The technological changes and innovations during the last 20 years have created a remarkable array of new creations. All living organisms are compromised of a substance called deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), which contains genes that are the "blueprint" for that organism. Scientists discovered that DNA was interchangeable between organisms and created new breeding methods such as crossbreeding, gene injection, and DNA modification techniques. This allowed scientists to take desirable traits from one organism and give those characteristic to another one. A genetically engineered product is one that was developed by modifying DNA. There has been an increase in generically engineered crops over the years and they continue to rise. In 1996, 4 million acres of land worldwide were planted with these crops versus having 98 million acres with genetically engineered crops in 1999 (Frankmore, p.A-38). In 1998, 77% of the world's genetically engineered crops were produced in the United States (Batie, 1999). Currently the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require the labeling of genetically engineered products (Kessler, 1992, p. 1747). However, legislation is now being introduced into congress to determine how these products should be dealt with. In 1998, the United States patent office received 289 applications for patent approval for new genetically engineered crops (Batie, 1999). It is often hard to understand complex technological and scientific concepts when one does not have prior experience in the field. Genetic engineering is a division of biotechnology. This is something that people encounter in their everyday life, but at the same time it is hard to understand what a genetically engineered product is, and what effects it could have on your life. While it has been well documented that the European Union is opposed to genetically engineered foods which they nicknamed "Frakenfoods", the thoughts and beliefs of American consumers has not yet been examined (Batie, 1999).
