Argument: GM foods are not comparable to traditional breeding

Support

“Genetically Modified Foods: Mandatory Labeling and the Specter of Fear.”: “concerns arise based on the differences between ‘traditional plant breeding methods’ and ‘transgenic methods.’ It is important to understand the differences and similarities in these methods in order to understand the implications of many arguments for and against mandatory labeling of GM foods. Transgenic plants get ‘specific, well defined genetic modifications,’ whereas traditional breeding results in ‘changes that … are usually undefined at the molecular level’ and while there may be some tangible benefit (i.e. better taste, faster growth) the traditional breeder ‘does not know exactly which genes have been gained or lost.’ GM foods utilize ‘recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology, whereby a segment of DNA from one organism is extracted and spliced into a recipient organism’s preexisting DNA.’ It is this process that many critics point to when seeking to contrast it with traditional techniques.”