It's distressing that the Environmental Protection Agency didn't uncover the potential harm of toxic pollen before it allowed millions of acres of the corn to be planted. The next step in our supermarket saunter is the produce aisle. The vegetables I pick up for my salad include lettuce, cherry tomatoes, onion, and broccoli. Jane tells me that genetically engineered produce is much scarcer than engineered processed foods. Although lettuce, onion, and broccoli are being tinkered with in a lab somewhere, to date, according to the US government, no altered versions of these vegetables have been allowed in the US food supply.
Tomatoes are another story.
Back in 1994, Calgene, a small biotech company that was later purchased by Monsanto, introduced the FlavrSavr tomato. One of the first genetically engineered foods on the market, the FlavrSavr had viral and bacterial genes spliced into its genetic code to help it stay fresher longer. It bruised easily in transport and cost more than tomatoes that hadn't been altered. So after a short run, it faded from the marketplace. As a result, most genes from foreign organisms don't require the labeling that chemical additives like MSG do.