Through the use of biotechnology, foods already have been developed that are better tasting, stay fresh longer and are more disease and insect resistant. Food biotechnology also helps protect the global environment. Biotechnology-enhanced crops have been developed that are herbicide tolerant, or are more resistant to insect or virus damage, thus requiring fewer chemical applications and reducing strain on the environment. Biotechnology-enhanced crops also require less land and other natural resources, and can be grown in less than ideal climate conditions. This is particularly important in developing countries where valuable temperate and tropical forests are routinely cut down for farmland.
Food biotechnology can help increase the world s food supply.
World population has reached the 6-billion mark, an increase of 1 billion people in the last 12 years alone. Through food biotechnology, researchers are developing crops that require less farmland, as well as hardier strains that can withstand adverse climate conditions such as heat and drought. The safety of biotechnology has been supported by numerous national and international health organizations, including the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Health Organization, the National Research Council, the American Medical Association and the American Dietetic Association.