And here I thought pesticides and genetic food engineering were alarming enough. But it seems that Franken-food has an even scarier new sequel.

It would be disingenuous of me to claim “I hate to say I told you so,” when the truth is, it gives me a frisson of schadenfreude to read about the latest genetically modified mess from the blunderful world of bioengineering.

Scientists in Australia took a gene that protects bean plants from beetle damage and transferred it to green pea plants in the hopes of providing them with the same protection. In the process, however, they inadvertently created a pea that appears to trigger allergic reactions.