What are the cost benefits of genetic engineering?
Genetic engineering can reduce the costs and environmental hazards of managing pests, which can be very high. Much of the sweet corn that’s grown during the winter months and the early spring comes from Florida. A particular pest down there is very difficult to control, the fall army worm. Growers may spray anywhere from 15 to 30 times with foliar insecticides to control this particular caterpillar. But with sweet corn that has been genetically engineered, they only have to spray it once. With spraying, you destroy beneficial insects in the field. You expose workers to higher levels of toxicants. You have potential for ground-water pollution. But with genetically engineered sweet corn, you don’s have these problems. I’d certainly rather eat sweet corn that has been genetically engineered for insect control than the corn that has been treated fairly heavily for insect control. Q: What’s the outlook for genetically engineered foods in the U.S. and other countries? Europe has been especia
