Australia Up Close Can GM Foods Be the Way of the Future? By CHELSEA McLEAN	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
遺伝子組み替え食品を考える 食料不足解決の特効薬となりうると言われる遺伝子組み換えの技術。すでにその技術から生まれた食物がスーパーなどに並ぶ時代になっています。しかし一方で、人工的に遺伝子を操作することから起こる悪影響が懸念されているのも事実。そして今、オーストラリアでは遺伝子組み換え食品に対する意見が、擁護派、反対派に二分されています。

Genetic engineering is a scientific technique used extensively in the food industry to change the DNA of living organisms and improve sales of food products.

Currently there seems to be a general lack of understanding worldwide about the risks and benefits of introducing genetically modified (GM) organisms into the food chain. This is the topic of much conversation, particularly in Australia, because it seems to be growing rapidly as the way of the future.

GM foods have been called the largest food experiment in history and consumers are the guinea pigs because long-term effects are not yet known.

For example, tomatoes are sensitive to frost and fish survive in cold water. So to extend the growing season of tomato crops, scientists can insert an "anti-freeze" gene from a fish into a tomato plant. This sounds OK in principle, but what are the risks?

Australian studies have shown that 90 percent of people want to know whether they are eating GM foods. Growing concerns over the possible dangers of GM foods has led to many campaigners in different countries lobbying their governments to introduce strict laws to identify GM foods.

Last July, the Australian government introduced the world's toughest labeling laws on genetically modified food following two years of debate. From July 2001, packaged food containing the slightest trace of genetically modified ingredients will need to be labeled.

The medical community can't predict what health effects GM foods will have on people. In addition to concerned reactions in the U.S., Europe and Australia, the British Medical Authority called for commercial transgenic plant ings to be stopped and 1,300 schools in Britain have banned genetically engineered (GE) foods from cafeterias.

The Pope has warned of ethical implications like the question of whether life should be considered commercial property. My friend Rod said we need to ask who should campaign for nature's rights in this process. "The genetic makeup of plants and animals is being artificially changed by humans and it affects natural progression," he said.

In the U.S. over the past four years, 25 percent of all corn, 35 percent of all soybeans and 50 percent of all cotton crops have been genetically modified. Within the next five to 10 years, if the biotechnology industry has its way, all foods will be genetically engineered.

In July 2000, the Australian government announced it would commit more than $30 million (¥1.9 billion) to Australian biotechnology development. In Queensland, where I live, Premier Peter Beattie is a strong advocate for biotechnology and said we need to form partnerships with Japan in our quest to create long-term jobs for a new age.

Queenslanders have embraced the information technology and communications revolution and are now enthusiastic about this science.

"Biotechnology in its simplest sense means using technology — the application of science — to produce beneficial advances from living beings," Beattie said. "Gene technology involves producing new combinations of genes to develop new characteristics, processes or products."

"On offer is the sustainable production of safer and more abundant food sources to feed a starving world," Beattie said. "In developing countries where a safe, adequate food supply is often not available, biotechnology is providing crops such as canola oil with higher levels of beta-carotene to reduce night blindness, rice with a higher iron content and vitamin A and bananas that contain vaccines against childhood diseases."

However, some of the dangers of GM foods could include unforeseen allergic reactions and decreased nutritional value. GE processes have immeasurable effects on the environment and there is a risk that toxins are released through the roots and pollens of GE crops and have been found to poison other species, like butterflies.

Greenpeace's Doug Parr warns that things will inevitably go wrong in genetic engineering despite the optimistic predictions.

"Because genetic engineering deals with living organisms that reproduce ... the mistakes will be very difficult to control once out in the fields," he added. "It's like the genie in the bottle: once it's out, you cannot put it back. There is very little appreciation of the inherent unpredictability of the science of genetic engineering. Already there are too many cases of things going wrong," said Parr.

Long-term testing is needed to ensure this new technology is safe. As long as it is safe, there are many exciting opportunities for the application of this science to improve our world.

Shukan ST: Jan. 12, 2001

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