Fish, on the other hand, survive in very cold water. Scientists identified a particular gene, which enables a flounder to resist cold, and used the technology of genetic engineering to insert this 'anti-freeze' gene into a tomato. This makes it possible to extend the growing season of the tomato. At first glance, this might look exciting to some people. However, deeper consideration reveals serious dangers.
Genetic engineering is like performing heart surgery with a shovel.
Scientists don t know enough about living systems to perform DNA surgery without creating mutations that could be harmful to the environment and our health. They are experimenting with very delicate, yet powerful forces of nature, without full knowledge of the repercussions. Genetically engineered foods contain substances that have never been a part of the human food supply. They are not subjected to rigorous pre-market safety testing. People with ethical or religious dietary principles are unwittingly consuming foods that contain genes from other species and those with food allergies have no way of knowing whether they are consuming foods containing elements of foods to which they are sensitive.