"GeneticallyModified" news and stories

• July 4th is this weekend. Time to get your grill on.
• Except when it comes to ribs. For ribs, turn on the oven.
• And then crack open a beer -- an American pale ale, of course.
• Balaboosta "hovers just on the edge of chic" -- despite the name, or because of it?
• Ready for genetically altered fish? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration seems to be.

I love bread, but I don't let myself eat too much of it. The reason? Like so many other people in the US, I am concerned about my waistline. Don't get me wrong, I eat bread. I just try to eat it in moderation. However my days of limited bread consumption may soon be over, as cereal scientists are working on creating a kind of wheat that produces flour with fewer available calories.

When I first saw this article at Inventor Spot, I was mighty skeptical. The title and early portion of the article make it seem as though the wheat being developed actually has fewer calories. However, as I read further, I realized that the wheat simply has fewer available calories. Because of the way the wheat is genetically altered, a portion of the calories are indigestible by our stomach acids and acts more like dietary fiber.

I know that the wheat currently available is genetically modified, but it's not the kind of GM wherein genes from another species is introduced. Instead, certain aspects of the wheat's genetic information have been turned off. Cereal scientists are working on growing this wheat by natural breeding rather than genetic modification.

If you're wondering where I got all this information, I have a secret weapon. My friend the cereal scientist explained Inventor Spot's article, albeit in pretty technical language. If you want to read what he has to say on this subject, just continue reading after the jump.

Greenpeace has issued a warning regarding chocolate Easter eggs. According to the environmental group, some confectioners use genetically engineered ingredients and/or dairy from animals raised on genetically engineered feedstock. The group is rightfully  concerned about potential health risks.

One of the makers it has called to task is Cadbury. Among the Easter egg makers it considers friendly are Darrell Lea and Ferrero Rocher. While I'm skeptical of any so-called Frankenfoods, I'm rather conflicted now that I've seen the Cadbury Easter Egg Delight. It's the Russian nesting doll of candy  – an outer egg encases an inner one, which is in turn filled with individual chocolates. I think I'll take my chances!

[image:Cadbury]

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China has officially given all 43 varieties of Heinz baby food products the clear from GM influence.

Greenpeace had claimed that Heinz baby cereal products designed, I think, specifically for the Chinese market, contained genetically modified ingredients. Heinz denied the claim but the Ministry of Agriculture in China decided to put the products through a series of tests to find out.

The official Xinhua News Agency has reported that the products and their raw ingredients were not made from genetically modified crops. Such foods are not yet approved for consumption in China as they continue researching the effect of modifications on agriculture in general.

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In a refreshingly surprising report, Kraft has stated that it will stop employing genetically modified (GM)food ingredients in China by 2007. This, coming from the world's second-largest food producer, is a big step, I think, in the right direction. Apparently, the Chinese are more picky than we are about the use of GM ingredients in their foods. But who knows? Perhaps Kraft will make one of the first big thrusts against the tide of GM in America?

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