A lot of people think we could be headed for trouble by tampering with Mother Nature and producing genetically altered food. But those who {{U}}(1) {{/U}} say it's no more unnatural than traditional selective breeding, to say nothing about {{U}}(2) {{/U}} and chemical pesticides.
Most Canadians regularly eat bio-engineered food. Anyone who consumes cheese, potatoes, tomatoes,{{U}} (3) {{/U}} is taking in genetically modified (GM) food. In addition, {{U}}(4) {{/U}} contain GM ingredients. In fact, around 65% of the food we get from the shops has some genetically modified component. GM food does not {{U}}(5) {{/U}} in Canada, so most of us don't know we are eating it. Some of the items that have {{U}}(6) {{/U}} GM material might surprise you. They include chocolate bars, baby food, margarine, {{U}}(7) {{/U}}, ice cream, {{U}}(8) {{/U}}, cereals, and cookies.
{{U}} (9) {{/U}} have used GM foods for centuries; if they hadn't, we'd probably still be {{U}}(10) {{/U}}. They've refined the foods we eat through selective crossbreeding, combining different types of wheat, and {{U}}(11) {{/U}}. Today, however, genetic engineering is no longer just a case of mixing different varieties of {{U}}(12) {{/U}}. Now, genes from completely different life forms are being combined—fish genes into tomatoes to {{U}}(13) {{/U}}, for example.
Such "tampering with Nature" makes a lot of people anxious. They wonder if the foods that come out of genetic modification are {{U}}(14) {{/U}}. Scientists say they are completely safe; GM is just a way of {{U}}(15) {{/U}} to make it possible for them to survive without the use of pesticides and to {{U}}(16) {{/U}}. But the {{U}}(17) {{/U}} that scientists said that nuclear power and the toxic insecticide DDT were also completely harmless.
Supporters of GM foods {{U}}(18) {{/U}}. They say producing GM food is a move in the right direction, that it will {{U}}(19) {{/U}}, the environment, and the economy. They are convinced it will solve the world's hunger problems, lead to a drop in pesticide and herbicide use, and result in {{U}}(20) {{/U}}.