Examples of Genetically Engineered Foods

What are genetically modified foods? They are plants and animals whose DNA has been altered or change to suit the needs of humans. There are three types of genetically modified food (GM) first generation, second generation, and third generation crops. Each type is focused in different types of yields and crops so they can have a system that allows to keep production and value up.

Genetically modified foods have contributed to better foods in terms of food quality and human health.

Imagine going to the grocery store and seeing a seedless watermelon, but it is not the typical oval, it is square. Down the produce aisle, there are sweet, juicy strawberries; however, there is a warning label that says, “Do not consume if you have a nut allergy.” The world today is moving forward in the way that society produces our wholefoods. Genetic engineering, bioengineering, or biotechnology is the process of inserting the genetics of different plants and organisms into other plants or organisms to create new, more efficient DNA. However, is it truly beneficial to modify the world’s natural foods? The use of genetic engineering can disrupt the ecosystems that have taken billions of years to develop. Many years of research and work have gone into the subject of genetically modified foods; however, this new food trend could create or enhance food related illnesses and health problems, interfere with nature’s environs, and could even cause specific ethical problems for individuals that practice different faith. People should be aware of genetic engineering, how it works, and how it affects their lives.

The advancement of technology has allowed our generation to genetically modify food for what is believed to be beneficial to consumers. The environmental and health effects of genetically modified foods have generated controversy about whether these foods are safe. With such advances, the use of genetically modified food is expanding, even though they 're unlabeled. Genetically modified foods should be labeled because of the possible health, environmental, and economic risks. Once a consumer knows what they are paying for, it is fair to produce and market such foods.

Enserink, Martin. "Tough Lessons from Golden Rice." Science. AAAS, 25 Apr. 2008. Web. 22 Sept. 2015. .

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.

The human population is growing rapidly. With the growth in the human population, the demand for food is also growing at an unprecedented rate. Arguably, farms are unable to naturally provide the world’s population the food needed by natural means. This may seem like a big issue, but humans came up with an ingenious solution: genetically modified organisms, commonly known as GMO’s. Genetically modified food has been able to offset the worlds growing demand for food, and all our food problems seem to be solved. Or have they? I will use information from: Wendell Berry’s, The Pleasures of Eating, Jon Entine and JoAnna Wendel’s, 2000+ reasons Why GMO’s Are Safe to Eat, Robin Mather’s, The Threats from Genetically Modified Foods, along with references from Food Inc., to explain how genetically modified food is being used in a way that negatively affects the livestock, our health, the ecosystem, and the potential threats genetically modified crops have on our future.

According to the Economic Research Service/ USDA, United States highly produce on corn (90% acres), soy (93% acres) and cotton (90%acres) in year 2013. (Jorge Fernandez-Cornejo, 2014) Since United States adopted genetically modified technologies in agricultural field, a majority of food products of United States contains of genetically modified ingredients. But the saddest part is most of the American citizens does not realized that they are consumed almost 85% of genetically modified food in their daily meal. (Stryker, 2013) This shows almost every grocery shops in United States must have processed foods that come from genetically modified food. Processed foods such as cookies, breakfast cereal, and corn syrup are containing genetically engineered ingredients from corn

How long will Americans allow themselves to be blindsided while consuming food where they think they know what it contains, but will learn that they are very wrong. Not only do we not know what our food contains, but we also don 't realize the future health problems we are allowing into our bodies to intake. Genetically Modified Foods (GMO’s) are a serious problem that we are unfortunately surrounded with every day, without even knowing it. GMO’s were invented to create a product with a lower price, but with better nutritional value or durability. Although this is what they are intended for, scientists soon discovered after they were introduced that they might run into some unplanned problems. Whenever scientists test how animals react to eating genetically modified foods, they can react with symptoms starting from small sicknesses, all the way to tumors, or even death. This happens only if the animal is actually wiling to eat the GMO. A lot of studies have shown animals will refuse to eat genetically modified organisms, so why are we not listening to them? Genetically Modified Foods should not be produced because they are unsafe for humans to intake, the FDA does not require the public to be notified when they are used, and they poorly effect the environment.

When you walk through the different aisles of your grocery stores, do you shop for flavors or the health establishment of your food produces? How would you know the apple you picked up are not one of the genetically modified food? Many consumers, like you, are unaware that many of their food products are genetically modified organisms (GMOs). GMOs are common in grocery stores and supermarkets nationwide.

Nearly ninety three percent of all crops grown in America are genetically modified. GMO stands for genetically modified organisms and many parts of the world are finding new ways to genetically modify different organisms from corn to octopus. However, GMOs have both a good and bad side to them. If Americans know what GMOs do to your body, how crops are genetically modified, and what chemicals are used in GMOs; Americans won’t eat- or will think twice before eating genetically modified foods.

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) have been used in developmental biology and molecular genetics studies, as well as in high-throughput screening for toxicity of chemicals (Hill et al., 2005). Among the several characteristics that make the zebrafish a useful animal model in research are: high fecundity; low maintenance costs in comparison with mammals; rapid embryogenesis; larvae transparency that allows the visualization of tissues in vivo; absorption of compounds from water, and the high degree of similarity with the human genome (Chakraborti et al, 2009).

“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 Products haven’t received a great reputation because many times they are perceived as chemical foods with a large amount of antibiotics and hormones. Although some of it is untrue, in certain populations including Europe, they are not seen as real food. The European culture prides themselves on fresh and natural ingredients used in their cooking. Many also feel that genetically modified foods are void of any nutritional value and are seen as a disregard for the human organism. European culture stems from thousands of generations of growing and preparing foods by hand, without the use of industrial techniques. Science isn’t always seen as a good thing for a society. People in Europe aren’t as obedient as in other countries and aren’t as reliable on the government to tell them what to do. They ask questions and although companies may show proof that a certain food, even slightly genetically modified doesn’t affect then, they may still oppose to its use. They ultimately don’t want to ruin natural crops/products for future generations. The subject of concern in the notice presented to the U.S FDA is the genetically modified (recombinant) yeast that was used to produce ISP (ice-structuring protein) for commercial use. The ISP is produced by a fermentation process and the protein is secreted into the media it is cultured in. It is harvested through a microfiltration technique. The process uses multiple micro filters that separate the protein from the debris of

When I was a kid, science teacher taught me Genetically Modified Food is the research of the future and will lead to solving the famine issues of the future. I heard lots of scientists were researching the Genetically Modified Food and that they had already ended the experiment. So I thought no one would have to bear hunger. Nowadays, despite the progress on Genetically Modified Food, many people continue to suffer from famine. A lot of Genetically Modified Food comes to the market but they do not affect the market price enough to completely solve world hunger. Furthermore, there are various ethical issues concerning the use of Genetically Modified Food. In this essay, I would like to discuss these ethical issues by first discussing the current debate of Genetically Modified Food’s effects to human body, the current practices involving Genetically Modified Food, and why this controversy warrants labeling of Genetically Modified Food to help the consumers make informed decisions of what type of food they are buying.