GIF was developed through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of the Arabidopsis thaliana breeding line N183 (CS183) with a binary vector that contains the coding sequence for the recombinant human intrinsic factor (rhIF) under the control of a constitutive promoter and the kanamycin resistance gene NPTII.

The purpose of the genetic modifications is to confer to the plant the ability to produce the recombinant human intrinsic factor that is responsible for intestinal absorption of vitamin B12.

The plant contains three complete copies of the insert, two on chromosome 1 and one on chromosome 3 (verified by sequencing the flanking regions). The inserts have been stably integrated through several generations.