Engineering Trouble

Series: Industrial biotechnology
Publisher: University of California Press
Subject: Genetic engineering--Social aspects, Agricultural biotechnology--Social aspects, Food--Biotechnology--Social aspects
Authors: ,
Pages: 313 pages
Binding: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780520240070
Call No: TP 248.13 B615 2005, TP 248.6 R4645 2003
Talk of genetically engineered organisms (GEOs) has moved from the hushed corridors of life science corporations to the front pages of the world’s major newspapers. As Europeans began rejecting genetically engineered foods in the marketplace, the StarLink corn incident exploded in the United States and farmers set fire to genetically modified crops in India. Citizens and consumers have become increasingly aware of and troubled by the issues surrounding these new technologies. Considering cases from agriculture, food, forestry, and pharmaceuticals, this book examines some of the most pressing questions raised by genetic engineering. What determines whether GEOs enter the food supply, and how are such decisions being made? How is the biotechnology industry using its power to reshape food, fiber, and pharmaceutical production, and how are citizen-activists challenging these initiatives? And what are the social and political consequences of global differences over GEOs?