Biotechnology was practised by our ancestors in an effort to find new ways of producing foods. Through trial and error, they learned how to breed and domesticate animals, and developed a variety of food crops. They also developed techniques, such as baking, brewing and fermentation, to process and preserve raw foods. Nevertheless, such conventional techniques are widely accepted and generally do not cause public concern. This allows characteristics to be transferred between organisms, to give new combinations of genes and improved varieties of plants or microorganisms for use in agriculture and industry.
Some consumers are concerned about the safety of using the techniques of modern biotechnology.
The techniques of modern biotechnology are becoming an increasingly important part of the overall effort to improve methods of food production and to increase the variety and quality of foods. Modern biotechnology has potential applications in the production of food, food processing, and also in the assurance of food quality and safety. Genetically modified food products To date, only a few foods, including 'vegetarian cheese', and tomato products such as tomato pur e, have been produced using the techniques of genetic modification. Although many genetically modified food crops are under development, very few have so far reached the supermarket shelf. The recent introduction of genetically modified soybean has caused controversy.