First fruit : the creation of the Flavr Savr tomato and the birth of genetically engineered food / Belinda Martineau.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Martineau, Belinda.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Transgenic plants.

Crops--Genetic engineering.

Crops.

Physical Description:

xvi, 269 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : McGraw-Hill, [2001]

Summary:

Amid the storm of controversy raging over insect resistant corn, Roundup-Ready soybeans, and other "Frankenfoods," few people remember the humble tomato that gave birth to the brave new world of biotech food. First Fruit is the fascinating inside story of the rise and fall of the Flavr Savr tomato, the first genetically engineered whole food ever brought to market.

In a fast-paced narrative full of colorful characters, surprising twists and turns, and more than a few eye-opening revelations, former Calgene scientist Belinda Martineau chronicles the making of the Flavr Savr, from its conception to its ignominious demise. In the process she explains how genes are added to or, as in the case of the Flavr Savr, effectively switched off in plants through genetic engineering. She describes the experiments that not only convinced FDA regulators that the Flavr Savr tomato was "as safe as tomatoes bred by conventional means" but also paved the regulatory road for all the biotech foods that have followed. First Fruit also offers a revealing glimpse into how corporate decisions like whether to label genetically engineered products and how to "position" a "slow-to-rot" tomato as a vine-ripened, farm-stand-fresh consumer's dream are made in ag biotech start-ups.

Contents:

1 The Gleam in Management's Eye 1

2 Scientific Conception (amid Misconceptions and Controversy) 19

3 Virgin Territory: Plant Genetic Engineering and U.S. Regulatory Agencies 55

4 The Long, Hard Regulatory Labor: The Flavr Savr Tomato Advisory Opinion 95

5 Transition from a Science-Driven to a Business-Driven Enterprise 127

6 Overpromised, Underdelivered 181

7 Afterbirth 201

Epilogue: The Aftermath 227.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 245-258) and index.

ISBN:

0071360565

OCLC:

45708207