Genetically Modified Foods Annotated Bibliography

Thesis statement: Genetically modified food needs to be banned from being produced not only in the United States, but also around the world.

“Vitamin A is necessary for eyesight and every year about 500,000 people, mainly children in India and Africa, go blind due to vitamin A deficiency. The golden rice has the potential to eliminate this human tragedy when it is introduced in a few years.” (Moore). And yet Greenpeace is fighting against it. And lastly, Dr. Moore recaps Professor Philip Stott of the University of London regarding genetic modification advantages for human health such as less hearth and cancer health problems, less saturated fats and cholesterol.

In this research project, the question that initially guided my ideas was “How safe are Genetically Modified Organisms?" Beyond further investigation of the topic, I took the route of GM Feed to assess the animals that are being prepared for our consumption. Therefore whether there is some sort of GM contamination in the body of the animals with a GM diet, it allows me to make my own stance on the potential risks and safety of GMOs for animals and humans. With conductive research on scholarly articles and journals that investigate the study of animals fed GM Crops, I plan to explain to my audience that GM foods have more benefits

Agricultural improvement: The genetic format of rice is changed so that it produces beta carotene within its kernel. It’s called golden rice because it turns yellow.

"GM Foods: The Islamic Perspective." GMO Journal Food Safety Politics. GMO Journal, 28 July 2009. Web. 28 Apr. 2017.

Golden rice, a GMO developed through viruses and daffodils was introduced to the public as an answer

Around 500,000 children go blind every year because of vitamin A deficiency, so a strain of rice was developed that unlike normal rice, contained enough vitamin A to keep children

Introduction/Thesis Genetically modified organisms (GMO) are an organism whose genome has been engineered in the laboratory in order to favor the expression of desired physiological traits or the production of desired biological products according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. In grocery stores in the United States, as much as 70 percent of the processed food may contain genetically modified organisms. The same cannot be said for the European Union, who has much tighter regulations regarding the planting and end use of genetically modified (GM) foods. There is a worldwide debate over the safety and benefit of genetically modified organisms and whether they should be allowed on the dinner table.

The project, largely funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, USAID, and Monsanto, is now in its second phase- the advanced experimental stage. Senior research scientist Nigel Taylor discusses how the technology has already proved to work in the fields in Uganda and Kenya, exemplifying the great promise GMOs have on the future (Alternet). More research is being done at the University of Freiberg in Germany to create a strain of rice, nicknamed the golden rice, to hold a higher nutritional value for consumers. Rice is the responsible for around 25% of human energy globally per capita (Rice facts). This essential food is a large part of the world’s main source of nutrition, and Dr. Peter Beyer has created a strain of rice that could improve the lives of millions. The golden rice strain holds DNA from daffodils and a few viruses allowing it to possess the ability to produce beta-carotene (Grain of Hope). Beta-carotene is a protein that the human body breaks down into vitamin A, a vitamin that nearly a million children die every year from due to a lacking of it in their

arelden rice is said to be the cure for this problem for the many people who depend on rice for its major food. This rice is said to prevent death and blindness. The development of golden rice was, it seemed compelling and inspiring evidence that genetically modified crops were the answer to malnutrition on hunger. All the companies that deal with do with genetically modified foods spent millions on ads and marketing campaigns. Within a few months the biotech industry has spent far more money on ads than on actually developing golden rice. These companies only care about publicity and getting people to believe that genetically modified foods are the answer rather than ending world hunger. Notwithstanding, we have learned that the golden rice that was supposed to help millions of kids who die every year can not grow in the kinds of soil it must to be of value to help with the hunger. To grow properly, it requires heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides, these are expensive and unaffordable for the people that need it the most. It also needs plenty of water, which might not be capable in places that need it and where farmers cannot afford irrigation. If they actually wanted to help they would have given them the millions of dollars they spent on ads to them to spend of

According to Peter Singer, professor at Princeton University, approximately 250,000 to 500,000 pre-school children every year fall victim to blindness. About 50 percent of them die within the following year from the deficiency (n. pag). The conclusion illustrates that β-carotene is tied for the most effective method for children to get vitamin A. A 100 g bowl of rice is approximately equal to 1/2 US cup in volume, and a serving of rice is equal to one US cup; therefore, a full serving of golden rice gives children approximately 120% of their daily nutrient requirement. As golden rice continues to be grown more commonly, vitamin A deficiency decreases in commonality because golden rice provides the necessary amounts of vitamin A. Considering vitamin A deficiency is a major cause of childhood blindness, the growth of golden rice drastically decreases the number of children going blind and dying from vitamin A deficiency. Well over one billion people live in China, and they have a significant difficulty feeding the country. Rice is a thoroughly cost-effective way of feeding a population, and golden rice is an efficient way of providing vitamin A to China and western African countries who already depend on rice as a staple. China has a significantly brighter future because their future workforce is now healthier through the consumption of golden rice.

Rice is now being able to be produced in any environment, including deserts to be able to feed millions of people. Some companies try to bring down the cost of rice by creating artificial rice. They do this by using broken grains of rice and embedding corn or soy products to them. They then polish the rice and add extra vitamins just as any other rice company.

“White basmati rice from California, India, and Pakistan, and sushi rice from the U.S. on average has half of the inorganic

"Golden Rice" has been developed by scientists to combat vitamin A deficiency, which affects millions of children in the developing worlds. However, as a precautionary means, the crop was offered to the authorities for a safety evaluation which was interrupted when a group of around 400 protestors attacked the field trial in the Bicol region and uprooted all the GM plants. The project, initially started 20 years ago by German researchers with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, relied on modifying the rice through the addition of additional genes that produce beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A in the digestive process. Vitamin A deficiency is a significant problem in developing countries, which is why golden rice provides such an attractive solution to prevent unnecessary defects and death, especially among younger populations. Yet, farmers from the Philippines are avidly rejecting this crop option because of fears of damage it may cause, while also arguing that they have other solutions for the Vitamin A deficiency problem. However, the “Allow Golden Rice Now!” campaign is led by Dr. Patrick Moore, and aims to convince government officials and the Filipino people to accept Golden Rice as a nutritional and needed addition to their daily diet, with an emphasis on GM rice serving as a much needed golden bullet.

* Debido a que los compuestos de origen natural no pueden ser patentados, es crítico para el negocio desarrollar un proceso productivo del medicamento que sí pueda serlo. De esta manera, es posible blindar la innovación de Rice-Active ante sus competidores y mantener una ventaja competitiva sobre éstos.