All living things are made of large numbers of tiny cells. These cells contain thousands of genes. And it's the handing down of these genes from generation to generation that makes us what we are. Whether we have our father's eyes or our mother's hair. Why tomatoes are red, bananas yellow and lettuce green. When you look at something, you don't see its genes, you see the product of its genes.

But sometimes that recipe or blueprint has faults. In humans it can mean medical conditions that pass from generation to generation. In plants, without the right genes, they can be toxic, or susceptible to a particular insect or disease. But now it's possible to find a gene from another organism that will provide the missing function, and transfer it. In other words, change the recipe.

For example these vegetables may seem similar, but not to the weevil who loves to eat the peas but not the beans. So scientists found out what it was that the weevils didn't like about the bean and transferred it to the pea. The result is peas that look and taste the same but which are weevil free. The required gene is transferred by using bacteria normally found in soil to carry the new gene into the plant.

But the question every body wants to know the answer to, is "Is it safe?". And that's why the Genetic Modification Advisory Committee, headed by Professor Nancy Millis was set up. One concern that many people have is that new allergens may be created by genetic modification of crop plants. But many are not in favour of genetically modified food. Each day, headlines screech from some newspapers, leaving most consumers confused.

Genetic engineering by science means making changes for a particular purpose, as opposed to the random selection and mutation and selection of nature over millions of year. All genetically modified food goes through years of trials before being released. In fact the only plant genetically modified in Australia at the moment is cotton, which becomes part of the food chain through the rushing of cottonseed into oil.

Modifying genes in food plants can mean less use of chemical pesticides and herbicides, but foods of the future may also mean higher nutrition and food designed to combat illness and disease.

Dr. Linda Tabe
CSIRO Plant Industry
PO Box 1600
Canberra ACT 2601

Linda.Tabe@csiro.au