Genetically modified crops have been grown in the US for years

The first food crop engineered to contain human genes has been given preliminary approval in the United States. But environmental groups are outraged and claim there's a risk of contaminating the food chain. This report from James Westhead:

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The company, Ventria Bioscience, wants to extract the proteins to make a medicine for diarrhoea and possibly to add them to health foods. But consumer groups are furious. The US Centre for Food Safety's Bill Freece, claims there's a danger of contaminating other crops and possibly harming human health.

BILL FREECE: I'm really concerned about this because I think there's one, the potential for this rice to get into the food supply and two, it hasn't been tested, it hasn't gone through a drug review process. So we're dealing with an unknown here, something that could cause harm to human health.

The company insist there's no risk of contamination because the crop will be planted in Kansas where no other rice crops are grown. But with controversy growing, the US Department of Agriculture has yet to give final approval and there are many bigger regulatory hurdles before the first food with human DNA can be sold to consumers.

James Westhead, BBC, Washington

Listen to the words

biotech
(short for biotechnology) the use of living organisms or other biological systems in the manufacture of drugs or other products

has won initial permission
has been allowed to do something at the present time, but may not be allowed to do it in the future

implanted
surgically placed inside a living body

saliva
the watery fluid that is produced naturally in the mouth

to extract
to take out the active or most useful part of a substance by chemical or mechanical action, such as pressure, distillation, or evaporation

consumer groups
groups of people who work together to look after the rights of people who buy or use goods or services

contaminating
making something dirty or unusable by contact or mixture with something unclean, dangerous or bad

a drug review process
an official process of controlled testing to make sure a drug is safe for general use

regulatory hurdles
official rules and regulations that must be followed before something can be made available to the public

DNA
(short for deoxyribonucleic acid) the acid which carries genetic information in a cell

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