:
There is no single developer of Bt corn. Several companies produce this variety of corn, including Monsanto.
Regulated By:
The use of Bt corn is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Typical Consumer:
Bt corn is produced for consumption by the American public as well as use in animal feed for farm animals.
Benefits And Applications Of This Product:
Bt corn was produced in order to kill certain harmful insects (and not hurt beneficial insects). This lowers the amount of pesticides used on our corn - which is better for our environment and for our health. Although the use of this type of maize has been controversial because of possible health concerns (especially since it was a new scientific development), there is no evidence to suggest that Bt corn is harmful to humans.
Consumers
When people are eating a genetically modified crop, chances are that it tastes and looks like a regular crop. This is because genetically modified crops can deliver similar quality of food as regular crops - not to mention that they require less pesticides and can be produced in higher quantities than normal crops. What benefit does this have to the consumer? The use of less pesticides and higher quantities of food means that those crops can be grown cheaper than regular crops - which means that consumers can save money on food in this tough economy. Furthermore, some genetically modified foods have been created - or are being developed - with increased nutrition values. For examples of crops with enhanced nutrition, continue reading below!
Poor Populations
Just like consumers can benefit from cheaper and good quality genetically modified crops, so can people living in rural areas around the world. Hundreds of millions of children and adults go hungry without any source of calories whatsoever. By growing genetically modified crops in higher quantities with cheaper costs, it would be easier to provide food to those who need it most. Not to mention that certain genetically modified crops can withstand extreme conditions (like the Agricultural Research Service's new heat tolerant beans), enabling people living in desert areas - or other areas not suitable for growing - to grow their own food. Furthermore, certain genetically modified foods can provide greater nutritional value in order to prevent deficiencies in certain vitamins and minerals. For examples of this, continue reading below!
Farmers
There are approximately 17.3 million farmers around the world that grow GM crops, and this number increases every day due to the great benefits of genetically engineered crops. Not only do GM crops require less pesticides and resist diseases/droughts, the food production is dramatically higher. Take maize for example - according to a study by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, GM maize has increased the crop production by 11.8% and raised the farmers' income up to 122 pounds ($195.10) per hectare. GM crops help farmers significantly by allowing them to grow their business while feeding our population. It is a great help to both the people growing and eating the food.
"Rainbow" Papayas
Description:
In the 1940s, the papaya ring spot virus (PRSV) - a virus that attacks papaya plants - first appeared in Oahu and eventually spread throughout Hawaii. It devastated many papaya plantations. "Rainbow" papayas are genetically modified papayas that contain DNA from the PRSV - making these GM papayas resistant to the virus.
Researched/Funded/Produced By:
The "rainbow" papayas were developed by the University of Hawaii as well as Cornell University's Department of Plant Pathology (where one of the lead researchers, Dennis Gonsalves, was currently working). Since 1998 - after a complete review for environmental and food safety - the GM papayas are grown by papayas farmers in Hawaii (and soon will be approved for production in other countries, including Japan). Currently, according to the GMO Compass, approximately 75% of Hawaii's total papaya crop are comprised of "rainbow" papayas.
Regulated By:
As with most genetically modified crops, "rainbow" papayas are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Typical Consumer:
"Rainbow" papayas are enjoyed by people all over the United States. Also, in 2012, Japan began to import "rainbow" papayas from Hawaii (after thirteen years of negotiations).
Benefits And Applications Of This Product:
"Rainbow" papayas solved the crisis that began in the 1940s when the PRSV first attacked Hawaii's traditional papayas. Now, farmers in Hawaii can grow the delicious fruit without the virus destroying their crops.
