Corn : The New World Civilization

Chapter one of The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan follows corn on its journey from acting as the primary crop of the Native Americans all the way to its introduction into the industrial setting. Pollan makes it explicitly clear that corn is in everything. Behind all the chemicals listed in the “ingredients” section on a product, consumers will find corn. Corn even plays a role in our chemical makeup. Because of corn’s ability to intake more carbon than most other plants, it does not have a preference over the carbon isotopes it consumes. By looking at the carbon isotope ratios in humans, we can determine how much corn one has eaten. Pollan states that corn’s variability is what makes it such an important crop. The European settlers

Corn is not the ideal nutritious food. It wreaks havoc on the animal;s' digestive system and gets turned into sweeteners that makes people obese, aside from giving us an unhealthy diet. In other words, the industrial food chain that American man is sustained on is largely based on corn, whether in its direct form, fed to livestock, or processed into chemicals such as glucose, and the cheapest forms of these are high-fructose corn syrup and ethanol. The former, particularly, through a combination of biological, cultural, and political factors, appears in the cheapest and most common of foods that constitute the American diet. It is the ingredient that results in obesity, and, since it appears in the cheapest products, the ingredients that more poor, than wealthier individuals, consume.

I used to think of food as something we eat sure there the food chain. Plants take in the sunshine, bug eats plants, birds eats bug, snake eat bird and so on and so one little did I know that the food we is more complicated than I ever thought, I mean how complicated can food get when I first got this assignment I asked myself how in the world can I explain food in 700 words food is what you eat end of story but that was before I knew behind the scenes of our food. As I sit down read and Omnivore’s Dilemma I realize how right Michael Pollan is I really can’t tell you how many times I was reading ingredients and stumbled upon corn, I also realized how confusing he was in the book like I know corn is everything we eat but is it the good guy

First, Michael Pollan explains how corn is been used really “sprouted up” in the year 1947 after

Native Americans started the development of maize. In 1491 Mann says, “Indians developed an extraordinary number of maize varieties for different growing conditions, which meant that the crop could and did spread throughout the planet”(pg17). With the spread of maize the Indians caused several

In Part One of Michael Pollen's book The Omnivore's Dilemma, the author looks at the plethora of products available in today's supermarkets and the ubiquitousness of one plant, corn. Corn is a grass native to Central America and unknown in other parts of the world before 1492 (Pollan, 2006, p. 23). After the Native Americans taught colonists to plant corn, they quickly learned to appreciate its value and versatility. Corn was ready to eat, could be dried and stored, and could be ground into flour. The grain fed people and animals. Dried stalks became heating fuel. Mashed, fermented corn could be made into whisky and beer. It was a commodity that sustained people in many ways. For nearly 450 years, corn remained an important staple that nourished humans and animals. It provided some by-products that were also considered quite useful. By the middle of the 20th century, however, corn became a political commodity and completely changed the way we eat.

Corn, like several other types of crops, is part of the group of genetically modified crops with the intent to increase availability and production. However, several effects have also been cited, spurring consumers and other organizations to discourage people from ingesting these. The potential dangers can overwhelm the positive results in the long run, which is why you have to know more about these before health and environmental troubles begin.

Furthermore, corn is the number one GMO product. 88 percent of corn is GM. Genetically modifying corn was tested by a biotech company. It can be found at local food stores, farmers’ markets and farm stands. This was first attempted in 2011. Genetically modified corn can last longer and in a good condition. Genetically modified corn can withstand the weather and chemicals, for example, weed killers. This kind of corn can infect other crops that aren't genetically modified, which can then cause health problems. Even though the chemicals doesn't go inside the plant, it can still affect the

Here is how genetically modified corn is born. Scientists employed by the huge Agriculture industry decide that we need improved corn because bugs like corn too and farmers have to constantly apply pesticides - which is expensive and obviously not good for the environment or those eating the corn, right? So these scientists decide to create a fake corn and here is what they have done.

Most cattle today are being fed genetically modified corn, thanks to the Monsanto Corporation. Monsanto Corporation has been feeding the world with its genetically engineered food crops for many years. In 2001, Monsanto's genetically modified crops accounted for 91% of the total area of genitcally modified crops planted worldwide. This resulted in Monsanto suing good farmers for 'copyright infringement.' Monsanto's crops would spread to neighborhood crops, and contaminate their vegetables

Genetically modified crops have been developed and harvested since 1996 on a wide scale in the world. Genetically modified crops are generally defined as the biotechnologically designed genes that are chosen and transferred from one organism to another, often unrelated, organism with the purpose to achieve certain results in harvest. According to Carton, Mochini, and Sheldon (2011), “[These] crops can survive under harsh conditions, costs are lowered, and yields are improved” (p. xxi). These crops are now widely grown worldwide. Naturally, corn is rooted in a 6000 year old history of South America (Wilkes,

GMOs have become embedded into our food system; however, this has not always been the case. The growth of genetically modified food can be traced back to prehistoric times. Selective breeding was used by farmers to choose the best plants and manipulate

GMO’s are created by gene-splicing a plant’s dna, and modifying it to meet the creators needs. But plants that are modified like this, their seeds can spread, and affect other plants, and eventually, affect us. A research team from the FDA ( Federal Department of Agriculture), found that over 80% of the world's corn population has been affected by GMO’s. If we eat this corn, it may cause bad news for us.

As a scientist from the United State Department of Agriculture, I would recommend the adoption of the GM corn being provided by the US. Genetically modified crops are a breakthrough technology as they accelerate the breeding of crops and make crop production more efficient. I will like to highlight the focus on the issue of safety of the GM corn. The ‘anti-GM faction’ has tried to suggest that GM corn is not safe for human consumption, but I will prove that the GM corn is perfectly safe for human consumption.

Corn greatly benefit from human intervention. Without the intervention of humans, corn would not be able to grow and thrive in certain areas of the globe. Different types of fertilizers and pesticides have allowed corn to thrive all around the world. Also, the use of pesticides and fertilizers has opened doors for corn to grow in different types of climate and fight off many insects and diseases. For example, in figure 2, one may see the effects fungal disease has on corn. It has made this corn inedible. Next, this disease may spread to other corn within the field or the corn stalk, greatly affecting a certain corn population. With the use of pesticides, corn is able to survive and feed many humans around the globe (PLOS Biology 1). Although pesticides are certainly not good to consume, without them, we wouldn’t have the quantity and quality of corn around the world that we have today (PLOS Biology 1).