GMO breakthroughs … promise advances in nutrition, health, the environment and our food supply. But they face regulatory and political challenges that are preventing or delaying them from going to market.
For instance, in 2006 the University of Missouri developed pigs that produce meat that reduces the risk of heart disease. This was accomplished by modifying a gene to enable the pigs to produce an enzyme that synthesizes omega-3 fatty acids. These are healthy polyunsaturated fatty acids common in certain fish like salmon. But these pigs don’t taste like salmon. They taste like pork.
But like salmon, meat from these pigs lowers risk of heart disease. And that’s great! First, because heart disease is our nation’s number one cause of death. Second, bacon and pork chops are two of my favorite foods.
Unfortunately, the slower-than-molasses FDA approval process has kept this biotechnology advance on the shelf for 10 years. Despite the fact, may I remind you, the number of people killed by gene-manipulated food stands at zero. Significantly lower than the death toll from cardiovascular disease.
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: Can Common Sense Be Genetically Engineered?
