by Michael Snow

Food allergies are a very important concern when evaluating genetically engineered foods. This fact surprises many people, because organically grown crops are not scrutinized for their allergenic properties in a similar manner. Contrasting the history of organically grown crops with the history of genetically engineered crops helps to elucidate this concept. Over the centuries, farmers have bred crops extensively with specific goals in mind. Farmers have sought to increase crop yield, increase disease resistance, and improve nutrition. One result of this experimentation is the elimination of allergens and toxins from crops. As a result, most organically grown foods are safe. (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/1527/allergy.html)

While most crops that produce harmful allergic reactions have been eliminated from the food supply, some staple foods that commonly cause allergy remain due to their importance to the diet of a population. Milk, eggs, legumes (especially peanuts and soybeans), fish, tree nuts and wheat are all common allergens. However, allergies to these plants are well documented and these foods are easily avoided once one has knowledge of a given allergy. (http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/pubalgry.html)

As a result of these two phenomena (the breeding of crops and the awareness of common allergens), the threat of allergies is greatly reduced. While the stories of people dying of an allergic reaction after smelling peanut butter surface occasionally, the health of the general public is not greatly threatened by food allergies. However, this careful balance may be disrupted with the introduction of bioengineered foods. In the production of bioengineered foods, scientists attempt to improve crops by introducing a copy of a gene that is responsible for a specific trait. This trait could be size, disease resistance or any other trait deemed beneficial. The gene introduced can be copied from any plant, animal or microbe. The bioengineering process allows plant breeders to introduce useful genes and traits that would not be available through ordinary plant breeding.

Bioengineering foods creates the possibility of the transfer or introduction of allergens. When the gene introduced in the bioengineering process is copied from an animal or microbe, the results are often unpredictable. However, when the gene introduced is from another plant, there is the strong possibility that the allergenic properties of the plant providing the copied gene will be transferred to the new bioengineered food. Consider a tomato genetically engineered with the addition of a gene from a peanut. While a person may be aware of his allergy to peanuts, he would not expect any reaction to a tomato. If this person consumed the bioengineered tomato described above, the result could be fatal.

The head of the food science and technology department of the University of Nebraska, Dr. Steve L. Taylor, investigated this possibility. Taylor’s tests conclusively showed that genetic engineering can spread allergies. In Taylor’s experiment, bioengineered soybeans created by Pioneer Hi-Bred International were tested. These soybeans, which Pioneer wanted to market as animal feed, were modified with genes from Brazil nuts. While the new genes produced a nutritious protein found in the nuts, they also produced proteins that triggered potentially fatal reactions in people allergic to Brazil nuts. The frightening conclusions of these tests prompted Dr. Taylor to state, "All genetically engineered foods and plants should undergo extensive testing before they are marketed." (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/1527/allergic.html)

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