How much do you know about what is in the fresh produce you eat? Could genetically altered fruits, vegetables, and grains enhance nutrition, improve flavor, or preserve freshness? Should we worry about new genes inserted into genetically modified (GM) plants becoming part of our genetic makeup? Could added genes trigger a life-threatening allergic reaction in an unsuspecting consumer or cause a genetically triggered blight that could spell doom for agriculture? Is science creating the answer to the world's food shortage or "Franken-foods" that will ultimately put us and the environment at risk? The battle lines are being drawn in this hotly contested debate.

GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS explores these and other compelling issues emerging from the application of this extraordinary new technology. Included are sections devoted to: the history and science of GM foods, ethical concerns in agriculture, the reaction of the religious community to such genetic manipulation, the labeling of GM foods, the legal questions this new technology poses, food safety (including the allergy issue), risk assessment and the public's perception, the precautionary principle, the impact of GM food crops in developing countries, and the environmental impact of this new technology. Each section contains an informative introduction by editors Michael Ruse and David Castle.

This comprehensive work offers thirty-five essays written by experts in the fields of bioscience, law, religion, public policy, and international relations that debate the benefits and drawbacks of altering the genetic makeup of our food. Included are works by Gary Comstock, Kurt Eichenwald, Greenpeace, Mary Lou Guerinot, Pope John Paul II, David Magnus and Arthur Caplan, Ingo Potrykus, William Safire, Vandana Shiva, Xudong Ye, and many others. An informative glossary and bibliography complete the volume.

This outstanding collection provides a comprehensive introduction to the controversy surrounding a technology that could have global consequences.