When I first became aware of the notion of modifying food by inserting foreign genetic material, I inclined in favor of it. After all, changing the genes of a plant to cause it to yield more, resist pests, and altogether serve us better sounded like a pretty good idea. How attractive it must be to farmers that a GM seed should increase yields while providing its own internal pesticide. But at the same time, knowing how often well-intentioned quests to mold nature have gone seriously awry, I was hesitant to form an opinion before obtaining more facts. Today the US seed industry is dominated by two multinational companies, Monsanto and DuPont. Those who buy GM seeds sign contracts establishing how and when the crop can be grown and excluding the right to save seed for the following year (even though many GM seeds are engineered to produce infertile plants). These are the arguments often espoused in favor of GM foods: That both locally and world-wide, hunger will be abated by the higher yields of GM crops; That fewer pesticides are used on them; That safety assessments on them have been numerous and fair, and that results have been highly positive; and That seeds from GM crops will not blow into or otherwise accidentally pollinate, and contaminate, neighboring fields. Let's briefly examine these points.
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