One measure of a country's standard of living is their ability to feed their population. The more food a country has the more its citizens will thrive. One of the greatest agricultural challenges for scientists today is to improve the crops people grow for food. With this research, our nation may one day be able to avert starvation in many parts of the developing world.

Although scientists are working on methods to reduce world hunger, food in the United States is plentiful. The U.S. population is more concerned with low production costs, flavor, nutritional value, shelf life, and the development of organic pesticide free products. Genetic engineering in these areas will also benefit developing nations and there are many examples of how genetic engineering has improved our food supple in these areas already. (The Info Source 1)

One fruit that has been genetically engineered is the tomato. The tomato is eaten in 85 percent of North American homes, and agriculturally, tomatoes are big business. In the United States alone, the tomato industry is worth nearly $4 billion each year. (Time Magazine 1) Yet, for all of its value, many people complain about the taste of the tomatoes that are sold in stores. The problem is that tomatoes taste best when they are allowed to ripen on the vine. But tomatoes that are allowed to ripen on the vine tend to rot too quickly. Shoppers who like to eat tomatoes all during the year often find the tomatoes available in stores are either rotten, or that are hard and tasteless. (Wells 36)(Tagliaferro 36 - 38) Biotechnology is changing all that.

Several years ago, scientists identified and located the gene responsible for rotting. One company in California developed a way to remove the gene from the tomato, reverse it, and then return it to the tomato. This process slows rotting by nearly 90 percent, and has marketed the genetically altered tomato, calling it FlavrSavr. (Tagliaferro 36 - 38)(Wells 36)

The FlavrSavr tomato can now ripen on the vine, be harvested, and then shipped to stores where it will remain fresh and tasty on grocery shelves three times longer than other tomatoes. Another company called the DNA Plant Technology Corporation has also developed a genetically engineered tomato that stays ripe on the vine for two months. Then, once it's picked, this tomato called VineSweet remains fresh on store shelves or in homes for nearly four months. (Tagliaferro 36 - 38)(Wells 36)

Tomatoes aren't the only fruit or vegetable being genetically altered. As consumers process fruits and vegetables, they often prepare them in ways that allow for the absorption of animal fats, the types of fats that are potentially harmful to an individuals coronary system. (Franken Foods 1) Today, as families become more educated about the dangers of fatty foods, scientists are rushing to develop plants that resist the absorption of oil or fat. Using genetic engineering, Monsanto Corporation, for example, has developed a high-starch potato. This new product reduces the rate of absorption of oil so modern growers can use it to make French fries and potato chips that have less fat and fewer calories than the varieties of potatoes generally produced. (Wells 37 - 38)

Consumers are concerned about residual pesticides left on foods. They will sometimes spend extra money to purchase "organic", pesticide free fruits and vegetables to avoid exposure to harmful chemicals. Some plants naturally produce insecticides that help them resist attacks from insects. Researchers are experimenting with these plants, hoping that these traits can be introduced into other crops to increase their resistance to insects.

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