First Fruit: The Creation of the Flavr Savr Tomato and the Birth of Biotech Foods - Hardcover

Martineau, Belinda

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0071360565 ISBN 13: 9780071360562

Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education, 2001

Synopsis

In 1994 a little biotech firm called Calgene introduced the Flavr Savr (TM) tomato, the first genetically engineered food ever brought to market. Like most scientists working in agricultural biotechnology, the people who created the Flavr Savr (TM) hoped eventually to develop more important crops, ones that would be higher yielding or insect and disease resistant, thus enabling farmers to feed more people and reduce their dependence on dangerous chemicals. But the people at Calgene knew that before genetic engieering could reform high-tech agriculture, it would first have to achieve acceptance by the public. So they started with the Flavr Savr (TM), a tomato whose rot-initiating gene was turned off. The idea was that the modified fruits would retain enough firmness so they could be left on the vine until they began to ripen. "Normal" tomatoes are picked green and then gassed red before making their appearance in the supermarket; otherwise they'd be smashed during shipping. At the time the Flavr Savr (TM) was being developed, American consumers were spending $4 billion on supermarket tomatoes, despite the fact that almost no one beieved they tasted like a tomato should. The strategy was to win American consumers' tomato-loving hearts with the "summertime taste" of the Flavr Savr (TM), and the rest would follow. Belinda Martineau served on the scientific team that developed the Flavr Savr (TM), and when Calgene voluntarily submitted its product for FDA and USDA approval, Martineau provided most of the scientific evidence that led to it certification as safe for human consumption. Martineau concurred with Calgene's belief that the approval process would inform the public of the pros and cons of genetically modified foods. Yet ultimately the process of engineering the Flavr Savr (TM) and bringing it to market made her question the validity of the product. The Flavr Savr (TM) was generally accepted by the public, despite some fierce opposition by environmentalists and consumer advocates, yet it did not prove to be commercially viable. Though its introduction did engender discussion of the ethical, environmental and scientific issues surrounding agricultural biotechnology, the debate was squashed when ag-tech giant Monsanto bought Calgene and the process of egnieering food "went underground". While genetically modified foods must be labelled in Europe, and the controversy over their safety is headline news in the UK, American consumers are eating a significant amount of them without even being

About this title

Review:

Engaging both sides of the agricultural biotech controversy and hoping to initiate a reasoned dialogue, geneticist Belinda Martineau explores the development and eventual failure of the Flavr Savr® tomato in First Fruit. One of the Calgene scientists who worked on the tomato (the first genetically modified food on the market), she offers great insight into the scientific and business factors that drive the research and marketing of biotech products. Concerned about the eager and simplistic denial of most of her colleagues when faced with protests from consumer advocates, she wants to see more direct communication between the two sides. Using the story of Flavr Savr's development, Martineau shows the reader both the quality of biotech research and the power of management to obfuscate or otherwise affect that work. Though straying into dead-end alleys of personal stories of her colleagues' interactions a few too many times, for the most part the narrative flows smoothly and draws the reader along swiftly to the tomato's eventual, inevitable demise in the market. Somewhat ironically, the Flavr Savr failed more because it couldn't live up to Calgene's nearly messianic marketing than any protester's work, even if it did launch a few activists' careers. Telling industry to pay more heed to honesty and research while suggesting that the public pursue better scientific education shouldn't be asking too much--perhaps First Fruit will help de-escalate the debate. --Rob Lightner

Review:

"A must read for those interested in understanding the history and future of biotech food." An "Outstanding Academic Title," 2001 -- Choice Magazine, October, 2001

"Martineau...has written a very revealing book on her experience..." -- The New York Review of Books, October 4, 2001

[Biotech food labeling might come about] "if stories like hers can counter the self-praise from the industry flacks that she candidly portrays." -- Sierra, the magazine of the Sierra Club, July/August 2001

About this edition

• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0071360565
• ISBN 13: 9780071360562
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 224