Rising food prices and global food shortages have put new pressure on governments, food companies, and consumers, prompting them to re-examine attitudes toward genetically modified technologies.
In Japan and South Korea, some food companies started buying genetically modified corn for the first time to make soft drinks, snacks and other foods. Previously these companies had purchased traditional non-GM maize at a higher price in order to prevent consumer dislikes.
In the United States, wheat growers and wheat merchants are still hesitating to plant genetically modified wheat, but they are also increasingly seeing the planting of genetically modified wheat as a way to increase production. Even in Europe, which is most opposed to GM foods, some major government officials and business leaders have also begun to call for approval of the import of GM crops.