Scientists Want to Make Food 'Bionic'

Crops to be genetically modified to prevent deadly diseases

KATE JAIMET / Ottawa Citizen 9jan03

Genetic engineers want to put the "farm" in pharmaceutical, with new crops of genetically modified foodstuffs that aim to prevent deadly diseases.

In the coming decade, consumers can expect to see grocery stores stocked with bionic foods that purport to stave off diseases like cancer and blindness, said Vincent Amanor-Boadu, co-founder of Guelph, Ont., biotech consulting company Agrifood Innovations Inc.

But so far, no country has a system for monitoring the long-term health effects of genetically engineered foods, and determining whether they are beneficial, harmful, or do nothing at all. "What we have to be worrying about is claim fraud," said Mr. Amanor-Boadu, currently a visiting professor of agricultural economics at Kansas State University.

The new pharma-foods will be especially important in developing countries, where people cannot afford rich and varied diets, Mr. Amanor-Boadu predicted. He said one biotech company has already discovered how to genetically engineer rice so that it contains vitamin A, necessary to prevent blindness.

Other companies are working on modifying staple crops so that they contain iodine, a nutrient necessary to prevent goitre, but which is lacking in many developing countries.

Future food experiments will go even further: Once the human genes that predispose people to cancer have been identified, scientists will try to create proteins that turn off those genes, and then genetically engineer those proteins into foods, he explained.

But while proponents tout the positive potential of high-tech foods, skeptics of genetic engineering are concerned that by changing the genetic structure of a vegetable or grain, scientists could be creating unknown biochemical interactions that will harm human health over the long term.

"I think it's a real concern. The people who say there's no concern tend to have a vested interest," said Karen Finlay, associate professor of consumer studies at the University of Guelph.

Farmers' groups are currently joining with environmentalists to try to prevent the food giant Monsanto from introducing genetically modified wheat into Canada. Monsanto applied on Dec. 23 for government approval of its wheat, which has been modified to be resistant to the Monsanto herbicide Round-up.

At the very least, consumer advocates like Ms. Finlay say, all genetically modified foods should be labelled, so that consumers have a choice whether or not to eat them. But the federal government has rejected mandatory labelling of GM foods because of industry concern that the labels will scare off consumers.

Karen McIntyre, acting director for the bureau of food policy integration at Health Canada, said that Canada is not currently tracking the effects of genetically modified foods on consumers. "We have not identified anything we could monitor for long-term effects. This is a challenge for the whole word. You have to know what health outcome you're looking to monitor."