The commercialization of these crops has been met with intense opposition from a few sectors of society. Scientific facts are often lost amidst the ensuing rhetoric and emotional debates. The vast majority of the crops used worldwide are the product of genetic modification and selection, both intentional and unintentional, which has taken place over the centuries. The result of this selection is that most cultivated plants have been altered to such and extent that they are distinctly different from their wild counterparts, to the point that they would not be recognized as even being the same species by the average person. Thus, grains, vegetables, fruits, and flowers that sustain people and enhance the quality of life today have modifications which humans found valuable, and therefore selected for, in providing food and pleasure for their families and communities.
Genetic engineering extends the plant breeding techniques used during the past century.
Genetic engineering differs in two ways from previous techniques which emphasized selection of randomly induced rare genetic variants. First, using methods in molecular biology, more targeted genetic changes are possible, which makes the identification and selection of variants more efficient. Secondly, it is now possible to transfer into crops DNA derived from essentially any organism, incorporate this DNA into the genome of the crop and regulate the synthesis of RNA and proteins from genes encoded on the new DNA sequence. The first generation of genetically engineered crops has provided several environmental benefits, by decreasing the use of insecticides and promoting the shift toward more environmentally friendly herbicides, and by increasing the productivity of land already in agriculture. Though genetically engineered crops have been grown over millions of acres, no claim of an adverse effect on humans or the environment have held up to close scrutiny.