Genetically Modified Organisms And The Food

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

The human population is growing rapidly. With the growth in the human population, the demand for food is also growing at an unprecedented rate. Arguably, farms are unable to naturally provide the world’s population the food needed by natural means. This may seem like a big issue, but humans came up with an ingenious solution: genetically modified organisms, commonly known as GMO’s. Genetically modified food has been able to offset the worlds growing demand for food, and all our food problems seem to be solved. Or have they? I will use information from: Wendell Berry’s, The Pleasures of Eating, Jon Entine and JoAnna Wendel’s, 2000+ reasons Why GMO’s Are Safe to Eat, Robin Mather’s, The Threats from Genetically Modified Foods, along with references from Food Inc., to explain how genetically modified food is being used in a way that negatively affects the livestock, our health, the ecosystem, and the potential threats genetically modified crops have on our future.

Throughout my time enrolled in this course, I have learned many valuable lessons. However, the most important lesson that I have learned is how to be a better writer. By completing the various assignments in this course, particularly the substantiation assignment, I have learned how to better explain my opinions as well as support them. However,

What is it that we are eating? GMO’s are unnatural. Is it healthy to eat something that doesn’t belong in our digestive system? GMO’s are genetically modified food. Genetically modified foods are created by taking genes from plants and animals and inserting into our food to alter the genetic engineering. In 1984, GMO’s were first introduced when a plant was modified from antibiotic resistant tobacco. In 1994, genetically modifying food was approved by the FDA and the first GMO food, Flavr-Savr tomatoes, was released into marketing. (A history of GM) They became an issue since the beginning, creating many health problems. Genetically modifying foods should not be allowed in America because it’s unhealthy, it decreases in nutritional value, antibiotic resistance, and has shown increases in food allergy and toxicity.

The lack of food plant diversity eventually led to multiple problems, like the mass destruction of crops that had contracted disease or succumbed to pesticide-resistant insects, chemically saturated and overly watered soils, and an inevitable decline in production yields (Pringle). Obviously, the United States needed to find a solution to this problem. By the late 1900s, many scientists and biotechnologists approved and advocated genetic engineering as the most viable solution. This process is best described by Lauren and Robin Ticciati in their book, Genetically Modified Foods: Are They Safe? You Decide. According to the Ticciati’s, scientists planned to take a gene from one completely different organism and insert it into the plant in order to make it yield a desired outcome (Ticciati). The goal was to create food plants that could grow and withstand harsh conditions like pesticides, infertile soil, unfavorable climates, and geographical locations. Despite wariness from skeptical environmentalists about the unknown future effects of genetic food engineering, the companies who profit from this new food technology proclaimed it to be the wave of the future. As the Ticciati’s evidenced, in 1996, when the FDA approved the use of genetically engineered foods with no special label requirements, the GM foods were introduced on grocery market shelves with relatively no consumer awareness. This is just another example of how society is not clueless by choice. If

Genetically Modified Foods (GMOs) are known to cause a swarm of controversy; a lot of experts disagree with the notion that if it’s economically successful, then the potential health risks found in Genetically Modified Foods can be overlooked.

“Currently, up to 92% of U.S. corn is genetically engineered (GE), as are 94% of soybeans and 94% of cotton (cottonseed oil is often used in food products). It has been estimated that upwards of 75% of processed foods on supermarket shelves – from soda to soup, crackers to condiments – contain genetically engineered ingredients” (About GE Foods). This includes cereal, bread, alfalfa, corn, soy, aspartame, papayas, pizza, dairy products and a lot more processed genetically engineered foods. Since there are no laws which state these ingredients must be labeled as genetically modified, consumers who buy the product are unlikely to know that they are consuming genetically modified ingredients. Crops, like soybean, cotton, corn and other products that are genetically engineered build up resistance to herbicides. An herbicide is a chemical that kills unwanted weeds. The weeds then become immune to that herbicide and create superweeds, the same way antibiotics create supergerms. This means that commercial farmers have to use even more toxic herbicides on their crops. The whole process repeats

Ever wondered what has been put into everyday food and what the impact is on human health? Approximately 60-80 % of everyday food has one ingredient made from genetically modified foods. When hearing “genetically modified food” people automatically think it is only bad for health, but there is also a good impact surprisingly. The one bad thing is that people do not know what types food have been modified because there are no labels for GMO products. Even though GMOs have a bad impact on human health, it also has a good impact.

Genetically Modified Foods are the newly developed epidemic of the 21st century. Through a multitude of hurdled obstacles of putting G.M.O’s into production, they are said to have aided world hunger, production costs, and the economy. However, the question of the level of safety comes into play when analyzing the long term and short term effects on the human body and environment. Although the United States has frugal laws regarding the labeling and production of G.M.O’s, a majority of other countries forbid the extensive production and require accurate labeling. Dating back to the beginning of the creation of the altercation of genes, many Americans supported the idea of disproving Thomas Malthus’s theory of population regarding food shortage. G.M.O’s are utilized across the nation by a multitude of American families to date. Although, as people begin to recognize the unverified, seamless effects of Genetically Modified Foods and due to a rise in health concern, many Americans and foreign nations are beginning to make the transition to a healthier lifestyle; organic and non- G.M.O.

“70 percent of our corn farmland and 93 percent of soy farmland are planted with crops genetically engineered to resist pests and herbicides and increase crop yields. 60% of all the processed foods in the United States are genetically modified; a shocking statistic has the concern of many Americans. However, most people are uninformed about the beneficial impact that genetically modified food has on their diet. GM is the use of molecular biology technology to modify the inherited structure of organisms. Genetically engineered crops increase nutrients, drought tolerance, provide more food for growing populations, and resists diseases and pesticides. Genetically engineered foods are crucial to the improvement of economy, agriculture, society, and health choices. The creation of GM foods was one of the most significant breakthroughs in food industry. Genetically modifying foods is a key component that is harmless for the enrichment of our foods.

Genetically Modified Organism’s were introduced back in the 1990’s; however, scientists first discovered that DNA could be transferred from one organism to another back in 1946 (Bawa and Anilakumar, 2013). It consists of organisms in which their genes have been altered. Whether it’s an animal or a plant, nothing is perfect; desired traits are scattered all around so scientists are now able to retrieve the DNA from one living organism, virus, or bacteria and transfer it to another. About 90% of crops in America have been genetically modified and about 65% of processed foods sitting on the shelves of our local grocery store have been genetically modified, as well. Farmers have been genetically modifying their crops to improve them by increasing their nutritional value, increasing their life span, and decreasing how prone they are to insects (Schneider, Schneider, & Richardson, 2014). Many US citizens consume genetically modified foods every day including: fruits, veggies, oils, sugars, cheeses, potatoes and many, many more. In 1994, the Flavr Savr tomato was the first commercial food product to be developed from gene splicing, and sold; they genetically modified it to keep the fruit from ripening (Schneider, Schneider, & Richardson, 2014). Genetically modified foods remain firm and fresh for much longer than natural, untouched crops and foods. Genetically modified foods don’t just contain genes from other foods, they contain genes from

Imagine sitting at a table enjoying a meal at your favorite restaurant. Have you ever thought about where your meal came from and how it came to be from the very beginning? What if you were told that the salad you are eating or the meat you bought in the grocery store yesterday had been sprayed with chemicals? That doesn 't sound too appetizing. Many people have heard of farmers adding chemicals to plants and meats to make them grow faster, better, and in higher yields at lower prices. Genetically modified foods have been a topic of interest in the West for a while. Word has spread about how these genetically modified foods have some tie to our health and the health of the environment making Westerners skeptical of those foods. Society is heavily dependent on genetically modified foods to keep businesses growing and selling. At the same time, this need for an abundance of cheaper food causes harm to animals creating even more controversy.

Genetically modified organisms has affected 50% of children in the United States to suffer chronic diseases, and 21% of children to have developmental disorders. This epidemic stems from the fact that GMOs cause damage to nature and humanity by destroying ecosystems, by being toxic when eaten, and by spreading its genes to organisms that has not yet been modified genetically.

Food is one of the essentials in our lives to nourish and protect our bodies. As one of the most natural things on earth, we often forget how our meals are made, where they come from, and what is contained in them. We go about our days purchasing food from grocery stores, and restaurants without a second thought of how these foods have been created—we assume that what we eat is natural, and a healthy. However, what if we are ingesting things that are actually causing harm to our health without even realizing it? This question is becoming alarmingly more frequent as Genetically Modified Organisms are becoming more and more prevalent in our foods. The

There exists a debate over the use of genetically modified organisms to replace conventional food production techniques and the safety of the foods produced. In 2014, the Pew Research Center conducted a survey of the general public and reported that out of a survey of 2,000 individuals 57% of individuals believed it unsafe to consume genetically modified foods, 25% considered it safe, and 6% either did not know or did not answer (Funk and Rainie). In sharp contrast to this statistic, when asked the same question, 88% of 3,748 scientists from the American Association for the Advancement of Science considered genetically modified foods to be safe (Funk and Rainie). This difference in percentages can be considered alarming, but also understandable. Genetically modified organism or genetically engineered are relatively new terms to come to the dinner table. In a world where hunter-gatherers, farmers, and agricultural interests have been the backbone of the development of most civilizations, it is not unfounded to be concerned when biotechnology steps onto the playing field. As aforementioned, genetically engineered crops became available for farmers in 1996, just 20 years ago (Fernandez-Cornejo, et al.). According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the majority of these seeds were engineered with the purpose of providing farmers with a solution to pest management, with the advent of herbicide-tolerant seeds as well as seeds with traits allowing the plant to produce