Frequently Asked Questions Dispelling the Myths Glossary History Food biotechnology offers tremendous potential to improve our health, to help feed the world's population and to benefit the environment. The implications of biotechnology are widely debated and many people are still unfamiliar with them. Since many of the issues raised are based on speculation and emotion, rather than on sound science, here we address some of the most frequently asked questions. Biotechnology is an evolution of traditional agricultural methods. In the past 10,000 years people have routinely used their knowledge of plants to improve food production.
Biotechnology is simply the latest development in the evolution of agricultural methods.
Farmers used to rely on plant breeding to add, or eliminate, specific genetic traits in a plant. For example, corn today looks nothing like it did one hundred years ago because of plant breeding and selection. Genetic enhancement, a key feature of modern agricultural biotechnology, is a more efficient and precise way to achieve the benefits of crop improvement. Using new technologies, scientists are now able to pinpoint the gene responsible for a particular trait, then extract, or add, that gene to a specific plant. CFIA has the principal responsibility for genetically modified organisms.