GM crops? They aren’t Frankenstein foods, says Government

Genetically edited foods are safe and should be made available rather than being thought of as ‘Frankenfoods’, the Government will say today.

the environment Secretary George eustice is to launch a public consultation about foods made from gene- edited crops and animals, which are currently highly restricted for sale.

the Government hopes that people will see these crops as being different from previous ‘genetically modified ’( GM) items dubbed ‘Frankenfoods’.

Gene-edited crops contain genes already found in the same species of vegetable or animal, and supporters say this is no different from the process whereby farmers and growers breed animals and plants over generations.

But with new Dna-editing technology, the process is much quicker and more precise – picking out only the genes wanted.

this is slightly different from past ‘GM crops’, where animal genes could be used to change the characteristics of foods.

in one example, a US company spliced a fish gene – which allows a flounder to survive in icy waters – into tomato Dna to enhance the plant’s resistance to cold.

However, the new gene- editing process also has many detractors. a european court of Justice ruling in 2018 declared gene- edited crops should be tightly controlled in europe but now the UK has left the eU, it is free to set its own rules.

Part of the consultation will involve deciding how to label genetically edited foods.

Mr eustice will unveil the consultation, which only applies to england, at the Oxford Farming conference today.

He will say: ‘Gene editing has the ability to harness the genetic resources that mother nature has provided, in order to tackle the challenges of our age. this includes breeding crops that perform better, reducing costs to farmers and impacts on the environment, and helping us all adapt to the challenges of climate change.’

Defra’s chief scientific adviser Gideon Henderson said yesterday that when GM foods first appeared in the 1990s there was much public concern, but the predicted health problems did not occur.

He said: ‘i don’t believe the public should be frightened.

‘Frankenfoods – genetically modified foods – have been legal in the eU, but the rules to get GM foods to market have been very tight and require substantial health and safety scrutiny.

‘Many people are eating maize, soy and wheat products. these are billed as GM and bought in quite large amounts.’

the Daily Mail has highlighted concerns over ‘Frankenstein foods’ for years, amid fears that tampering with the genes in crops could damage natural ecosystems or even affect human health.