[Teaser]
CHARLES GIBSON [News Anchor]: We're also going to address what is one of our science editor Michael Guillen's favorite subjects, and that is genetically engineered foods.
You know about half of what we eat - half - is genetically altered in some way. That's everything from soft drinks to hamburger buns. Now, people in Europe rebel against this, don't feel comfortable with it, but here in this country it's sort of accepted. But there's this question of whether or not it's all safe, and so, Michael is back here to give us some sense of this in a few moments.
[Beginning of Interview]
We're going to return for a few minutes to a subject that our science editor Michael Guillen has addressed a number of times on this program. It involved the food that we eat. You know, there was a day when corn was corn and wheat was wheat, but today a lot of foods are being genetically modified for better taste, texture, even freshness. Before you serve your family their next meal you'll want to hear what Michael has to say this morning, and he joins us again.
Michael, just to remind people - genetically engineered food - what are we talking about when we use that term?
MICHAEL GUILLEN [ABC News Science Editor]: These are crops whose genes have been fiddled with for basically two reasons. Number one, maybe a better product. So we have coffee beans now whose genes have been fiddled with so that they grow caffeine free on the vine, believe or not, for a better environment. For example, we now have corn - half the corn grown today - whose genes have been fiddled with in order for them to.the corn plant to exude its own pesticide so you don't have to spray a fields, so it's a better environment.
The thing is so widespread ever since we first broke the story on the first genetically engineered tomato here on the program, Charlie - what about eight nine years ago? It is now about half our foods are made of ingredients that are genetically modified. Everything from infant formula to soda pop, from baby food to breakfast cereal.
GIBSON: But people say to themselves basically, "Okay, I know that's going on. You know, I'm not going to stop buying food in the grocery store." But everyone has a sort of vague discomfort about this. What are the problems?
GUILLEN: Well, you know, on the one hand the proponents say, "Hey, wait a minute, don't get to excited. Nobody's been hurt by these genetically modified foods yet." And that's true. Second they're saying, "What's all the fuss? We've been crossbreeding plants for centuries." And that's true too, except we're way beyond crossbreeding with this genetically engineered food business. For example, we are putting the genes from bacteria, from virus into our foods, all kinds of things like that.
For example, let me give you another thing. We have tomatoes now which contain genes that were taken from a flounder, a fish, in order to make the tomato more protected against frost.
We have potatoes now that contain genes - get this! - from chickens to make them more disease resistant. So there's a real concern now that we have gone way beyond traditional crossbreeding and we're mixing and matching genes that are very, very unnatural.
GIBSON: World News Tonight did a terrific "Closer Look" a couple weeks ago about the fact that Americans are relatively sanguine about this, and Europeans are protesting.
GUILLEN: All over the place.
GIBSON: .upset, won't buy these kinds of foods. It's gets into the question of should foods and canned foods be labeled to tell you exactly what's happened to the product?
GUILLEN: I think that's the second concern, apart from the safety concerns - absolutely. In Europe, they're way ahead of us. People are very concerned about this for one reason or another and they are now.the European Union is requiring labeling. We don't have labeling in this country and that's one of the big problems.
You mentioned a moment ago that people still buying foods knowing that they're genetically engineered, but the fact it isn't. The recent polls show that 2 out of 3 Americans don't even realize that they're eating genetically modified foods because there's no labeling.
GIBSON: But could you put a label on a tomato or on a milk carton, or whatever, that says exactly what happened in the ingredients?
GUILLEN: Why not? Why not? I mean, we require labeling on faux furs or faux diamonds telling people that these are not the real McCoy, why not on the foods?
Right now the best tip I can give people if they want to avoid genetically modified foods is to go organic. If the label says organic, you can be pretty certain that the people who have manufactured that food, processed that food, have kept track to make sure that these are pedigree foods that have not been genetically modified. But up until then, people are taking a chance.
GIBSON: But bottom line, should I be worried about it? Should I -
GUILLEN: I don't know Charlie. We're so early into this game. Right now, the British Medical Association has called for a halt on genetically modified foods because they're worried about new allergies being elicited in these genetically modified foods. Tomorrow's issue of Lancet, which is the equivalent of our JAMA, is coming out with a study that indicates there may be problems with the immune system, with the intestines with rats fed genetically modified potatoes. Now scientists are split down the middle about that study, but I'd say stay tuned. We're going to keep our viewers informed, but yeah, I think there might some reason for concern.
GIBSON: All right. Michael, I know this is a favorite subject of yours, so get back to it.
GUILLEN: Absolutely. Big subject.
[END OF SEGMENT.]
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