In the developed world, societies enjoy abundant diets more varied now than at any other time in history. That's in stark contrast to the developing world, where millions of people confront profound food insecurity every day. Part of the solution to righting this imbalance might involve something that is increasingly controversial in the developed world: genetically engineered food.
Susan McCouch, Cornell associate professor of plant breeding, in a talk at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting, asked if it is ethical for well-fed people in the United States, Canada and Europe to ignore the potential of biotechnology to improve the nutritional status of hungry people around the world, particularly when the same technology is being used to extend life expectancy by producing pharmaceuticals. Her talk was titled "Is Biotechnology the Answer?"
If used appropriately, agricultural biotechnology can help alleviate world hunger and malnutrition, said McCouch, noting the development of genetically engineered rice to produce iron or provitamin A (beta carotene) as an example of a product that has the potential directly to improve the quality of life for millions.
"People who suffer from malnutrition generally lack essential levels of micronutrients because they lack the purchasing power to obtain sufficient diversity in their diet," said McCouch. The impact of delivering those essential micronutrients through food products, such as enriched yellow rice, is parallel [in the United States] to fortifying milk with vitamin D, salt with iodine or orange juice with calcium."
McCouch said she believes there is evidence of public support for the use of genetic engineering to improve diet and nutrition in the developing world. In her view, people support the technology when they see societal benefits, not just corporate benefits. Some opinion surveys show that people initially are uncomfortable with the idea of using biotechnology to transfer genes between organisms, she said, but those reservations can be overcome if people perceive a particular ethically or morally persuasive benefit.
McCouch said that careful consideration must be given to different kinds of agricultural systems around the world, and the risks weighed against the benefits to those systems.
"Clearly, not all people have the same choices nor will they have the same preferences," she said.
Added McCouch: "A large part of what biotechnology represents today is new knowledge about the natural processes of DNA replication, breakage, ligation and repair that has paved the way for a much deeper understanding of the mechanics of cell biology and the hereditary process itself."
This new knowledge, she said, has brought us to the edge of an ethical dilemma. While the ability to manipulate the hereditary process is not new, the depth of our understanding of this process has changed and the knowledge we have gained has opened up an endless array of possibilities for affecting future evolutionary trajectories.
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