Fwd: GE Tomatoes, Bananas, Strawberries, etc.

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The Campaign <information wrote: The Campaign

angelprincessjo

GE Tomatoes, Bananas, Strawberries, etc.

Sat, 13 Apr 2002 03:23:01 PDT

 

News Update From The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods

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Dear Health Freedom Fighters,

 

Papayas and products containing soy, corn, and canola are the only

genetically engineered food crops that are widely sold in U.S. and

Canadian grocery stores. But researchers are aggressively working on

genetically engineering a large number of additional food crops.

 

In the Friday issue of the journal Science, genetic researchers report

on a new technique that would turn off the ripening gene in tomatoes.

They feel this procedure may also work for strawberries, bananas, bell

peppers, melons and other produce.

 

While still several years away from becoming commercially available,

none of these products will be required to be labeled unless we get

mandatory labeling legislation passed into law in the United States.

 

Since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers genetically

engineered crops to be " substantially equivalent " to non-genetically

engineered crops, these biotech foods will not need to go through human

feeding studies. Safety will be largely determined by the companies that

produce them and have a financial interest in bringing them to market.

 

The Associated Press article below titled " Gene Found to Make Fresher

Tomatoes " will discuss the new tomato as reported in the journal

Science.

 

Craig Winters

Executive Director

The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods

 

The Campaign

PO Box 55699

Seattle, WA 98155

Tel: 425-771-4049

Fax: 603-825-5841

E-mail: label

Web Site: http://www.thecampaign.org

 

Mission Statement: " To create a national grassroots consumer campaign

for the purpose of lobbying Congress and the President to pass

legislation that will require the labeling of genetically engineered

foods in the United States. "

 

***************************************************************

 

Gene Found to Make Fresher Tomatoes

 

By PHILIP BRASHER

..c The Associated Press

 

WASHINGTON (AP) - Scientists say they have figured out a way to make

tomatoes taste fresher and last longer by tinkering with a gene that

controls ripening.

 

The researchers, who report their findings in Friday's issue of the

journal Science, believe the procedure may also work with strawberries,

bananas, bell peppers, melons and other produce.

 

``For understanding tomato ripening and eventually taste, this could be

the Holy Grail,'' said Jim Giovannoni, an Agriculture Department

scientist who led the research.

 

Gardeners know that tomatoes that ripen on the vine are much tastier

than the tomatoes sold in supermarkets. That's because farm-grown

tomatoes have to be picked before they ripen and develop their flavor.

To turn them red and restart their ripening, tomatoes are treated with

ethylene gas, a natural ripening agent in fruit.

 

Giovannoni's team of scientists turned off the ripening gene in the

tomato plant, which would allow farmers to leave the tomatoes on the

vine for several days longer. The tomato would still be firm enough for

shipping across the country.

 

The tomatoes also would be healthier, because vine-ripened tomatoes have

higher levels of lycopene, an antioxidant that has been linked to lower

rates of prostate and other cancers.

 

This isn't the first time that scientists have genetically engineered a

tomato to last longer.

 

The Flavr Savr tomato, which was developed through modification of a

gene that was thought to cause softening, was approved for sale in 1994

but ran into production and shipping problems and was off the market by

1997. The tomatoes were so delicate they were difficult to transport

without damage.

 

The Flavr Savr tomatoes didn't taste that good because of the variety

from which they were developed, said Chris Watkins, a horticulture

professor at Cornell University. ``There was very little flavor to

save,'' he said.

 

Some biotech companies also are doing private research into developing

fresher-tasting produce, said Val Giddings, an agricultural specialist

with the Biotechnology Industry Organization.

 

``Ripening is a complex pathway. There are any number of interventions

that could have an impact,'' Giddings said.

 

In the early 1960s, a Cornell scientist discovered how to extend the

shelf life of tomatoes by crossing a plant that had a defective ripening

gene with plants that were normal.

 

Giovannoni's team identified two genes, one that regulates ripening and

another that controls floral development.

 

The research could speed the breeding of improved varieties of tomatoes,

but they are years away from reaching supermarkets. New biotech crops

must be reviewed by USDA and other federal agencies.

 

Scientists from the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research in

Ithaca, N.Y., Texas A & M University and Jeallots Hill Research Station in

Britain also participated in the research.

 

On the Net:

 

Science: http://www.sciencemag.org/

 

 

04/11/02 18:55 EDT

 

 

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