Contrary to public perception, nearly every food we eat has been genetically modified, through centuries of crosses, both within and between species, and for most of the last century through mutations induced by bombarding seeds with chemicals or radiation.

In each of these techniques, dozens, hundreds, even thousands of genes of unknown function are transferred or modified to produce new food varieties.

But alarmist warnings about the possible hazards of gene splicing have made the public extremely wary of this selective form of genetic modification.

“There hasn’t been a single untoward event documented, not a single ecosystem disrupted or person made ill from these foods,” said Henry I. Miller, co-author of “The Frankenfood Myth,” a new book that questions the wisdom of current gene-splicing regulations.

“That is not something that can be said about conventional foods, where imprecise methods of genetic modification actually have caused illnesses and deaths.”