Grade 7-10-An excellent overview of the brave new world of genetically engineered foods. Marshall gives a clearly written, concise explanation of recombinant DNA technology and goes on to examine its application to crop plants and farm animals in order to produce foods that are more appealing in taste and appearance, or have a longer shelf life. Her step-by-step look at gene-transfer techniques is well done. The author goes on to look at the effect of genetic engineering on government regulation and labeling of food items, and ethical and philosophical questions that such technology raises, as well as its implications in fighting world hunger, and what the future holds. Some black-and-white photographs and simple line drawings illustrate the text, but the book has a serious, somewhat technical appearance. Thorough source documentation is included. Linda Tagliaferro's Genetic Engineering (Lerner, 1997) looks at the field of this technology beyond its application to foods.
Joyce Adams Burner, Hillcrest Library, Prairie Village, KS
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
The answer to Marshall's opening riddle--"What do you get when you cross a tomato with a fish?" --almost was, and actually could someday soon be, found in your supermarket's produce section rather than in a joke book. As the author explains in this dry but methodical account, Dolly the sheep, the bovine growth hormone, a host of virus-resistant cultivars, and the famous (or notorious, depending on your point of view) Flavr Savr tomato are only the beginning. Students looking for a discussion of the techniques and implications of gene-splicing to create new types of food plants and animals will find this just the ticket, though "pharming," or using genetically modified biota to produce drugs or chemicals, is mentioned only in passing and the photos and charts are few and drab. The notes, plus generous lists of books, articles and URLs, at the end will facilitate further inquiry. John Peters
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