Genetically modified food is highly controversial, as Europe, Japan, and the USA frequently have “trade wars” over the labeling of genetically modified foods, which Europe and Japan think should have mandatory labeling and tracing, while USA places no restrictions.
The main goal of making genetically modified foods is to add a useful trait, like disease resistance, to a commonly eaten food. Most of the time, these traits would be impossible to gain through breeding.
The first genetically modified food was a tomato made by the Californian company Calgene, called the Flavr Savr. The tomato had an added gene that interfered with the production of the enzyme that causes rotting, therefore making the tomato last longer. The tomato was submitted to the FDA who decided that yes, it was a tomato, with no hazards and therefore needed no labeling. The Calgene company then released the fruit into the market, where it was readily bought at two to five times the cost of regular tomatoes.
However, due to complications, the Flavr Savr was removed from the market. The list of successful genetically modified plants include cotton resistant to insects, maize resistant to insects, and soybeans and maize cotton that were herbicide tolerant.
GMOs have been proved to reduce greenhouse gas exhaust due to the fact that most GMOs take far less fuel to raise than normal foods, as they can be grown in labs. This is a major reason for supporters. There is also higher soil carbonization due to lack of plowing.
