They wake up in the morning. They start packing their sack lunches for school, work or whatever they have going on that day. They start with packages of sliced apples and then add peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Do those people know that according to The Facts about GMO 's, "70-80% of the foods we eat in the United States . . . contain ingredients that have been genetically modified" (Grocery)? That means that 70 to 80 percent of those sack lunches are genetically modified. The World Health Organization defines genetically modified (GM) foods as "foods derived from organisms whose genetic material (DNA) has been modified in a way that does not occur naturally . . . through the introduction of a gene from a different organism" (Food). The majority of food is genetically modified and it is important for everyone to learn more about the food they are eating. Are genetically modified foods something to be afraid of? The truth is that GM foods can be good for us and they have numerous benefits to the consumer. GM foods are safer than traditionally grown foods. For example, GM foods are safer for the environment. Theresa Phillips, who has a Ph.D. in Environmental Biology, proposes, "Many industries stand to benefit from additional GMO research. For instance, a number of microorganisms are being considered as future clean fuel producers and biodegraders" (Phillips). GM foods have the ability to be absorbed into the soil ("biodegrade") and emit natural fuels ("clean fuel") that
In todays society, people are more concerned about what they put into their body. They eat healthy and maintain a stable diet, but unknown to a number of these people is their food may have been tampered with in the form of Genetically Modified Organisms or, for short, GMO's. Genetically Modified Organisms are plants or animals whose DNA has been altered to favor a certain characteristic or trait which is already in the DNA. This includes enhancing the DNA in plants to make them bigger, invincible to pests, or invincible towards weeds. Although, the reason why GMO's are a controversial topic is because of lack of knowledge. Genetically Modified Organisms are risky and potentially to dangerous to be handling because of the unknown side effects
In the story “Are Genetically Modified Foods Scary?” we learned that people take risks just within the foods that we eat. Most people eat Genetically Modified Foods (GMO) on a daily basis weather they know what is in there food or not. “Although most scientists
Genetically modified crops are an incredibly important issue that everyone should be aware of since it is something we are exposed to at a daily basis. Genetically modified crops also known as GM crops or Biotech crops has been one of the most heated debates of issues within our society. The debate about the safety, concerns and disadvantages of GM crops have raged since the mid 1990 's but this is due to the lack of knowledge of the general public. Many people are unaware of what the GM crops actually are and what they offer. Genetically modified crops are plants that are used in the agriculture and have been modified to initiate a new trait to plants that does not happen naturally in the species. These plants are modified using genetic engineering techniques to enhance desired traits. GM crops are made when genes of commercial interest are transferred from one organism to another.() There are many methods used for the production of GM crops but the two primary used for plant insertion are gene guns and agrobacterium tumefaciens. There are also three types of modifications which are transgenic, cisgenic, and subgenic plants. However, there are a number of issues that surround this controversial topic such as environmental, health, and economic concerns. Even though there are some worrying facts about GM crops people don 't realize the advantages or the ways it has helped humans as well as animals. There are many reasons why GM crops are proven
The debate about genetic modification has been going on for a long time. On one hand, advocates for genetic modification believe that many diseases could be prevented and it would relieve many people from pain. On the other hand, many critics of genetic modification believe that it is unnatural or playing god. I am drawn to this issue because I believe genetic modification is going to be, if it isn’t already, ubiquitous in our future. In my lifetime, 20-30 years from now, I will have to deal with the benefits and the possible ramifications of genetic modification. This issue is going to affect me directly and therefore I have chosen this topic. Genetic modification is already on the horizon and there is little anyone can do to stop this.
Biotechnology is the use of living systems and organisms to develop useful products and is a technological application that uses living organisms or systems. There is much controversy in the use of these systems because of possible health and environmental effects. One of the most widely used products of biotechnology is genetically modified (GM) crops. These are crops that have a specific combination of genetic material that is acquired through certain biotechnological processes or genetic engineering. Many crops have been subject to these genetic modifications such as: alfalfa, cotton, flax, rice, tobacco, tomatoes, and wheat. Many people are on various sides of the spectrum of being for the alteration of these crops or strongly against it.
Should people be worried about genetically engineered food? Many people are starting to question what it is exactly that they are eating and how it could possibly harm them. Specifically, the harm that could befall them from GM food. A genetically modified organism is something that received one or more genes from another organism. There are three arguments that the people worried about GM food put on the table; those arguments being: GM food should be labeled, GM foods are not safe to eat, and GM crops won’t end world hunger and feed the whole world.
Another benefit we get from GMOs is that it increases the crop yield in two ways: first is there will be fewer insects and pests that would eat the crops and, that it will grow without being bothered by pesticides (Bouis, 2007). GMOs has inbuilt resilience to diseases, viruses and herbicides that it requires lesser chemical pesticides and it makes them supposedly an environmental friendly, which reduces soil erosion. The production also demands less time; therefore it can provide a larger food supply to
People all around the world are still debating if gmo foods are beneficial or unbeneficial to us humans. These gmo foods were used 20 years ago and animal’s genes have moved from host to host from the beginning of time. In my opinion, I think that gmo foods are more beneficial to humans more than risks. Here are three reasons why gmo foods are beneficial to us.
Imagine knowing what is really in the food on our dinner plates every night. Probably organic, naturally grown foods, right? That might be the case in some foods, but now a days, most crops are grow genetically modified (GM). GM foods are foods that have been altered with a gene or protein from another living organism to give it a quality or characteristic that it never had before. Some examples of GM foods are apples that do not brown and potatoes that do not bruise. These are made when the organisms are genetically modified to reduce the levels of enzymes that cause browning and bruising. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are unsafe. While they can be beneficial, GMOs are unhealthy for human consumption, cause environmental impacts, and have
I think that there are more benefits than risks in GMO foods. Some examples, are that we use less pesticides on GMO foods, new species can be created, and we also get to eat less viruses on Genetically modified papaya. There are many genetically modified crops in the world. For example, according to “Google”, it states, ”Experts said 60 to 70 percent of processed foods on U.S. grocery store shelves have genetically modified ingredients”. This means that there is an estimate that about 70% of Genetically modified foods in our grocery shelves.
As stated in the Organic Consumers Association, 80 percent of the food consumed in America is processed, and 75 percent of the processed food contains Genetically Modified Organism (GMOs) (Carolanne). GMOs are living organisms that their genetics had been unnaturally modified through scientists and engineers. This is a serious issue which every consumer in America is facing today. The rate of obesity had doubled since 1982, and this is only the visible effects of Genetically Modified (GM) food in the human body. There are more inner problems that a person can encounter by eating GM food. However, it does not end there. GM food can also cause problems for the environment. GM crops are a threat to birds, herbicides, insects, and even to water. GM food can be harmful to the human body and to the environment. Therefore, the U.S. should limit its use, and find some solutions.
Over 70 percent of the foods we eat today are genetically modified (GMO: genetically modified organisms)! This means that it contains genes that had been revised from the original. Although GMO foods are used commonly, are people really aware of its effects? According to research by many scientists and engineers, genetically modified food cause failure ,in the long run, to the body. GMO foods are classified to the illness side of the health continuum. The second reason as to why GMO foods are not safe is that they are ignored by the government. Lastly, not only do genetically modified food injure consumers, but they also leave negative impacts on the environment and the food chain.
People opposed to genetically engineered crops believe genetically engineering a crop to have a higher nutritional value will cause problems with a person’s diet. They believe people will then disregard other foods besides the new genetically engineered food, and this will cause other health issues. This does not seem likely because genetically engineered crops with enhanced nutritional value are aimed to help people reach a certain daily value of a vitamin or mineral, not to replace a person’s whole diet. A person will still have to eat other foods with the new genetically engineered food, however, he or she will not have to eat as much to obtain the correct daily values of their vitamins and minerals. Countries such as Africa, who have a problem with people dying of starvation each year, could really use these kinds of crops. Crops that are genetically engineered to withstand drastic weather conditions and are higher in nutritional value could help Africa have a higher yield of crops to feed the starving children with. The increased nutritional value in these crops would also help the starving children get more of the vitamins and minerals they need to survive.
Many people view GMOs as “frankenfoods” and believe that the produce is poisoning them. However, there is a great amount of evidence that can be found to disprove this. Many environmentalists have distorted the public's knowledge of GMOs by only providing information and examples that make GMOs look like a terrible thing. Examples of this include, the crisis in India where they have seen people do not respond well and commit suicide due to “failing” seeds. In addition to this, opponents believe that GMOs can be inked to an increase in allergies. Some opponents also fear that someday the advancements might go too far and scientists may potentially consider using genetic modification to create “perfected” kids. It is obvious that these are very good and reasonable concerns but the benefits of GMOs greatly outway these potential
Of course, when there is an argument against something, there will be a counter argument that will be for the same topic. One of the biggest health benefits that a GMO can bring to the world is the additional nutrients that can be added to the GMO (Murnaghan, 2017). This can be extremely helpful in poverty stricken areas. A food that is very common in that area can be enhanced to include the nutrient that is lacking. This will allow for the people in the area to have an all-around healthier diet without having to buy even more food to consume all the right nutrients. With the addition of nutrient enhancement in GMOs, the battle of malnutrition will also be helped (Duvauchelle, 2014). Malnutrition is very common in third world countries (Nodoushani,