Genetically Modified Food History

  • Sumerians and Babylonions use yeast to make beer.

    Sumerians and Babylonions use yeast to make beer.
    6000B.C. The Sumerians and Babylonions led to one of the first advances in food engineering. They were able to take ingredients and start using them for new ways of making food. Without this, people may still have plain and simple foods that give few Health benefits. This was also the start were people used new techniques of cooking to make food.
  • Gregor Mendel dies, after having spent his last 41 years of reaserch on the hereidty factor of pea plant.

    Gregor Mendel dies, after having spent his last 41 years of reaserch on the hereidty factor of pea plant.
    This is important because it was a major factor in GM engineering. He was able to gain some much needed information on cross-breeding. Without the information that he got it may have taken many more years. If he lived a little longer, we could of even gotten information that we may not have yet. That information is the cross-breeding factor for peaplants, this infoformation was then passed on to farmers who later on gave it to scientists.
  • Andrei Nikdaevitch Belozersky isloates DNA for the first time.

    Andrei Nikdaevitch Belozersky isloates DNA for the first time.
    This is important because it is a lead the science in gentically modifying food. Since when you genetically modifying the food, you need to be able to take its DNA out or inject something into it so the DNA of that organism can now have new or diffrent traits. Without being able to take the DNA and just see it by itself, genetically modifying food would be much harder.
  • Planting of high-yield wheat varities, know as the Green Revolution, increaesed the amount of food being produced.(Happened in countries such as Mexico or India)

    Planting of high-yield wheat varities, know as the Green Revolution, increaesed the amount of food being produced.(Happened in countries such as Mexico or India)
    This is important because since they were able to produce large quantities of food by genetically modifying food. This helped lots of more people not die of starvation ,but of malnutrition, This in result cause the reachering plants to come back fix these problems by modifify the food through genetically engiring, not only to stand upagainst hard weather ,but also to give better nutrients.
  • Walter Gilbert and Allan Maxam at Harvard University devised a method for sequencing DNA using chemicals rather than enzymes

    Walter Gilbert and Allan Maxam at Harvard University devised a method for sequencing DNA using chemicals rather than enzymes
    This is imporant because it starts a new solution and problem to GMO foods. THe solution is that now there is a more faster way of making GMO food since you can use DNA directly, which can lead to faster production of GMO food or new types of GMO food, but the downside to GMO fod is that now it is more likely to lead to toxic chemicals being put inside the food. This causes a problem for GMO foods due to people not wanting to eat these harmful chemicals.
  • Federal Goverment begins 8 years of biosafety and food safety testing.

    Federal Goverment begins 8 years of biosafety and food safety testing.
    This is important because this was an important step in stopping health risks when making GMO foods. Biosafety tests help prevent laboratorys and environmental areas like the inside of a manufactuer plants or parks/wildlife nearby. This helps GMO foods become for desirable and less suspicious, increasing the demand for GMO foods.
  • First GM food, Flavr Savr tomato is approved in the US.

    First GM food, Flavr Savr tomato is approved in the US.
    This is imporant because this is the start of approval for GMO foods. Without this approval, many GMO companies and their food may still be largely disliked or be thought of as "Dangerous," but with the U.S. approving it, it leans people to thinking that the food is ok and its usage of it increases, which increase the demand.
  • GM tomato paste arrives in Britian, prompting backlash from Green Peace and Friends of Earth.

    GM tomato paste arrives in Britian, prompting backlash from Green Peace and Friends of Earth.
    This is important because it shows the progression of GM foods nationally. Due to the lack of food around the world, countries like the UK have to start gentically modifying their food, even though reluctant. Since now other countries are starting to take in GM foods, this can lead to both new discoveries like better ways of making safer GM foods and also more room for errors and mistakes like more dangerous chemicals getting inside the food.
  • Downing street confirms that Tony Blair has eaten GM food and regards it as safe.

    Downing street confirms that Tony Blair has eaten GM food and regards it as safe.
    This is important for GM foods because it shows the aprroval for GM food has risen. Since Tony is a famous former politician for the British Labour Party, once having heard that he has postitive feedback for the GM foods and will most likely increase demand in not only U.S. but aslo in the UK.
  • Agribusiness giant Monsanto, GM foods, hired services of the mercenary firm, Blackwater, to spy on activist who were organizing against Monsanto.

    Agribusiness giant Monsanto, GM foods, hired services of the mercenary firm, Blackwater, to spy on activist who were organizing against Monsanto.
    This is important because it shows the suspicion of Monsanto and GM foods. Since Monsanto is getting all this negative feedback, and other chemical and GM food companies, this action that they did causes future generations to think that these GM foods are being secertive and are hiding something. This in result causes the buyers to be reluctant in buying GM foods and decrease the value of them.
  • The future of GM foods

    The future of GM foods
    I think that in the future there will be more genetically modified food. The companies that have negative feedback will spend more money researching new ways of genetically modifying food. They will still be under the sneaky side and may still revert to and use harmful chemicals. Companies like Monsanto, who have been hiring mercenary firm and have major negativity from activists, will still have problems with activists, but will become huge role in our economy, food wise.