The AppliCation of GM FoOd and IngreDienTs

There are around 20 GM foods, additives, flavorings, growth hormone (eg. bovine somatotropin) and enzymes (eg. rennet, used to make cheese) currently approved in Europe. In the US there are more than 40 approved GM foods. Maize, soybean, rape seed oil (canola), tomatoes, chicory, squash and potato are examples of crops that have been modified to make them resistant to insects and viruses to increase tolerant to herbicides. In addition, nutritional enhancement of food crops is currently researching actively, especially with regards to the world's health problems like iron and vitamin A deficiency.

Many foods on supermarket shelves may contain GM ingredients. Modified genes may have been used in an early stage of the food chain, but may or may not be present in the end product. Genetically modified food ingredients, for example, soy flour in bread may have come from GM soybeans. Imported soy (resistant to herbicide) from the United States is one of the main sources of GM ingredients in food products, such as chocolates, potato chips, margarine, mayonnaise and biscuits. Cottonseed oil made from GM cotton (resistant to a pesticide) is also used for frying by the food industry, in mayonnaise and salad dressings. Imported GM corn is mainly used as cattle feed. Imported foods like breakfast cereal, bread, corn chips and gravy mixes, may also contain GM corn as part of the ingredient. Other GM foods available overseas include potatoes, canola oil, sugar-beet, yeast, salmon, bananas, barley, carrots, cauliflower, chicory and coffee.