Monday, November 17, 2014
U.S.D.A Approves Modified Potato
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Earlier this month the U.S.D.A approved a genetically engineered potato to be planted in commercial crops. These potatoes will have less of the chemical acrylamide, which is believed to contribute to the development of cancer. The new potatoes will also be resistant to bruising, a trait that is widely sought after by farmers. Higher yields for crops will in the long term mean cheaper potatoes for us. You may be eating these new spuds in the near future if the potatoes are accepted by fast food chains such as McDonald's.
Personally I think this is a step in the right direction but I'm not so sure the general consumer will feel the same way. Many people when they see "genetically modified" shun food for not being natural. In reality there are few foods, both plant and animal that are anything like their ancestors. Humans have been selecting for specific traits in their foods since humans began to settle away from the hunter-gatherer lifestyle and began domesticating things. It's just that now instead of trying to bread generations of plants to get a desired trait we are able to skip those steps and get a desired product more quickly. I would not be opposed to eating these potatoes but I don't think they will be accepted into the market with open arms and therefore will not be used by large companies for fear of controversy and losing sales.
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Great post. I completely agree with you, and believe that a lot of people criticize genetically modified foods without knowing all the benefits they can bring to the table, no pun intended. If more people thought about genetically modified foods in the same way as selecting for specific traits in domestication of plants and animals, foods like these potatoes would be much more easily accepted by consumers.
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