Genetically Modified Organisms And Organic Organisms Essay

Genetic modified organisms, or GMOs, are living organisms that, through the genetic engineering process, have been altered to withstand certain chemicals and increase the nutritional value of the product. In fact, the majority of the foods found at the grocery store are genetically altered. Genetic modification is becoming increasingly popular on farms throughout the United States and moving into other parts of the world due to their increasing yield capabilities and pest and weed control. However, this has been, and continues to be, an extremely controversial topic of discussion in the world of agriculture and biotechnology, as well as health food critics, because of potential environmental and health risks.

GMO’s or Genetically Modified Food is one of the most controversial topics that have been studied and debated for over 40 years. Scientists on both sides of the spectrum claim that these modified foods are safe for consumption, but also some argue that these foods are toxic and very harmful to human life. GMO’s are genetically modified organisms that are created and added in a lab experiment where DNA are extracted from one gene and added to another plant or animal. This allows the genes to mix with the DNA to create a desired product. For example, bigger apples, larger oranges, taller animals, and plants that can survive the changing climate. GMOs are different from organic food and products because chemicals and DNA modification is not needed for these natural stuff.

The concept of intentionally altering an organism’s DNA in order to produce genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has been critically analyzed by both science and the mainstream media in the last decade. However, the genetic modification of organisms is not a recent innovation as humans have been modifying organisms for over 30 000 years (Rangel, 2015). Back then, breeding through artificial selection was the most prominent method of genetic engineering. Organisms with the most desirable traits would be bred together in order to create a new generation of superior organisms. Throughout the centuries, the developments in science and technology have resulted in new methods of genetic engineering. Now, genomes can be spliced in order to insert or remove genes. It has essentially come down to a copy and paste process with genes from animals being inserted into plants as the common practice.

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.

GMO’s stand for “genetically modified organism” (Google). They are foods that we encounter almost every day. “Although nine out of ten scientists from the American Association for the Advancement of Science say GMOs are "generally safe" to eat” (fact about GMO’s). That still doesn’t mean that they are good for us. Genetically modified foods were created with the intention to improve overall quality of life. However, they are associated with various environmental, health, and economic risks that render them to be more harmful than helpful.

Recently, there has been a huge uprise in reports from all over the world of new diseases that have affected much of the population today. Diseases such as obesity, Alzheimer’s, Celiac Disease, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and so much more have been on the rise. Researchers have suspected the culprit of these diseases to be our food. Along with the diseases, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) has also been on the rise. The more poor food we eat, the greater the potential harm to our health. One of the poor foods we consume is GMO: the altering of genes in food to produce desirable effects. These effects can range from an improvement in nutritional value, texture, flavor, and a longer shelf life. These

With such a controversial topic as it is currently, the debate of genetically modified food and organisms is one that comes up often when talking about our environment and the preservation of our food. Many arguments have been made for each side either justifying or condemning the practice. However GMOs (Genetically modified organisms) are more deeply rooted to our food ecosystem than the average person is lead to believe. There is a miasma of misconceptions surrounding this topic and having proper knowledge of this topic and debate is crucial for anybody to form a perspective on what they eat and how it affects the society and environment around them. The more conventional

The argument of whether or not people should eat GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) or organic foods has been a debate for a long time. Organic food benefits health far more than genetically modified food that contains pesticides and animals that are raised on antibiotics growth hormones. Non-GMO foods are also safer for the environment in many ways: it conserves water, reduces soil erosion, increases soil fertility, reduces pollution, uses less energy, and does not affect the animals that live close to farms or graze on the farm like birds and chickens (Robinson). Yet GMO’s are beneficial society as food is produced in abundance and due to herbicides plant epidemics are not as common as they use to be. There are both positives and negatives to both sides of the argument, but there is common ground to be reached and identified.

Many people today are often amazed by the amount of nutrition and health information required for humans. The constant stream of genetic modification of food can be confusing. Genetically modified (GM) foods are plants and animals that have had their genetic makeup artificially altered by scientists to make them grow faster, taste better, last longer and to provide more nutrients. Scientists make these alternations by transferring genes from one organism into another in order to change the condition or character of the receiving organism. This process is known as biotechnology or genetic engineering (GE), and it has revolutionized the way that agriculture is practiced in many parts of the world. Researchers are now able to use GE

This paper begins by providing key information and terms to provide a basic understanding of concepts between organic foods and genetically engineered foods, often known as genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Any organism or microorganism which is genetically engineered is referred to as a GMO. In today’s modern world, scientists are most commonly using this technology in agriculture to pinpoint genes, isolate them, and then manipulating these genes to create crops with predetermined traits. This type of engineering in plant-based foods, stems from a desire to create foods which do not occur organically in nature. The term “organic foods”, directly describes

Having considered the potential impacts Monsanto’s GM crops contain on biodiversity, the company also diminishes aspects of food sovereignty due to the issues that modified organisms pose on human health. Since food sovereignty is associated with allowing for individuals to have control over the way food is produced and consumed, agriculture supporting modified organisms does not allow for this because there are potential impacts that transgenic crops may cause a resistance to antibiotics. When food is genetically modified, genes are added into these crops and antibiotic resistance gene markers are among these genes that are added. (Altieri , 2004). According to Altieri (2004)” Data on the safety of these are scare despite the fact that DNA does not always fully break down in the alimentary tract. Gut bacteria can take up gene and GM plasmids, and this opens up the possibility of the spread of antibiotic resistance. (p. 30). If the gene marker of antibiotic resistance is spread to humans when they consume GM foods, this will cause serious health implications. The GM food will make the bodies of humans resistant against antibiotics and this poses a threat to individuals that need antibiotics in order to fight certain diseases in their bodies. An example of a genetically modified crop that contained an antibiotic resistance gene was a Bt corn from Novartis. The crop contained an ampicillin resistance gene, which made many European countries refuse the growth of the Novartis

GMO, genetically modified organisms, are organisms that are used for food sources and are manipulated by biotechnology, most often by gene transfer (Ahmed, 2002). Most agricultural food sources such as fruits, vegetables, or any other mass-produced crops are known examples of GMO (Owens, 2000). Many question the ethics or reasoning behind the production of GMOs due to its interference with naturally bound events but biotechnological gene transfer is vastly beneficial because it leads to: multiplication of crop yields, more affordable food sources, food security, and resistance to pests and harmful diseases (Phillips, 2004). Benefits of GMO are inevitable and are beneficial to almost everyone, but precautions are made to routinely regulate GMOs due to possible health complications (Weiss, 2014).

The secretary of Agriculture, Dan Glickman, once said “The organic label is a marketing tool it is not a statement about food safety. Nor is ‘organic’ a value judgment about nutrition or quality.” While the greatest feature for stores is to have their very own marketing gimmick, the gimmick being their products are non-genetically modified. Many experiments and tests have been conducted over genetically modified organisms and the answer they keep coming up with is “there is no good evidence that genetic modified itself causes foods to become unhealthy or toxic”, according to Authority of Nutrition. This statement alone takes the marketing gimmicks used against GMO foods down a peg. For years humans have eaten genetically modified foods and have

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.

According to the World Health Organization (2014. 1), "Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be defined as organisms (i.e. plants, animals or microorganisms) in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination. The technology is often called 'modern biotechnology ' or 'gene technology ', sometimes also 'recombinant DNA technology ' or 'genetic engineering '. Foods produced from or using GM organisms are often referred to as GM foods.” Many organic crops farming farmers are against cultivating of GM crops because of the threat to farm land and environment however, biotechnology companies and GM crops growing famer desire to have profit and consumer look for low price. Thus, the debate over the environmental impact of genetically modified GM crops is growing. Although GM crops negatively affects on some organism in environment, they reduce the use of pesticides and increase crop yield.