Genetically modified foods becoming staple in America's diet

Once a tiny kink in the food chain, genetically modified foods have become a staple in America's diet.

Almost one-third of all corn planted in Wisconsin this spring will come from genetically altered varieties. Among soybeans, nearly 80 percent of the crop will be genetically modified.

Nationwide, some 40 different crops are approved for commercial use, according to the Council for Biotechnology Information.

These crops are increasingly becoming ingredients in everything from soups to pizzas to soft drinks.

"We eat genetically modified foods every day," said C. Neal Stewart, a plant geneticist at the University of Tennessee. "If you have any romantic notions about natural foods, lose them."

Fifty years ago, it was unlikely that scientists James Watson and Francis Crick were thinking about bio-engineered food when they discovered the structure of DNA, and in so doing, unleashed generations of scientific discovery.

By helping to unravel the mysteries of DNA, Watson's and Crick's work has wended its way through science. In agriculture, it allowed scientists to alter genes - adding a trait here, eliminating a trait there - so the raw product in some foods was suddenly different.

With their ability to fight pests and weeds, biotech advocates say, the new genetically altered crops have helped farmers increase productivity and cut the use of farm chemicals. As an alternative to laboratories, newer generations of genetically engineered crops are being used in outdoor experiments to harness the powers of Mother Nature to mass-produce drugs.

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