The Notebook: Engineered Food
It's not something we usually think about – just where that chicken or fish on our dinner plate came from. Well, you could soon be eating a new high-tech version of your favorite dish. The federal government will start considering industry proposals to sell food from genetically engineered animals at the grocery store.
Video: Instead of breeding animals with desirable traits, genetic engineering allows scientists to do it in the lab, perhaps producing fish that grow faster or cows with more tender beef. It could allow for greater and more efficient food production, but there are also questions. It's unclear, for example, whether this food would always be clearly labeled.
So far, it appears genetically engineered animals are just as safe as what we eat now. But the government will need to make sure it stays that way. The safety of our food supply must be the top priority.