Genetically Modified Foods: Bad For Humans And The Economy

Over the years there has been a rapid increase of foods that are genetically modified being sold to us throughout the U.S. Genetically modified foods contain organisms that have had DNA from a non-related species transferred into their genes via biotechnology to permeate them with specific traits. And doing so these foods should not be sold. Crops that are genetically modified such as corn, soybeans, and tomatoes are toxic for the environment. Also, the health consequences of eating genetically modified organisms are largely unknown. And, genetic engineering creates dangerous side effects.

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.

Whether Americans realize it or not, most of them consume genetically modified organisms every time they eat a snack or a meal. According to Robin Mather’s article “The Threats from Genetically Modified Foods”, “you’re eating genetically modified foods almost daily unless you grow all of the food or always buy organic” (Mather). This can be a scary thought for those who know about the numerous effects of GMOs or those who didn’t know what was in the food they’ve been ingesting for years. When Nielsen selected 1,200 Americans for a survey on GMOs for The Wall Street Journal, “61% of consumers had heard of GMOs and nearly half of those people said they avoid eating them” (Gasparro). The only difficulty with avoiding genetically modified organisms is that they make up approximately eighty percent of the ingredients used in processed foods that put together most of the regular American diet (Gasparro). The reason that genetically modified organisms are in most processed foods is because most processed foods contain corn or high fructose corn syrup that comes from genetically modified corn plants. Of all the corn, soybeans, sugar beet, and canola crops grown in the United States, over ninety percent of those crops are grown from genetically altered seeds (Gasparro). Ever since 1996, when genetically modified plants were first commercially grown for the public, the use of genetically modified seeds has been on a sharp increase (Charman). Although the use of genetically modified

Genetically modified crops are harmful to humans and the environment and shouldn't be used. Agriculture should proceed in harmony with nature and nature only. That is why some people have decided to buy organically grown food. From their experiences with organic food, they believe that the organic system can be economically practical. This system also provides a wide range of environmental and social benefits, and most importantly, it enables consumers to make a choice about the food they eat. According to Diana Brander, an American biology teacher, we should have the choice of the type of food we eat.

In the past decade genetically modified foods have been have made a world of stir about whether these foods are beneficial to our society or if they are actually hurtful.There is plenty information that is available to help support both sides of the issue but for every positive thing there is also a negative consequence.With genetically-modified foods being a trendy topic and being like all great debates it has its prons and cons, so it all comes down to whether the good will supercede the bad, or vice versa.

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.

Genetically modifying food has caused many controversy around the world for the way foods are modified. Most of the food we eat are canned, fresh, and ready to be eaten. Most of the food has also been genetically modified. Although modifying food has been used for many years, many countries have not adapted or want to genetically modify their foods. Genetically modifying food is a good and bad thing but there will always be different opinions about genetically modifying food, but one thing is for sure, genetically modifying food will increase more and more.

1 Genetically modified foods are everywhere. They are in the form of breakfast cereals, Cheese, tinned vegetables, bread, savoury snacks, meat products, "convenience foods", drinks. Like I said, they are all around us. We are eating them every day. Sure there are advantages like seedless fruits and vegetables and orange carrots, but those are good for us and are really nice for our economy.

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.

A world where all your food was flavorful and healthy, big and ripe. No more shortage of food or worries about processed food, a utopia for food. But, a Utopia is only a fantasy, a fantasy is not reality. Genetically modified (GM) foods is starting to become more and more of a reality. But, with that reality comes the choice of should it be done; even though genetically modified food has positive effects, there are also negative effects that cannot be overlooked, such as cost, also the negative effects to the ecosystem, and insufficient testing.

There has been no long-term testing for genetically modified food and what it does to our bodies. Just by looking at what it does to animals we can guess what it is capable of doing to us when we ingest it. Since the major use of GMOs started there has been an increase in the disease of animals. According to The American Academy of Environmental Medicine, this includes organ damage, immune system failure, faster aging, infertility, and so much more. Genetic modification can also decrease the nutritional value of our food. "In chickens, Good Housekeeping reports that this can increase the fat content of the meat consumed by over 220%." (13 Advantages and Disadvantages of Genetic

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

There is just not enough evidence available to consider genetically modified foods healthy and safe for people to eat. A study published in the Internal Journal of Biological Sciences stated that, “For the first time in the world, we’ve proven that GMO are neither sufficiently healthy nor proper to be commercialized. [...] Each time, for all three GMOs, the kidneys and liver, which are the main organs that react to a

Have you ever wondered what was in the food you eat? There are GMOs or genetically modified organisms that is in some of the foods you eat. “GE foods is usually made from organisms that are usually crop plants. GE foods have had genes from other plants or animals inserted into their genetic codes. Scientist change the genetic material and helps farmers, food manufacturers, consumers, or the environment."(Fernandez). Genetically Modified Foods are harmful to society because they cause allergic reactions, are mislabeled, and lack the testing.

In the modern world, more and more people start pay attention to own healthy problem. Eating is important basic of life. According to recently survey, the 60 percent of food is Genetically Modified Organism in the USA market. Eating Genetically modified organism food may cause our bodies to be disorder for the immune system and cause contaminate for environmental.