Should we ban the peanut?

I have to point out that many common foods -- the peanut is a good example -- couldn't pass the screening of GMOs [genetically modified organisms] in the United States.

That is from James Trefil's illuminating generalist tract Human Nature: A Blueprint for Managing the Earth -- By People, For People. Trefil argues that better science will prove the most effective way to save our planet from environmental disaster. He is an unabashed fan of ecological management and is skeptical about the idea of pristine wilderness. How about this?:

The real advance in genetic modification...[will come] from a second wave of plants already being developed. One example of this new wave is what are called neutraceuticals [nutraceuticals]. These are food plans that have been engineered to produce molecules that are specifically beneficial to humans. You can imagine, for example, a banana whose DNA has been modified so that it produces the recommended daily allowance of vitamins. Once such trees are planted, they would continue to produce the vitamins without any further intervention...

We can even imagine a banana that would provide protection from cholera or other diseases. Golden Rice already has the potential to alleviate vitamin A deficiencies; read an update here.