Did you know starvation kills more people every year than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined? Around the world, millions of people go to bed hungry every night. Farmers and ranchers produce enough food to feed everyone, but much of that food does not get to the people who need it most. In some places, food has become a precious commodity--almost like gold. In this book, author Kathlyn Gay explores the complicated interaction between food, business, politics, and the environment. She examines the international food aid system; giant "factory farms," which grow and slaughter animals using assembly-line techniques; and the genetic engineering of seeds, plants, and animals. These systems and practices promise to get more food to the people who need it--but the promises don't always pan out. Worse, many modern agricultural practices are harmful to the environment, to workers who product the food, and even to consumers who eat it. Gay explains that food politics will only become more complicated as Earth's climate grows warmer, bringing rising sea levels, shifting growing seasons, and shrinking freshwater supplies.

Increasingly, Australians are caring more about the origins and values of the foods they consume. This book addresses two often misunderstood
agricultural production methods – organic and genetically modified food. Organic food is grown and produced without using synthetic chemicals such as pesticides and artificial fertilisers; so what are the actual ethical, environmental and nutritional differences between organic and conventionally-produced food? Are organics healthier? Genetic modification is a science-driven crop and animal breeding method which has attracted controversy and confusion in recent years. Which foods are GM in Australia, how are they labelled and regulated, and are there any proven environmental or health-related side-effects? This book serves you up an abundance of information with which to make more informed food choices.

Genetic engineering involves the deliberate modification of the characteristics of an organism by manipulating its genetic material. This allows modern scientists to shape characteristics of living things. This technology offers many positives, including the possibility of enabling people to live longer, or creating productive strains of grain or fruit that can feed greater numbers of people. However, some people are concerned about the Frankenstein-like possibility of abuse. This book describes genetic engineering as it is practiced today, and provides information about how genetic engineering can help the fight against sickness and famine.

A thought-provoking collection of accessible opinion pieces addressing a wide range of contemporary public issues in Australia.

Genetically modified crops – are they monsters of nature or could they provide answers to some of our most pressing environmental concerns? Will they create superweeds, run amock and change life as we know it, or are these fears greatly exaggerated? Internationally respected microbiologist Jennifer Thomson takes us through the issues and concerns surrounding the development of genetically modified crops and their impacts on the environment. She explains how such crops are developed and assessed and discusses the likelihood of negative effects on biodiversity, pollen spread, and organic farming. GM crops may have tremendous potential for addressing some of the world’s environmental problems and protecting the planet, particularly in developing countries – in fact we could face more harm if some of these technologies are not adopted.

The biotech industry's claim that genetically modified (GM) foods are safe is shattered in this groundbreaking book. Sixty-five health risks of the foods that Americans eat every day are presented in easy-to-read two-page spreads. The left page is designed for the quick scanning reader; it includes bullets, illustrations, and quotes. The right side offers fully referenced text, describing both research studies and theoretical risks. The second half of Genetic Roulette shows how safety assessments on GM crops are not competent to identify the health problems presented in the first half. It also exposes how industry research is rigged to avoid finding problems. This book, prepared in with input by more than 30 scientists, is for anyone wanting to understand GM technology, to learn how to protect themselves, or to share their concerns with others.

Recent advances in gene technology are increasingly having impacts on how we produce crops and food for animal and human consumption. Australia already allows the commercial growing of genetically engineered canola and cotton for the purposes of herbicide tolerance and insect resistance, and bans are being lifted in most Australian states after extensive crop trials amid ongoing concerns about cross contamination. This book reveals the latest advances in biotechnology and how Australia is regulating this new agricultural science. Should there be mandatory labelling to declare the presence of GM ingredients in our food? The book also explores the GM debate –  what are the risks and benefits, ethics and concerns involving genetic modification when applied to food, agriculture, human and animal health and the environment?

Discusses the ethical issues surrounding this way of growing and processing food.

Imagine a genetically modified salmon that grows 400 times as fast as a natural, wild salmon. What if we could prevent blindness by giving people a genetically modified rice that contains a lot of vitamin A? Would you eat a potato that had the genetic material of a fish in it? The salmon has already been created. Vitamin A-enriched rice has been developed and will soon be available to hundreds of thousand of children. Scientists are still working on the fish-potato. 'Science at the Edge: Superfoods: Genetic Modification of Foods' explains how the exciting and strange science of genetic modification works. Learn how genetic engineering is used to protect food crops from insect pests. Find out how scientists cut a piece of DNA from one organism and swap it with a piece of DNA from another organism. Learn about cloning. Understand why some people don't want scientists to interfere with nature.

Genetic Modification of Foods explains how genetic engineering has led to artificial selection and the selective breeding of animals and crops. Learn about cloning, how genes are inherited, and how scientists insert genes from one organism into the DNA of another. Consider whether or not growth hormones should be given to cows to increase their milk yield and used to produce "super salmon." Discuss the issues surrounding cross-pollination, how genetically modified crops affect wildlife, and the possibility of using genetically modified oil-crops to replace fossil fuels.

For centuries, people have improved crops by selective breeding. Today, crop scientists can develop new crops in an entirely different way: by inserting the genes that they want. While genetically engineered crops have many benefits, such as better disease resistance, there may be risks as well.

Books in this anthology series focus a wide range of viewpoints onto a single controversial issue, providing in-depth discussions by a variety of primary and secondary sources, including eyewitnesses, scientific journals, government officials, and others.

Extensive Australasian adaptation of a book first published in the UK in 1999. This guide for the general reader defines genetic engineering and discusses why it is being introduced. Examines the implications for health, farming and the environment, looks at issues such as whether genetic engineering is necessary to feed the growing world population and the patenting of living organisms. Discusses the people who are making the decisions about genetic engineering in agriculture and provides advice on campaigning about issues related to genetic engineering. Australasian edition includes a new foreword by Bob Phelps, Director of the GeneEthics Australian Network, corrections and updates, and Australasian resources and other details in the endmatter. Includes references and index.

The amount of land devoted to genetically modified crops was twenty-five times greater in 2000 than in 1996, and this trend is expected to continue. In light of this fact, Freedman's book is a necessity for any library. This informative and well-written title defines genetically modified foods, explains the technologies used to produce such products, and explains the pros and cons of this scientific revolution. Young readers can easily become more savvy consumers by reading this no-nonsense book.

Throughout the world today the debate still rages over whether genetically modified food is a blessing or a curse. On one hand, genetically modified food allows farmers to grow crops in places where standard crops won't grow. They can also reduce people's reliance on dangerous pesticides. On the other hand, there is much that is still unknown about such foods, and their effects on human and animal health, the environment, local economies, and biodiversity. In this book, readers learn about all these issues and concerns so that they can gain an understanding of the effects that raising and consuming genetically modified organisms have on the environment and on their bodies.

Have you ever wondered...
What are GM foods?
Will eating fish make me more intelligent?
What is the difference between a fruit and a vegetable?
Discover the answers to these and many other questions in this book!