Genetically Modified Tomato Study Provides More Evidence of GM Food Safety

A new study comparing genetically
modified (GM) and conventional tomatoes lends further support
to the pro-GM food movement. Cornell University scientists found no
significant biochemical differences between the two. 

Led by Cornell professor Owen Hoekenga, the researchers
extracted roughly 1,000 biochemical metabolites from a group
of tomatoes that had been genetically modified to ripen more
slowly. Then they compared the metabolic profile of these GM
tomatoes to those of unmodified modern and heirloom tomato
varieties. 

Aside from the GM tomatoes differing in metabolites related to
fruit ripening, as they were designed to, there were no significant
biochemical difference between the GM and other tomatoes. The
results,
published in The Plant Genome, challenge the growing
belief that GM foods are inherently less nutritious than
conventional counterparts.

The findings suggest little or no accidental biochemical changes
due to the genetic modification process, Hoekenga said. He hopes
the research—which can be adapted and applied to any plant or
crop—will prove a “useful way to address
consumer concerns about unintended effects” with GM
foods. 

For more on GMO food safety,
see Ronald Bailey’s dismantling of five persistent anti-biotech
lies.