Genetic Modification
- History
In the United States, genetically modified sugar beet, engineered for resistance to glyphosate, a herbicide marketed as Roundup, was developed by Monsanto as a genetically modified crop. Glyphosate-resistant sugar beet contains a biosynthetic gene that protects it from the effects of glyphosate when it is applied to the crop as a means to control weeds. In 2005, the United States Department of Agriculture-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) deregulated glyphosate-resistant sugar beet after it conducted an Environmental Assessment and determined glyphosate-resistant sugar beet were highly unlikely to become a plant pest. Sugar from glyphosate-resistant sugar beet has been approved for human and animal consumption in the European Union and the United States. Studies have concluded that sugar from glyphosate-resistant sugar beet has the same nutritional value as sugar from conventional sugar beet (not genetically modified or non-GMO).
Read more about this topic: Sugar Beet
Famous quotes containing the word genetic:
“Nature, we are starting to realize, is every bit as important as nurture. Genetic influences, brain chemistry, and neurological development contribute strongly to who we are as children and what we become as adults. For example, tendencies to excessive worrying or timidity, leadership qualities, risk taking, obedience to authority, all appear to have a constitutional aspect.”
—Stanley Turecki (20th century)