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Biotechnology & food: Personal choices and public policies |
T. M. ZINNEN, Biotechnology Center, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison/Extension, 425 Henry Mall, Madison, WI 53706 Nearly all our food comes from living things: plants, animals or microbes. To improve crops, livestock and cultures, humans can modify the environment, and humans can manipulate genes. Currently plant breeders have at least a dozen distinct methods of generating genetic variation for use in crop development. Among these are several biotechnologies, including recombinant DNA technology, cell fusion, and genomics. The issue of biotechnology and food is controversial because it affects so many fundamentals: our lives, our bodies, our land, our sense of right and wrong. In assessing new technologies, consumers, governments and markets can play various roles in deciding what will be compulsory, what will be permitted, and what will be prohibited. Comparing the risks and benefits of a new technology with those of existing technologies is a useful check to ensure that policies address the risks without establishing an undue taboo. Such comparisons require an examination of the powers and limits of the different ways we probe the unknown and deal with uncertainty. This leads to fundamental questions about the nature of proof, the power of disproof, and the placement of the burden of proof. Consumers with well-developed science savvy will likely benefit best from such comparisons, as they use scientific assessments and other personal values in making personal choices and public policies regarding food.
Session 1, Biotechnology-derived foods: Is frankenfood a myth or a reality?
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