Genetically Modified Organisms And Its Effects On Human Health

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.

| Monsanto continues to grow with future acquisitions of other companies in the industry (i.e. Asgrow Agronomics, Holden’s Foundation Seeds, Corn States Hybrid Service, and DeKalb Genetics Corp.).- Monsanto expands its production of genetically modified seed products which are herbicide tolerant. These include, “Roundup Ready Canola,” “Roundup Ready Cotton,” and “Roundup Ready Corn.”- Monsanto is also the first company to introduce a dual genetically engineered seed with protection from both insects and herbicides (cotton and corn seeds).

The main reason for which corn is the main crop in America is because it can be easily used for the making of “processed food and hundreds of other products.” Corn has become so convenient, that many factories use it to feed their animals, in order to accelerate their growth. Since it benefits government subsidies, many farmers opt to make a greater profit by changing the way they raise cattle, which also means the amount of animal manure is much greater. Furthermore, since there is “no good way of disposing it,” the grounds are becoming ideal parameters for the breeding of “deadly bacteria,” which brings about the unethical and scientific issues in the industry for these bacteria have found “their way into our food.” Moreover, as confirmed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a corn-based diet can promote Escherichia coli within the “digestive tract of

They did so by adding a strand of the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis into the cotton’s deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)(Genetically Engineered). Monsanto’s most valuable consumer of Bt cotton is China. Even though Bt cotton is expensive, it still has lowered China’s cotton production fees by 14%. Before Bt cotton, Bollworms were capable of eating entire cotton crops, which also affected China’s textile industry. (“Genetically Engineered”). This is only one example of how GMOs can reduce pesticide use, and make crops available to countries who struggle with pests and do not have the monetary capability to purchase pesticide and herbicide.

The main reason for which corn is the main crop in America is because it can be easily used for the making of “processed food and hundreds of other products.” Corn has become so convenient, that many factories use it to feed their animals, in order to accelerate their growth. Since it also benefitted government subsidies, many farmers have opted to make a greater profit by changing the way they raise cattle, which also means the amount of animal manure is much greater. Furthermore, since there is “no good way of disposing of it,” the grounds are becoming ideal parameters for the breeding of “deadly bacteria,” which brings about the ethical and scientific issues in the industry for these bacteria have found “their way into our food.” Moreover, as confirmed by the American Association For The Advancement Of Science, a corn-based diet can promote Escherichia coli within the “digestive tract of

The farmers then give their products to the manufacturers, who represent the bottleneck of the food system (21). “The ten largest companies control half of the world’s seed supply. …Ten firms control 90% of the nearly $38.6 billion pesticide markets (111-112).” Monsanto, being one of the ten companies that controls the world’s seed supply, is a company that has patents on all of its seeds and products. It produces genetically modified crops that are resistant to its own pesticides and herbicides, so that when a pesticide or herbicide is sprayed and it destroys all plants, the Monsanto seed survives because of its resistance. The reason that Monsanto is able to stay in business is because of the economic benefit it poses for the farmers. They are able to produce their crops at a much higher yield because they are losing less of their crops to pests. This higher yield results in lower costs for the consumers as well (Planes). As discussed

Primarily, genetically engineered crops result in countless long-term, detrimental impacts on the environment. As the United States becomes increasingly dependent on such crops for a majority of its food supply, these harmful environmental impacts are becoming evident. Many GMO crops are modified to be herbicide-resistant, such as the Roundup Ready crop, which allows farmers to spray herbicides without causing damage to the plants. While the ridding of weeds increases the level of production for these farmers, their total elimination greatly interferes with the natural interdependency of the ecosystem. One impacted species includes the Monarch butterfly, as its population decline has been directly linked to the use of genetically engineered crops. The weeds being eliminated include the

The idea of changing natural processes to produce an “ideal” crop raises concern amongst environmentalists. Extracting bacteria from soil and inserting it into an entirely different species may appear unethical because of the changing of natural processes. Genetic engineering promotes producing a type of crop that is not susceptible to pests, but carries the risk of decreasing genetic variation (Green Peace). Once a crop is perfected, farmers then mass produce that specific crop, and the different variations of the crop are lost (Green Peace). Another concern regarding the use of the Bt protein is the increased risk of allergies (Smith). The transgenic protein comes from bacteria in the soil, and thus raises the concern of allergic reactions to the corn. Consumers are worried that the cry protein injected into Bt corn could have allergies unknown to them because of the cry protein’s characteristic of an extended digestion time. Consumers are also skeptical that genes of this antibiotic resistance could somehow be introduced to other bacteria in the soil, and possibly infect consumers with this bacteria. A major ethical concern of genetically modified crops, specifically Bt corn, is the lack of knowledge of the long term effects these crops have on humans and other organisms. Consumers are uninformed about the

This implies that the intake of genetically modified food leaves the body in an unnatural state and impedes the body’s natural mechanisms, which therefore endangers the body’s health. Dangerous side effects of excessive consumption of GMO in a diet disrupts the natural state of the body which can range from body toxicity, food allergies, negative reproductive effects, and sometimes even death (6 Negative Side Affects To Eating Genetically Modified Foods, 2010).

However, the use of the GM seeds for food production can quickly render a harmful impact to the user. Lee & Burrell (2002) stated, “Intense concerns about the uncertain health and environmental of GM farming have been the subject of high profile debate. The effects of GM farming on existing forms of agriculture, raised by the prospect of cross-pollination by GM seed, provoke similarly polarized views” It is common that genetic engineering process often takes place by joining different genes of plants together to come up with a whole species of the plant. Unfortunately, this process can easily result in coming up with plants with genes that are harmful to the consumers. Most of the genetically modified food staffs can

Biotech companies including Monsanto do not allow the farmers to reuse seeds from their own crops. These companies have put a patent on these seeds and plants, a patent on actually life. They own the living organism.

Monsanto Company created the first genetically modified (GM) seeds that will not be affected by

The method is often referred to as genetic alteration, and is what people are talking about when they mention GMOs.

people consume modified food, their immune system goes down and they tend to get sick. GMO

Monsanto’s Roundup Ready Soybean (RRS) is a genetically engineered variety of soybeans, which contains gene sequences from a cauliflower mosaic virus (CMV), a petunia, and a bacterium (Agrobacterium sp.) (Greenpeace, 1997). The two bacterial genes, in short, provide for resistance against Roundup, resulting in a crop of soybeans that can be sprayed with Roundup to protect it from weeds, while not injuring it. In 1996, U.S. farmers harvested about 1.2 million acres of Roundup Ready Soybeans, and although this crop represented only about 2 percent of U.S. soybeans, it will be mixed with conventional soybeans – unlabeled – to become part of as much as 60 percent of all processed foods that contain some soy-based ingredient (Bruno, 1997). In the United States, most consumers are likely to have already ingested small amounts of transgenic soy in such common food as margarine, chocolate, baby food, and