However, it took 10 years (to 1993) before the first whole plant was commercialized and
grown unregulated in the field, a virus-resistant tobacco in China (Jia and Peng 2002;
Macilwain 2003), followed by the first transgenic food crop, Flavr Savr tomato, in 1994.
Neither GM product remains on the market today. The Flavr Savr failed because of incon-
sistent production capacity and delivery to market (Calgene, the company developing Flavr
Savr, claims that they sold every tomato delivered to the stores and that they were unable to
keep up with demand); the Chinese tobacco was withdrawn because of pressure from
smokers worldwide who feared that smoking GM tobacco (but not regular tobacco?)
might pose a health risk.
The first GE food product, the milk coagulating agent Chymosin, was developed in 1981
and, after various improvements, testing, and safety assessments, was approved and reached
the market in 1988 (in the UK) and 1990 (in the USA). Most of the hard cheese now made
uses this genetically engineered protein in place of rennet from calf stomach. Such cheeses
are popular yet remain unlabeled, even in places where labeling based on the process of
rDNA is mandated. Although only trace amounts of the enzyme remain in the final food
product, it is disingenuous and misleading to consumers to claim that the cheese is
“non-GMO,” at least not without an explanation. More on this later.
The subsequent deployment and adoption of GE crop varieties has been impressive.
According to ISAAA (James 2005), the one-billionth acre of commercial GE crop was
grown in 2005, with the total acreage spread across 21 countries. In 2005 alone, according
to James, GE crops covered 222 million acres [90 million hectares (ha)] worldwide. This
represents an impressive growth within an industry, namely, agriculture, not known for
quick adoption, particularly of controversial technologies. The major players remain
fairly constant, with the United States, Argentina, Canada, and China leading the way,
but also significant acreages in some smaller countries, including such diverse lands as
South Africa, Philippines, Iran, and Romania. Some 14 countries are now growing over
100,000 acres of GE crops (James 2005).
In the United States, the major GE crops include soybeans, corn, and cotton; biotech
cultivars of these crops captured 89%, 61%, and 83% of their respective market acreages
(USDA/NASS 2006). Minor commercialized GE crops include potato, tomato, and flax
(all no longer grown), plus virus-resistant papaya and some squash. GE alfalfa has recently
been approved, and GE crops currently under development for US farmers, include sugar-
beets, plum pox-resistant plums, disease-resistant citrus, and a broad array of others. For a
complete listing of US approved crops, see http://www.aphis.usda.gov/brs/not_reg.html
and, for a combined (USDA, EPA, and FDA) searchable database, http://usbiotechreg.
nbii.gov/database_pub.asp.
Internationally, GE crops under development include improved versions of locally
important crops, such as GE brinjal (eggplant or aubergine) and high-protein potato in
India; corn in South Africa; broccoli; tomato; sweet potato; papaya; banana; winter
melon; watermelon; rice; several tree events; and even transgenic animals (pigs) in
Taiwan; rice, turfgrass, potato, and various local species of vegetables and produce in
Korea; oil palm in Malaysia; and cassava in Kenya and other countries of east Africa.
An exhaustive listing of GE species and traits in development around the world would
be both extensive and quickly outdated. Those interested in the technical and regulatory
progress of agricultural biotechnology in developing countries should consult http://www.
isaaa.org frequently.
Most of the GE crops commercialized to date carry input traits such as disease or
herbicide resistance, or pest control, but newer products are focused on output traits,
12.2. HISTORY OF GENETIC ENGINEERING AND ITS REGULATION 295