A Bright Future With Genetically Modified Superfoods

Genetically modified food’s, or GMOs, goal is to feed the world's malnourished and undernourished population. Exploring the positive side to GMOs paints a wondrous picture for our planet’s future, although careful steps must be taken to ensure that destruction of our ecosystems do not occur. When GMOs were first introduced into the consumer market they claimed that they would help eliminate the world’s food crisis by providing plants that produced more and were resistant to elemental impacts like droughts and bacterial contaminants, however, production isn’t the only cause for the world’s food crisis. Which is a cause for concern because the population on the earth is growing and our land and ways of agriculture will not be enough to feed

At first glance, the possibility an enhanced food supply promises many possibilities. Generally, GM foods are thought to be the solution the world hunger crisis. Today, the world’s total population exceeds six billion humans and continues to grow (Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?). In fact, the world population is predicted to double in the next 50 years. (Genetically Modified Foods). Meeting this need will prove to be a huge challenge, but research proves that GM food can ensure a food production schedule of 17% more food than necessary for each human daily (Pros and Cons of Genetically Modified Foods).

A world where all your food was flavorful and healthy, big and ripe. No more shortage of food or worries about processed food, a utopia for food. But, a Utopia is only a fantasy, a fantasy is not reality. Genetically modified (GM) foods is starting to become more and more of a reality. But, with that reality comes the choice of should it be done; even though genetically modified food has positive effects, there are also negative effects that cannot be overlooked, such as cost, also the negative effects to the ecosystem, and insufficient testing.

According to a census done by the United Nations, as of October 31, 2011 the world’s population has reached seven billion people. The earth’s population is estimated to reach between 8.3 and 10.9 billion by 2050. Will the earth be able to sustain and feed that many mouths? The planet’s current population is already two to three times higher than the sustainable level. Approximately fifty percent more resources than the Earth is producing are being consumed. The longer we consume more resources than the sustainable level, the quicker the sustainability of earth decreases. In 1990, a new technique called genetic engineering entered the food industry. Genetic engineering is the alteration of the basic make up of plants and animals to produce a desirable trait. Some scientists believe that GMOs increase yields, but according to some research, “GMOs have nothing to offer the goals of reducing hunger and poverty, improving nutrition, health and rural livelihoods, and facilitating social and environmental sustainability” (Institute for...). About 30 countries around the globe ban GMOs, including Australia, Japan and all of the nations in the European Union. Activists that are against Genetically Modified Organisms have organized campaigns to raise customer awareness of their existence in the majority of the food supply. Most Americans aren’t

The production of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) simply involves laboratory modification of food products, by altering their genes such that a desirable trait is obtained. GMOs are also known as genetically engineered-, bio-engineered-, biotech crops, or transgenic organisms. In today’s America, food produced through genetic modification can be found in almost all forms of edibles from Snack boxes Cereals, livestock, and even fruits. In 2003, the Grocery Manufacturers Association estimated that GMOs were present in at least 70% to 75% of conventional processed food on supermarket shelves. This staggering statistics was supported by a 2011 USDA document which showed a whopping 88% of U.S. corn, 94% of soy, 95% of sugar beets, 90% of canola

There are 805 million malnourished people in the world today. One in nine people do not get enough food to be healthy and lead an active life. Hunger and malnutrition are in fact the number one health risk in the world. It is greater than AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis combined (Ackerman, 2002). World hunger is a serious problem battering the nation and surrounding nations. The USDA and United Nations are confronted with this issue. Kids are crying out in pain, as there is not enough food to be fed. Someone had to stop this hunger and find a way to solve this problem. Earl Butz, the secretary of agriculture, decided to step in. He developed a plan to increase the size of farmers and the production of crops. However, the plan did not thoroughly worked. GMOs are the only way to feed the entire world. With the advancements of GMOs people are able to morally provide food for the world.

As the spread of commercialized genetically modified foods (GMF) products rise, the number of people exposed to genetically modified foods incline globally. The term genetically modified foods can be used interchangeably with transgenic foods, genetically engineered crops (GE) and Recombinant DNA technology and therefore defined as the enhancement of foods in which a gene of interest from one organism is extracted and inserted into the target organisms. (1) The genes of interest may be cells from bacteria, insects, animals, plants or viruses. Although the controversial idea seems fairly new genetically engineered crops were introduced as early as the 90s without the knowledge of most consumers. The United States leads as the top producer

Throughout our entire existence, humans have evolved into an agricultural based society. The increase of population has made it necessary to selectively breed plants and animals to keep up with the demands for food. As technology has evolved even further, biotechnology has become a popular option. Recently, there has been a push for the use of genetically modified seeds and organisms (GMOs) for food relief. This push of genetically modified seeds in North America is at such a large scale that the quality of non-genetically modified crops is being jeopardized. The GMO push has become a controversial issue and concern globally. Biotechnology has advanced and developed at such a rapid rate that there hasn’t been enough consideration and

“70 percent of our corn farmland and 93 percent of soy farmland are planted with crops genetically engineered to resist pests and herbicides and increase crop yields. 60% of all the processed foods in the United States are genetically modified; a shocking statistic has the concern of many Americans. However, most people are uninformed about the beneficial impact that genetically modified food has on their diet. GM is the use of molecular biology technology to modify the inherited structure of organisms. Genetically engineered crops increase nutrients, drought tolerance, provide more food for growing populations, and resists diseases and pesticides. Genetically engineered foods are crucial to the improvement of economy, agriculture, society, and health choices. The creation of GM foods was one of the most significant breakthroughs in food industry. Genetically modifying foods is a key component that is harmless for the enrichment of our foods.

Genetically modified crops possessing genes from different species, could possibly relieve global food shortages, although huge debate surrounding the use of GM crops, Molecular Genetics can provide bigger and better harvests for farmers, there are still questions about the benefits of such crops. In addition, the public may not welcome the creation of "super plants" as a viable option in solving global hunger. Agronomists have been working on these problems for years, but the fast population growth makes

Many people today are often amazed by the amount of nutrition and health information required for humans. The constant stream of genetic modification of food can be confusing. Genetically modified (GM) foods are plants and animals that have had their genetic makeup artificially altered by scientists to make them grow faster, taste better, last longer and to provide more nutrients. Scientists make these alternations by transferring genes from one organism into another in order to change the condition or character of the receiving organism. This process is known as biotechnology or genetic engineering (GE), and it has revolutionized the way that agriculture is practiced in many parts of the world. Researchers are now able to use GE

The food industry is under great pressure as the world population sky rockets. To many, the GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, produced by biotechnology

In the world today, we have nearly 925 million people that are malnourished or even starving to a point of near death according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (How close are we to #ZeroHunger?). With our world population rapidly growing, the amount of food needed to feed everyone in this world is almost impossible now but eventually, there will be too many people to feed everyone with normal crops. Genetically Modified Crops (Gmo’s), could be the solution to a lot of the world’s high food demand. When using Gmo’s, any given plant has the ability to have: better yields, pesticide resistant, no seeds, and many more great features. Gmo’s make every seed that we put into the ground more valuable with more of a future outcome. Not

7.2 billion. That is the population of today’s world. This is the 21st century. The population of the world is soaring sky high and the number of people is still increasing day by day. Now the question arises, how do we feed 7.2 billion people every day? How do we find so much space to grow food? How do we respond to this rapidly rising population? The answer is simple. We use GM Food. Genetically modified food. Now many of us might be wondering what is GM food? Genetically modified food is basically any food item that whose DNA has been changed to make it look more colorful, nutritious, last longer etc. To survive in today’s world, GM food is essential.

For decades, scientists and researchers have studied genes and have successfully altered them to produce organisms with desired traits such as resistance to pests and a higher yield to feed the human population. What are genetically modified foods you may ask? The technical term is genetically modified organism or GMO. A GMO is an organism’s genome that has been altered by the techniques of genetic engineering so that it’s DNA contains one or more genes that are not normally found (Genetically Modified Organism, 2017). Will GM Foods feed the human population for years to come or is it a significant health risk? Let’s look more into the facts of GM foods and how they are produced to better understand the controversy over GMO production.