Mention genetically modified or genetically engineered foods to your neighbor or coworker, and it’s likely they’ll respond with something like, “Oh, I think I remember reading something about that...wasn’t there some controversy about taco shells a couple of years ago, or was it butterflies?” Although researchers have been employing genetic engineering techniques in agricultural crops since the mid-1980s, and media coverage of these developments has increased sharply in the past few years, most people have little awareness of genetically modified (GM) foods and the controversies surrounding them. In a 2001 survey conducted by Penn State agricultural economists, 84 percent of those questioned said they either knew little or nothing about GM foods, or hadn’t heard of them at all. Yet these techniques and products have already had an impact on our food system, from producer to consumer, and will continue to make their mark on the world’s food supply.
