Frankenfood is genetically modified food created through bioengineering, which has negative connotations due to its mutation of natural food sources. The term comes from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Frankenfood technology involves manipulating the food’s DNA by adding or removing specific genes to mitigate unwanted traits. The first product was the FlavrSavr tomato, but it eventually became unprofitable. Regulations and laws around Frankenfood production and sale have been implemented, but cross-contamination remains an issue, and patent infringement can occur for independent farmers.
Frankenfood is a slang term that describes the various types of genetically modified food products created using bioengineering. Certain types of foods, both plants and animals, are introduced to specific changes in their deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) structures. While Frankenfood has been on the market since the late 20th century, it suffers from many negative connotations due to the fact that it mutates naturally occurring food sources. This had the side effect of helping stimulate the organic food industry, prompting many consumers and food producers to downplay the impact of GM food products and return to the basics of food production that their predecessors enjoyed.
The term Frankenfood comes from Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, which links genetically modified foods to the monster created by Dr. Frankenstein. In order to create Frankenfood, it is necessary to manipulate the food’s DNA. This usually involves inserting or deleting specific genes within the genetic code. Scientists identify a specific gene in a plant or animal that is responsible for an unwanted trait in the finished product. To mitigate this trait, the engineer adds or removes the gene from the plant or animal nucleus, allowing it to reproduce and create food with or without the trait. For example, scientists have created bioengineered foods like corn to produce larger kernels that are less likely to be affected by pests.
In 1994, a company named Calgene brought the first Frankenfood to market. The product was called the FlavrSavr tomato, a strain that would ripen but not mellow like other strains of the fruit. This allowed the company to charge more for the tomato. Despite this, the product eventually became unprofitable with the development of longer lasting natural tomatoes that were available at a lower price point.
As advances in Frankenfood technology became more widespread, crop planting increased dramatically, especially in the United States. With this expansion came new regulations and laws around the production and sale of Frankenfood to consumers. The most widespread ones came with limitations and additional labeling procedures enforced by the European Union. In the United States, similar legislative actions have failed to provide adequate protection by preventing cross-contamination of organic crops with genetically modified foods.
One of the most challenging legal issues regarding Frankenfood is the fact that companies that produce genetically modified foods own the DNA modification trademark. When a seed from a company-owned crop is mixed with stocks of naturally occurring seeds, it can lead to the creation of a trademarked seed collection inadvertently owned by an independent farmer. This can open up patent infringement issues for the farmer.
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