Calgene corporation's 'Flavr Savr' tomato is being sold fresh in US supermarkets while in Britain genetically engineered tomato puree is being sold under the Safeway and Sainsburys store brands. Even if you only eat tomatoes from your own garden or local store, you still may have consumed genetically engineered materials. For example, up to 60 per cent of our processed foods contain soya beans. In fact, consumers could be at substantial risk from genetically engineered foods. In nature, crossbreeding only takes place between very closely related species.
Any genetic changes occur very gradually, over time.
But genetic engineering allows the joining and transfer of genes between totally unrelated organisms. EMS was linked to the consumption of a dietary supplement called L-tryptophan . Genetic engineering can also introduce known and unknown allergens into common foods. For example, Pioneer Hi-Bred International injected normal soya beans with genes from Brazil nuts to increase their protein content. The desired result was achieved, but the new 'improved' beans were never approved for sale.