Since their commercialisation 13 years ago, genetically modified (GM) insect and herbicide resistant corn, soy and canola crops are now grown worldwide.

Today, the global area of GM crops covers 125 million hectares.

While GM foods have obvious benefits, many doubt their safety /Image: Istockphoto

Nevertheless, the jury is still out on GM food.

In WA, the announcement of the state’s first GM canola trials in April this year prompted a strong reaction from both pro- and anti- lobby groups.

Yet despite the current debate, the use of GM techniques is not new.

The first major scientific project was the use of these techniques to clone genes to gain significant understanding about how life works and the first major commercial GM project was the production of human insulin by bacteria for the treatment of diabetes in 1982.

Today, it is argued that the technology has the potential to make diets healthier and our food production more sustainable as the global population expands.

Nevertheless, the application of the technology in plants is set against widespread public concern as some applications of GM have produced unwanted side effects.

In 1999, research into Monsanto’s BT toxin revealed eating wind-borne pollen from corn plants genetically engineered to make their own pesticide killed larvae of monarch butterflies. This year, on the same day the GM trials were announced in WA, Germany declared a ban on the cultivation and sale of Monsanto’s genetically modified maize MON810 and cited environmental concerns.

Currently, the debate continues between those who tout the environmental and health benefits of GM food and those who urge a more cautionary approach.

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