Does The Food And Drug Administration Regulate Enough?.

Do you think government regulation of the drug industry is important? Why or why not?

“Sixty to seventy percent of all processed foods available on store shelves contain genetically modified ingredients”, according to George Erdosh and Marcia Amidon Lusted in “To GMO or not to GMO? Genetically engineered food has strong advocates and harsh critics.” Genetically modified organisms can be found in most conventional foods processed in the United States, and genetic modification of crops is extremely common on classic Minnesota farms. Crops such as corn and soybeans or even papaya and zucchini are viable for genetic modification. In fact, the definition of (GMO) as reported by Alex K. Rich and Tom Warhol, authors of “Genetically Modified Foods: An Overview,” is, “food in which, at some point during the production process molecules and proteins are chemically altered to give the food more nutrients, a better appearance, and a longer shelf life.” As a matter of fact, a majority of all the foods found at the grocery store are genetically altered. However, many people do not know what genetic modification really is, or that the idea has been around for many years. GMOs are used to control pests and weeds. Therefore, through changing the genetic makeup of the plant, modifications allow for advancements of new technologies that account for the applicability of specific chemicals, as opposed to dated Non-GMO farming techniques.

The human body is not designed to handle all the toxins that are put into GMO products, and as consumers, we should be informed of the potential harm we are putting into our bodies. Helke Ferrie, in his article “Evidence Grows of Harmful Effects of GMOs on Human Health” states, “…all modern human diseases are being caused by environmental toxins of our own making” (12), on the contrary, in the journal “GMOs – A solution or a Problem”, Mark Lynas claims that “… there has never been a single sustained health concern [caused by GMOs]” (132). Ferrie mentions multiple studies where GMOs have proven to “…increase the incidence of cancer, diabetes, hormone disruption, neurological, immunological and other metabolic disorders” (12). After mass amounts of research have been conducted to prove the dangers of GMOs, proof that has been gathered of the detriments genetically modified organisms bring to the human liver; researchers conclude, “… anything that upsets the liver must be… exceedingly

We live in a Gilded age of produce. Within the past couple of years, GMOS replaced our original, natural diet with these “genetically altered” foods. GMO, or genetically modified organism, is defined as “a plant, animal, microorganism, or other organism whose genetic makeup has been modified using recombinant DNA methods (also called gene splicing), gene modification, or transgenic technology” (Non-GMO Project). What may be perceived as healthy salad at first glance, may just be a bowl of genetically modified “food”. These are underlying problems not recognized by most of the public. The use of GMOs creates endless risks and pose a threat to the environment, genetic diversity, and future.

“Our food system is 21st century, but our government’s food-safety system is stuck in the 1900s.” (Bryan Walsh). This is a 21st century of new technology and better health care, but our food-safety system can’t get any better. Food safety is not as safe as it should be. This is one thing that should not be taken for granted. We are dealing with people’s lives and their health. Our government does not care how safe our food is. These meat packing companies and corporations get away from lack of food and safety inspections because people in our own government have worked for these companies. Even though these companies are main source of food, and because of the lack of concern for the food-safety system there needs to be stricter

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.

The origins of current U.S. food regulation primarily date back more than 100 years to the Food and Drugs Act of 1906. Since then significant issues continue to exist and remain prevalent in the United States. In fact, Patrick Paul, member of the Natural Resources & Environment professes that in 2011, THE CDC&P (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) put a report issuing that an estimated, “more than forty-eight million Americans become sick from contaminated food every year, one hundred thousand people require hospitalization due to food contamination and three thousand die from food contamination.” (Paul, 2013) Much of today’s current food regulatory measures stem from the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA) as Paul notes. In

The FDA is moving in a direction of the food industry that they don’t need to regulate. The FDA is moving its mission as established by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938, heritage Foundation research fellow Daren Bakst writes “into novel areas that are unrelated to the food-safety issues that the law is designed to regulate, it would do so by regulating nutrition and diet through limiting food choices.” What the FDA is doing is combining nutritional and dietary well-being with safety and this doesn't work. Something such as an ingredient that causes health problems is one thing for the FDA to address seeing that it is in their job descriptions. Consumers can take control of their own diet and their trans fat consumption. The FDA

When you walk into your local grocery store, you can observe floor-to-ceiling shelves packed with foods boasting about nutritional benefits: whole grains in cereals, omega-3s in eggs, and lycopene (an antioxidant) in ketchup, but there are ingredients hiding in these products that many of us do not know are present. They are called Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s), and it has been estimated that over 75% of processed foods on supermarket shelves contain genetically engineered ingredients, which Americans have been eating since 1996. “Currently up to 85% of the United States’ corn is genetically engineered (GE), as are 91% of soybeans and 88% of cotton (cottonseed oil is often used in food products)” (About Genetically Modified Foods). What does it mean when a food is Genetically Modified? To understand what Genetically Modified Organisms are, there needs to be an understanding of what DNA is. “Within the tissues of a plant are cells. Within the cell is the nucleus. Within that are chromosomes composed of the DNA molecule, which in turn is made up of a sequence of base pairs. A simplistic description is that sequence of the genes in the DNA determine the sequence in the RNA, which then determines the sequence of the building blocks of proteins, called amino acids. These proteins can determine a particular trait or characteristic” (Latham). Using genetic engineering, scientists take genes from bacteria, viruses, or other sources and force them into the DNA of a plant.

It’s important to know what you’re consuming in your everyday life. A majority of the vegetables you’re consuming are actually genetically modified, and you wouldn't even know it. The United States does not require food companies or manufacturers to label the products that have been genetically modified. A poll conducted by NBC news recorded that, “ninety three percent of Americans believe the government should require labels on food that has been genetically modified of bio-engineered (and) fifty-seven percent also say they'd be less likely to buy foods labeled as genetically modified”. Genetically modified foods should not be sold for human use. There are few test done in order to test the safety of the foods. There is a risk of cross-contamination

With the increased amount of publicity, genetically modified organisms have recently been under harsh scrutiny and criticism. Consumers around the world are concerned whether or not consuming these newly modified organisms have any long term or short term health effects. “An exhaustive new study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, found “no substantiated evidence of a difference in risks to human health between current commercially available genetically engineered (GE) crops and conventionally bred crops,”(Hall). This experiment showed that there are no alarming effects for consumers to worry about when consuming genetically modified crops. Genetically modified crops have been consumed for over twenty years now without causing any increase in health problem in the populations that consume them. These products are some of the most tested and safest agriculture products out there today. All of the testing done on genetically modified crops and their safety is monitored by the Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA), and the Food and Drug Administration(FDA). Across the board with so many different agencies committed to reviewing testing of GMOs these products and organisms are undoubtedly safe

What is it that we are eating? GMO’s are unnatural. Is it healthy to eat something that doesn’t belong in our digestive system? GMO’s are genetically modified food. Genetically modified foods are created by taking genes from plants and animals and inserting into our food to alter the genetic engineering. In 1984, GMO’s were first introduced when a plant was modified from antibiotic resistant tobacco. In 1994, genetically modifying food was approved by the FDA and the first GMO food, Flavr-Savr tomatoes, was released into marketing. (A history of GM) They became an issue since the beginning, creating many health problems. Genetically modifying foods should not be allowed in America because it’s unhealthy, it decreases in nutritional value, antibiotic resistance, and has shown increases in food allergy and toxicity.

What’s really in our food? The fact is many of our foods contain chemicals and genes not originally in the organism, making them Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). GMOs were made legal in the U.S. in 1995, and in 2010, 10 percent of the world’s farm land was being used for GMO agriculture (genetically modified organism 1). The use of GMOs has increased the productivity of agriculture, by increasing yield, requiring less pesticides, and making crops immune to pesticides to increase pest control ability. However, there are questions as to whether GMOs are safe and healthy for humans to consume. Similar questions about whether these foods should be labeled have also been raised. The debate on GMOs has various perspectives both for and

In agriculture recently, biotechnology has had an impact on crops and animals that intentionally make copies of a genes for a wanted trait in these organisms. The result is a GMO. All genetically modified foods that have been approved are considered by the government to be as safe as their traditional counterparts and are generally unregulated (FDA website). However, there are several types of potential health effects that could result from the insertion of a novel gene into an organism. Since the beginning of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in 1996, genetically altered foods have replaced normal organic diets, which have negatively affected people within communities in the United States. Production and consumption of these

Genetically modified foods are known to be unhealthy for the human body. When creating these genetically modified organisms, also known as GMOs, three main components are required, the gene you want to transfer, the organism you want to put it into, and a vector to carry the gene into that organism’s cells. The unnaturalness of this procedure can cause problems in the human body. GMOs were introduced to consumers in 1994 and since then health problems have increased. From 1996 to 2005, there was a 6% increase in health issues that occurred (Smith). In the article “Playing God in Garden” by Michael Pollan, he stated “my New Leafs are clones of clones of plants that were first engineered seven years ago in Monsanto’s $150 million research facility…” (Pollan 4). This shows how severe genetic engineering is.