Biological Imperatives And Nutritional Concerns

A new kind of foods called the genetically modified foods has been creating a quiet revolution in the American market for the past several years. Scientists are able to produce these new foods by transferring genes from one organism into another across species boundaries. This new technique has been developed to improve the shelf life, nutritional content, flavor, color, and texture of foods. Since 1994, about 45 genetically modified foods such as tomato, corn, soybeans, canola, and potatoes have been marketed in the United States. About two-thirds of foods that are processed in U.S. contain genetically modified ingredients. So, we the people are consuming these foods without realizing the fact that they are not produced naturally.

The debate over genetically modified foods continues to haunt producers and consumers alike. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are foods that have been modified through bioengineering to possess certain characteristics. These plants have been modified in the laboratory to enhance traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or increased nutritional content (Whitman, 2000). The debate continues to grow as to whether these genetically altered foodstuffs are the answer to hunger in the coming years, or whether we are simply children playing with something that we do not have the capacity to understand. One of the biggest debates in the GMO issue is whether producers need to use labeling of

“Eat your vegetables, they're good for you”, The words a kid never wants to hear. People scan food packages for whole grains and fibers, avoid sugar, and don’t even think about buying something with trans fats. Just when people thought they knew how to eat healthy, there's another problem: Genetically Modified Organisms. Some opponents would have you believe these ingredients are the dietary curse of the decade. How concerned should people really be though? This is one of the most debated questions around the world. Many environmental organizations protest against genetic engineering, but numerous companies continue to use it in food production. The issue of Genetically Modified foods has been investigated by many different scientists for many

Whether Americans realize it or not, most of them consume genetically modified organisms every time they eat a snack or a meal. According to Robin Mather’s article “The Threats from Genetically Modified Foods”, “you’re eating genetically modified foods almost daily unless you grow all of the food or always buy organic” (Mather). This can be a scary thought for those who know about the numerous effects of GMOs or those who didn’t know what was in the food they’ve been ingesting for years. When Nielsen selected 1,200 Americans for a survey on GMOs for The Wall Street Journal, “61% of consumers had heard of GMOs and nearly half of those people said they avoid eating them” (Gasparro). The only difficulty with avoiding genetically modified organisms is that they make up approximately eighty percent of the ingredients used in processed foods that put together most of the regular American diet (Gasparro). The reason that genetically modified organisms are in most processed foods is because most processed foods contain corn or high fructose corn syrup that comes from genetically modified corn plants. Of all the corn, soybeans, sugar beet, and canola crops grown in the United States, over ninety percent of those crops are grown from genetically altered seeds (Gasparro). Ever since 1996, when genetically modified plants were first commercially grown for the public, the use of genetically modified seeds has been on a sharp increase (Charman). Although the use of genetically modified

As Gliessman, an agricultural researcher, says in Agroecology, “conventional agriculture is built around two related goals: the maximization of production and the maximization of profit. In pursuit of these goals, a host of practices have been developed without regard for their unintended, long-term consequences” (3). The industrial food industry has created a process to produce as many crops as possible in the quickest amount of time to put onto the market. The several ways utilized to achieve these goals are those that are harmful to the consumer. Two main threats are genetic modification, and chemicals. These issues are a spark of concern in addressing the health of consumers. Food industries often try to tantalize their audience with the promise of untouched, pristine produce when in reality these foods are heavily tainted by pesticides or are genetically modifieds. “One will find this obliviousness represented in virgin purity in the advertisements of the food industry, in which food wears as much makeup as the actors. If one’s whole knowledge of food from these advertisements, one would not know that the various edibles were ever living creatures, or that they all come from the soil… “ (Berry 147). People are informed little about the pesticides that we often ingest from products like these and little do people know the negative effects of GMOs.

The last few years American’s have been the center of attention when it comes to an example of unhealthy living. In 2013 obesity became recognized as a disease in order to help aid the fight for a healthy future. Fingers are being pointed at every company and government branch possible on who is to blame for the current crisis. One thing people are able to agree on is that the food we are eating is the main cause of the health crisis in America. At the heart of this debate is the discussion on genetically modified organism, or GMO foods.

Dr. Praphul Joshi 10/23/2013 Controversial Public Health Issue There are several controversial issues confronting us today; from Universal Healthcare (Obama Care) to Stem Cell research, to vaccinations, to genetically engineered (GE)/genetically modified (GM) foods. However, I shall look at genetically modified foods as the controversial issue for this article. I shall look at an article from the mass media about this controversial public health issue and place emphasis on the message the document wants to convey and address any biases that may be within. In addition, I shall provide additional data or facts from another article to see if it supports or refutes the controversial message. It is my intention that this article will provide some clarity on genetically modified foods confronting us in the United States and the world over. Since the successful cloning of Dolly, the sheep, in July 5, 1996, Biotechnology has been praised and castigated at the same time.

By the year 2012, over 70 percent of the processed foods in the U.S can be linked to genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. Despite this strong dependency on the manipulation of genetic material, there are many questions concerning long-lasting impacts such food could bring. The government of the United States of America should enforce stricter restrictions on the consumption, production, and availability of food products containing genetically modified organisms. Genetically engineered foods have detrimental impacts on the environment, are linked to large, monopolizing industries, and do not reduce world hunger.

We all enjoy a cold glass of milk with homemade cookies, a refreshing pop on a hot summer day, and a juicy cob of corn in the summer months. But, do we ever wonder what is really in our food? Because genetically modified foods do not have to be labeled, you will likely never know if the food you are consuming is genetically modified. As a fellow member of the Organic Consumers Association, I am eager to inform you of why genetically modified food is an issue that we must work to minimize or perhaps even abolish. I am excited to present this information to you, hopefully expanding your knowledge of genetically modified food. I hope that this conference will allow us to broaden our ideas of how

No one can escape from genetically modified organism food in the United States. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), up to the 2014, only 7% of corn, 6% of soybeans, and 4% of cotton were not genetically modified because sugar and oil can be refined with these three ingredients. As a result, the products that are made of sugar or oil contain such genetically modified ingredients because of how cheap it is. In fact, there are around 75% of the processed foods in grocery stores using either corn, soybeans, or cotton as one of the ingredients. For example, corn can be found in hamburgers, French fries, chicken nuggets, soda, ketchup, pudding,

“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.

In 1994, the first commercially presented genetically modified food, the tomato, hit the markets in the United States. These genetically modified tomatoes are known as crops created for humans or animals to consume by using the latest molecular biology techniques. The process of it is very simple. The geneticist will need to find the desired gene in an existing organism first. Then the geneticist will cut out the desired gene, relocate it to the intended plant that will be genetically modified, and paste the desired gene into its genome. As soon as the new gene is introduced to the plant, the plant can be reproduced to make a new strain that will be passing down the gene from this generation to the next generation (Genetic Science Learning Center, par. 9). These genetically modified foods are created by the geneticists who hope that they can enhance the desired traits of the crops, such as increased resistance to pests or to improve the nutritional content. Despite being created for the welfare of the consumers, genetically modified foods are not all accepted by the consumers in the United States. “Monster crops, Mutant Meals, Suicide Seeds, Frankenfoods- these terms are meant to label the genetically modified products as some type of concoction developed by scientists gone berserk.” (Gay 38) People fear that these genetically modified foods are a hazard, for they are not naturally created by nature. As people tried to avoid buying or eating the genetically modified foods,

With a growing population, feeding the world is a rising concern for global leaders and must be addressed and handled soon. As with any large issue, people turn to science to solve the problem and some members of the scientific community have concluded that genetically modified foodstuffs are the solution. Since the 1990s, scientists have been perfecting biotechnology and genetics. With this advancement in knowledge came genetically modified organisms (GMOs). GMOs take a favorable trait from one organism and attach it to the DNA of another to make it more nutritious or less susceptible to things such as pesticides or insects. While all of these things sound like a good idea on the surface, one must ask if enough has been done to ensure the safety of those who consume such products. While genetically modified foods have the potential to solve the growing hunger crisis in the world, they are not ready to take on that role. They are understudied and without proper testing, there are too many unknowns to allow them to be a viable course for the future.

The rapidly growing demand for food will require further increases in crop production. Two aspects are viewed: feeding the world by genetically modified (GM) crops versus organic agriculture. Although genetically modified foods have been on supermarket shelves for years, there is still extensive controversy about whether they are beneficial to the general public. The genetically modified food controversy is a dispute over the use of foods derived from genetically modified (GM) crops instead of traditional and indigenous crops (organic farming). In the opinions of critics, they are of the view that genetically modified foods are the reason for world hunger, and that they are considered not safe. I am using prior knowledge and working with multiple primary sources to find patterns. The methods used were researched through different scientific journals regarding the use of genetically modified crops. I have reached the conclusion that genetically modified foods may be the ultimate solution to hunger and poverty, and are safe for human consumption.

With an ever-growing population and the problems of world hunger, there has been a high demand for an increased food supply and a better food supply. Technology has been called upon to meet this challenge. The advent of genetically engineered foods, sometimes called transgenic crops or genetically modified foods, is not a new concept, but the controversy over it is. Can these "frankenfoods" be harmful to humans? What are their effects on the environment? The following paper will focus on such questions as well as providing a better understanding of what genetically modified foods are and how they should be regulated.