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When the first Genetic Modification techniques were applied agriculturally to a brand of tomatoes in 1994 to cause them to grow bigger and redder, the public and consumers showed a mixed reaction. A minority consisting mostly of the scientific community and the industry understood what GM was and mainly had not problem with it.

Most people didn't understand what GM actually was, and neither did they care - do you know the chemical structure of the acids in fruit juice? Probably not, and you wouldn't be expected to. However, when a new technology makes its debut into the world there are always skeptics.

A lack of understanding or knowledge breeds mistrust. This is a primal human instinct sometimes, and while it can serve us well on occasion (for example, one might not trust a stranger with your personal belongings or volunteer to trial a new untested drug) it can often have undesirable side effects. Examples could be a fear of the dark, which comes from a basic fear of the unknown.

So, when faced with this new "genetic manipulation" technology, some developed a suspicion of the process and, as is typical to sentiments of fear or mistrust, made their views very public knowledge.

The fact of the matter is, genetically modifying a vegetable's DNA structure will cause changes in the way it may grow. The typical application of this is to cause fruits and vegetables to grow into larger or better tasting. There is no inherent "danger" in the new food. Foods which are dangerous to consume are only dangerous because of unhealthy chemicals or toxins present in them, for example the ricin poison in castor beans or the deadly toxins in the Japanese fugu. DNA, on the other hand, is not a poison.

On this note, it is imperative to mention (to avoid accusations of bias) that it is theoretically possible that a certain genetic modification might cause a plant to grow in a manner that would produce certain chemicals that could be hazardous to human health if consumed. However this is in my mind highly improbable, as the genes manipulated by GMF scientists target such attributes as growth rather than chemical constituency. It is also important to note that any new GM food would undergo examination of chemical content and rigourous testing to ensure its safety. Therefore the danger posed by these chemicals is, in practice, none.

In conclusion, there is no inherent danger posed by GM foods; the "scare" present in the media is derived only from a poor understanding of the technology and a basic suspicion of new things.

Learn more about this author, Martin Michael Rose.
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