Essay Genetic Engineering and Developing Countries

The most important and basic aspect we must keep the forefront of our minds when discussing an issue of human food is: Is it safe for humans to eat? This idea has been widely debated by scientists, governments and private companies around the world. While there are many possible health concerns related to GMOs, there is one issue I be highlighting in this essay. That is allergenicity, according to a study conducted in the mid-1990s that showed genetically modified soy beans caused an allergic reaction in people who weren’t allergic to soy beans otherwise

In addition, other negative effects of GMOs include the increase in food allergies. Examples of increased allergies are present and includes soy. The percentages given by USDA displays that soon after GM soy was introduced, the statistics of soy allergies inclined drastically by 50% in the UK. Another piece of evidence that supports the given glaim is a skin prick allergy test. The skin prick allergy test shows that some people do not react to wild and natural soy, but to GM soy. Animal experiments were also underwent, and displayed food allergy increase with

Though every major scientific regulatory oversight body in the world has concluded that GMO foods are harmless, the public remains deeply suspicious, fearing that such food may cause cancer or allergies. Caitlin Shetterly, one of the worried public, wrote an article in Elle magazine, claiming that genetically modified foods could cause allergic reactions, and that consumers face unknown and unacceptable risks from new, yet-to-be-identified allergens that our government’s monitoring program,

Genetic engineering is the deliberate modification of the characteristics of an organism by manipulating its genetic material, otherwise known as DNA. Since biochemists Stanley Cohen and Herbert Boyer pioneered genetic engineering in 1973, the process has grown to have numerous applications such as medicine production, for example insulin (Mckinley). However, a main topic of concern is the application of genetic engineering on foods that we eat everyday. By modifying the genetic "blueprint" of crops, it is possible to improve many aspects of agriculture. But with any sort of scientific discovery that allows humans to act as Mother Nature, genetically modifying organisms has been a very controversial topic. Yet our society continues to grow, and the need for the benefits of genetically modified foods continues to grow. Genetically modifying foods should be permitted in our society because it allows larger yields of crops to be produced, produces foods with higher nutritional values, and reduces our global ecological footprint.

However, due to the unknown nature of genetically modified foods, it may lead to harmful effects to human health such as harmful diseases and new allergies. It has been argued that the adverse effects of genetically modified foods cannot be predicted but only

Gmos can cause very irrevocably damage towards the environment. And they cause a huge risk of food-based allergies towards the humans. Gmos are also not fully tested to be eaten. The pollen spreads the pharmaceutical genes into the gmo foods supply. They have a lack of consumers due to the creation of ethical dilemma. There is a toxin that fights pest is the caused of the allergies to start. But, gmos affect the younger kids more quicker than older people. The AAEM suggest non-gmos diet for every patient.

Thesis Statement: Research suggests that GMO's (genetically modified organisms/products) could be harmful for people and the environment because of their potential to produce new allergens, increase toxicity, decrease nutritional value, and increase bacterial antibiotic resistance.

“The immune system didn’t evolve for allergy. Why in a hundred billion years of evolution would we evolve a response for allergy?”(Joel Weinstock). Throughout the years, food allergies have been on a dramatic increase in the United States. Allergic reactions are caused by antibodies in the immune system which are also known as immunoglobulins. There are five types of immunoglobulins that are produced to fight antigens, such as, bacteria, toxins, viruses, animal dander, fungus, and cancer cells . Each immunoglobulin fights a different antigen and is found in different parts of the human body. Immunoglobulins help the immune system when an allergen has entered the human body, each of these antibody releases a chemical called histamine, which is produced by the immune system to protect the human body. Histamine is one of the main reasons why allergy symptoms are triggered. Food allergens can cause severe or mild reactions due to an unusual mistake the immune system can make. The immune system usually mistakens a particular substance to be physically harming the human body and in the act to try and protect itself, it releases histamine. There are many reasons why food allergies occur, such as processed foods, genetically engineered proteins in foods, pesticides, and genetically modified organisms can all cause serious food allergies. It all began in 1996 when Genetically Modified Organisms were introduced to our foods. Genetically Modified Organisms are organisms that have been

Theresa Phillips said “potential health risks to humans include the possibility of exposure to new allergens in genetically modified food, as well as

As a society we tend to disagree with each other on many topics especially social issues and on the importance of them, but we can all agree that world hunger is one of the main problems. World hunger is led by death, poverty, and so much more, and for years we have tried to find ways to stop it, but it’s hard since our world is expanding. The greater our population, the more mouths we need feed, and since we already have more than half of our population starving the fear is that we will run out of food. This is where the idea of genetically modified foods is presented as a solution to help and fix these age long question about hunger. Genetically modified foods have been proven to have some good benefits in helping out the world;

The world we live in today is in no doubt constantly changing all thanks to the technological and scientific advancements. These advancements are what have led to the birth of molecular genetics which is the genesis of improvements in the field of agriculture. Food is a very crucial part of human survival, and while it may be abundant in many developed countries, the same cannot be said about the developing countries. A 2015 report by FAO on the state of food insecurity sates that there are about 795 million people sleeping hungry because of shortage of food with the vast majority coming from developing countries (2015, FAO). The rise of genetically modified food in the recent years however has helped to provide a solution to some of these food shortage problems. Generally genetically modified foods otherwise known as GMO foods are foods that result from crops whose genetic makeup have been modified or altered. This happens through a process that’s referred to as recombinant DNA that serves to give plants traits that are desirable with the use of molecular techniques. Some of the most bioengineered foods include tomatoes, corn, cotton, rice, papaya, wheat among others. While it has had many benefits and successes, GM foods still have risks and the question of safety always arises when it comes to discussions.

Like any technology, genetic engineering offers benefits as well as potential risks. Genetic engineering can negatively affect human health as well as environmental impacts. For example, genetic engineering can cause allergic reactions or even create new ones. According to the article, Genetically Engineered foods, “Modified organisms may interbreed with natural organisms and out-compete them, leading to extinction of the original organism or to other unpredictable environmental effects,” ("Genetically engineered foods: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia"). Genetically engineering can cause this environmental problem directly because an engineered

“Did not find a relationship between consumption of genetically engineered foods and the increase in prevalence of food allergies.”

Soy is one of the eight most common food allergies in the United States of America. A student at the University of Utah wrote that a projected 70% of all foods in the United States contain at least one genetically modified ingredient—usually a product of soy plants. Also, since the introduction of genetically modified soy, soy-related allergies has rose to 50%. This is an immense concern for people who have a soy allergy, mainly because the United States of America doesn’t require labeling for genetically modified organisms. These concerns are raising the risk of having genetically modified organisms in consumer

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.