Genetically Modified Crops For The Health, The Environment, And The Food Security

Norman Borlaug once said, “Man 's survival, from the time of Adam and Eve until the invention of agriculture, must have been precarious because of his inability to ensure his food supply.” Throughout the history of mankind, the global food supply has become a battleground for politicians, scientists, and farmers. Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, have been in the spotlight throughout much of the last four decades, offering a viable solution to world hunger issues. It is through genetic engineering that scientists can achieve the creation of genetically modified crops, creating new crop varieties designed to yield more products with less inputs. Genetically modified foods offer numerous benefits, such as boosting our economy, eradicating hunger and malnutrition, and also provide a safe food source for a growing population. Genetically modified foods are economically viable, able to help ease world hunger issues and are in fact safe to eat.

Genetically modified foods can be good and bad for humans and the economy. For example, if you do not cook an genetically modify foods it can cause us humans to become deathly ill. If the soil is not treated before the genetically modified seed is placed into the ground it can damage the soil and the earth around it.

Genetic engineering is already providing a more stable solution for agricultural production in the economy to stand on. In nine years (i.e. 1996-2005), profits from genetically modified crops were twenty-seven billion dollars. Those twenty-seven billion dollars were not just in the United States or countries like it, but the profits almost split half and half between first and third world countries (O'Neill 19). In India, for example, cotton yields have jumped to one hundred-fifty percent from the use of genetically modified crops, vastly increasing the farmers’ profits (19). The planting of these crops can really help farmers know what they are going to make every year and plan accordingly. Also, helping the farmers’ expenses is the lack of chemical pesticides needed on the crops and reducing time spent using the pricey traditional breeding methods (Mannion and Morse 749-751). Even if genetically modified crops are not planted in every field, adjoining fields can benefit due to the “halo effect.” The “halo effect” is the ability of pest protection on the genetically modified crops to affect the non-genetically modified crops due to the lack of insects in the genetically modified field (754). Genetically modified crops affect the economy in a positive way and should be seen as a smart

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

What is genetically modified (GM) food? These are foods whose DNA have been artificially altered in some way to produce foods with unique qualities not found in nature. For example, onions that don’t make you cry when they are cut. Whenever you go to the grocery store or eat a restaurant, chances are you’re eating GM food without even knowing it. It’s in the ingredients we buy and fed to the animals we get our food from. What you may also be unaware of are the health and safety concerns, along with the lack of labeling identifying GM products. What’s more disconcerting is GM crops have the potential to change our ecosystem forever. This is a social issue that affects us all, because we all have to eat.

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

‘With genetically modified foods I believe we have reached the thin edge of the wedge, we are messing with the building blocks of life and its scary’ - Malcom Walker, Chairman and Chief Executive of Iceland Foods (Quotes from Scientists).

Genetically modified (GM) foods are helping lives one life at a time! The question everyone is asking in today's society is if GM foods are helping people or hurting people. Some people believe that GM foods are going to end up hurting the environment just like the Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, (DDT) did in the 1940's. Just because the scientist are changing the genetic code of the plant does not mean it is hurting anyone. The foods are healthier, larger, and they can provide food in a time of need. GM foods are a big help in today's society.

Modified foods have been a hot topic for years. The term genetically modified foods (GMF’s) or genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) is used to refer to animals or plants that have been genetically altered for human or animal consumption. Although genetically modified foods is relatively new, the prevalence of GMF’s in U.S grocery stores is much more than what people thought. It seems like consumers don’t like the fact that their food has been modified or played with, they want to know what is in the things they consume, even if what’s hidden seems to be good. . Why do people have different ideas about modified foods and they really as bad as they look? One reason would be that GMF’s have never been researched on there long in case they oppose some health risks, for if it ever turned out to be dangerous it will be already too hard to go back. Most of the stuff we buy has been genetically altered like breads, candy, most cereals, and pastries. Consumers in many countries have many different views about this topic. A lot of countries banned GMO’s products in their stores, and in countries where they are allowed, people are marching to boycott these products. Genetically modified foods is a great invention for human beings, and can greatly help us in many ways, yes there is some issues here and there, but that’s how we improve.

A growing debate today is the effect of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, on our health and the stability of the environment. Emily Anthes, a journalist who mainly writes about current issues in science, posted an article on the New York Times titled “Don 't be Afraid of Genetic Modification”. In the article, Anthes presents a few examples of genetically modified animals that have been considered for consumption and the obstacles that the biotech companies who created them face. Anthes is discussing a very prevalent topic here. GMOs are here to stay, and it is important for people to understand what a GMO actually is.

Despite the fear of certain pests and insects, they play a critical role in the environment due to the intricate food chain and pollination process. For example, bees are hugely important in the pollination of many food crops. However, if a GM crop produces an insecticide that kills bees, biodiversity is reduced. Killing a particular pest that harms a crop does not only threaten the existence of it, but it also jeopardizes the food source for certain animals. Biological concepts such as “survival of the fittest” demonstrate how GM crops could ultimately make the ecosystem less diverse. Along with disruption of the food chain, the spread from pollen and interbreeding with natural organisms will “[contaminate] non 'GE' environments and [impact] future generations in an unforeseeable and uncontrollable way” by creating “superweeds” with insecticidal properties or herbicide-resistance (Achenbach). Another environmental drawback of GMOs is that they “require heavy applications of synthetic fertilizers, insecticides, and weed killers--chemicals that can damage the environment” in order to work at peak performance (Anderson). Some Ready Soy fields may require up to 3 coats of Roundup spray per day to accelerate the growth and strengthen endurance against pests. Farmers must consider the environmental drawbacks before deciding to plant GM crop

Genetically engineered foods have been a controversial topic for a long time, splitting society into two sides, for genetic engineering or against it. Some people think that genetically engineering our food greatly improves our food supply quality and quantity, while others may think that genetic engineering will destroy and ruin our world’s food supply. GMO has many pros and cons that can be a major effect today, as well as the future. However, I think that genetically engineering foods is a good idea for society. The use of genetically engineering foods has been significantly helping the food we eat with many factors. GMO can create safer crops that won’t catch disease as easily as crops that are not genetically engineered. People won’t have to worry if the food they’re eating is infected, for the crop would be

Genetically modified crops are a controversial issue to many people. GMO’s have both pros and cons. Due to increasing demand for food genetically modified crops have been more effective because they are designed to produce more yield and be pest resistance. Some downfalls of GMO’s are that they decrease biodiversity and the long term effects of GMO’s are still unknown. I believe that genetically modified foods should be labeled, because people have the right to know what is in the foods they are eating. If the GMO foods are labeled then people have the opportunity to decide for themselves if they want to eat genetically modified crops. Many consumers want to buy healthy foods at the grocery store so they go out of their way to buy local

People hold a very intimate relationship with food, whether it be for nourishment, a peace offering, trade, part of a religious practice, to provide a sense of community, or to satisfy a personal need. Its meanings are rooted deep within and are the foundations of many cultures. There was a time when humans were very connected to the food they ate. Not only did they know its origins, but they ate what was needed for survival. They were as much a part of earth as any other animal, although they had an intelligence to understand,

Science, chemical and big name companies had done hazardous experiments with the consumer’s food without the world’s communities approval and it still continues today. Genetically modified organisms have contaminated the food supply. “A GMO (genetically modified organism) is the result of a laboratory process where genes from the DNA of one species are extracted and artificially forced in the genes of an unrelated plant or animal” (Seeds of Deception). The results have no health benefits, only financial benefits to the companies that produce them. The genetically modified organisms of animals or plants today hurt the environment and are causing health problems in the nation, and even around the world; a promise which made supposedly better