GM Nutritionally Enhanced and Altered Crops

Introduction One of the main claims of the biotechnology industry since genetically modified crops were first commercialized in the USA in 1996 has been that a “second generation” of GM will bring real consumer benefits, for example by improving nutritional value of foods. First generation GM crops are aimed at farmers by inserting genes for herbicide tolerance and insect resistance, which were sold by the biotechnology companies as a way to cut inputs and labour (which is disputed). Consumers in the UK, the rest of the EU and around the world rejected them. Their main use is therefore in animal feed and, more recently, in biofuels, neither of which are obvious or labelled at the point of sale.