Eat Your Genes: How Genetically Modified Food is Entering Our Diet

Stephen Nottingham

Zed Books, 2003 - Health & Fitness - 212 pages

Eat Your Genes describes the genetic engineering techniques used in agriculture. It explores the food industry's commercial motivations, why certain crop modifications have predominated, and the importance of patenting to the genetic engineering enterprise.

This book explains how crop segregation and labelling are central to the debate, and outlines the development of consumer resistance to the marketing of GM food in Europe. The potential health and ecological risks, the ethical issues, and the implications for both industrialized and developing countries are examined.

The author argues that genetic engineering is still a long way from meeting its promises of feeding the world's hungry and contributing to a more eco-friendly agriculture. As the public debate over the desirability of GM food continues, this is the book to help you think through what is involved.

Contents

• A brief history of genetic improvement in agriculture: 1
• What is genetic engineering?: 11
• increasing yields and the pharming: 27
• The pharming of transgenic animals: 33
• baculovirus: 47
• Pyramiding genes52 Benefits for insect control: 54
• Designer food and engineered plants: 64
• Ecological risks: 80
• Risks to human health: 91
• Some ethical and moral issues: 97
• The lucrative art of patenting: 104
• food products: 122
• Marketing approval for genetically modified food: 129
• CibaGeigys B t maize 134 A new wave of crops 140: 140
• Impacts on the Third World: 156
• Prospects for genetically modified food: 172
• Abbreviations: 188
• Bibliography: 195
• Index: 203

About the author

Dr. Stephen Nottingham is a biologist and writer. He has a doctorate in the field of agricultural entomology, and a decade of experience in research groups, both in the UK and the USA. He has contributed numerous articles to scientific journals, based on work aimed at developing novel and environmentally-friendly crop protection methods. His previous books include Eat Your Genes: How Genetically Modified Food is Entering Our Diet (1998), also published by Zed Books.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Eat Your Genes: How Genetically Modified Food is Entering Our Diet; Eat Your Genes: How Genetically Modified Food is Entering Our Diet, Stephen Nottingham
• Author: Stephen Nottingham
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Zed Books, 2003
• ISBN: 184277347X, 9781842773475
• Length: 212 pages
• Subjects: Health & Fitness / Diet & Nutrition / Nutrition; Health & Fitness / Healthy Living & Personal Hygiene; Nature / Ecology; Nature / General; Science / Biotechnology; Science / Environmental Science; Science / General; Science / Life Sciences / Genetics & Genomics; Science / Philosophy & Social Aspects; Technology & Engineering / Agriculture / Agronomy / Crop Science; Technology & Engineering / Food Science / Chemistry & Biotechnology; Technology & Engineering / Food Science / General