Genetic Engineering of Foods: Is Fish Protein In Your Ice Cream?

By Kathrine Nero

The fat and calories in ice cream have many of us doing without the double dips, but scientists are looking to a little-known fish to pull your diet out of the deep freeze.

You may have seen it on store shelves: new low-fat ice cream with all the flavor of the real stuff.

But a University of Cincinnati researcher says to stay away from the sweet treat- that flavor may bring with it some unintended consequences.

As manufacturers strive for that rich and creamy but low fat combination, it's another combination: a DNA combination that is causing some strong controversy.

Ice cream scientists are adding a cloned protein from the arctic pout fish that keeps it from freezing in icy water.

"Their basic approach is to continue to freeze the ice cream and whip it under agitation down to a much lower temperature," explains Bruce Tharp, a food scientist with Tharp's Food Tech.

It keeps the ice crystals small and makes a lower-fat flavor taste creamier.

"This is delicious," said one taster. "It doesn't taste any different than the fattening kind."

But it becomes genetically modified, and thats hard for one University of Cincinnati professor to stomach

"I think we're opening the door into a dark room, and we don't know what the hazards are in the dark room and I would urge caution," said David Fankhauser, a UC Genetic Specialist.

Some corn, soybeans and sweet potatoes are also genetically modified, but you wouldn't know because the FDA doesn't require genetically altered foods to be labeled as such.

Dr. Fankhauser says that's the problem because we still don't know the long-term effects.

"We need to be able to continue monitoring in the population that's consuming it. Without labeling, how will we know?" Fankhauser said.

It's not all about making foods taste better, either. Genetic modification can make crops resist bugs and viruses and can increase milk and egg production.

But until he knows exactly what he's scooping into that cone, Dr. Fankhauser says he'll pass.

"Actually, I like to make my own ice cream," said Dr. Fankhauser.

That may be the only way to be absolutely sure the food you're eating isn't genetically modified.

The fish protein is used in Breyer's Double Churned Ice Cream products and in some of their popsicle products.

Breyer's says "consumer reaction to the entire double-churned line has been very positive."

So choose for yourself.

SHARE:

Email This

Latest Health
- 7-Yr-Old Girl Takes Medical Marijuana To Help With Leukemia Treatment
- Want to be Healthy? Do the Opposite of What the Government Recommends
- Coconut oil can combat tooth decay, study suggests
- How the Government Makes You Fat: Gary Taubes on Obesity, Carbs, and Bad Science
- Study: The 'gateway drug' is alcohol, not marijuana
- Why the Campaign to Stop America's Obesity Crisis Keeps Failing
- Amish farm kids remarkably immune to allergies: study
- Nutritional McCarthyism: Red Meat To Blame for Death, Global Warming, Tsunamis, Mine Collapses, and Terrorist Attacks

Comments

Add Comment

Page 1 of 1

Anonymous

Posted: Jul 10 2008, 6:03 PM

Link

9818

This is truely appaling! I would've never guessed. I personally don't believe this country is ready for something as serious as genetic engineering. Not enough research has been conducted on the long term effects, it is absolutely irrisponsible for them to introduce this into our economy. DO THEY NOT CARE ABOUT THE SAFETY AND WELL BEING OF OUR PEOPLE

Add Comment

Name

Comment

* No HTML

Verification *

Please Enter the Verification Code Seen Below

PLEASE NOTE

Please see our About Page, our Disclaimer, and our Comments Policy.

FAIR USE NOTICE

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which in some cases has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available for the purposes of news reporting, education, research, comment, and criticism, which constitutes a 'fair use' of such copyrighted material in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. It is our policy to respond to notices of alleged infringement that comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (found at the U.S. Copyright Office) and other applicable intellectual property laws. It is our policy to remove material from public view that we believe in good faith to be copyrighted material that has been illegally copied and distributed by any of our members or users.

About Us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy