Genetically Modified Organisms : Do You Really Know What You Are Eating?

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.

In 2004, Jeffrey Smith wrote an article about genetically modified (GM) foods and their effects on human behavior especially on the behavioral growth of children. He claims that GM foods lead to aggressive and violent behavior among children and hence, should be banned from schools. He supported his claim with the findings from two experiments - one was conducted by the students of 2nd grade and the other experiment was conducted by one student in Holland. Both experiments were conducted on two groups of mice – where one group was fed processed junk food and the other group was fed nutritious whole food. Results of two experiments indicated aggressive and violent behaviors among mice who were fed processed junk food. Consequently, author held GM foods, which are present in processed foods in the form of corn and soy, responsible for the aggressive and violent behaviors among mice. I do think that Smith has failed to provide sufficient evidence to support his claim. He has reached a significantly strong conclusion based on only two experiments. My understanding of the subject is entirely different than what Mr. Smith has portrayed; henceforth, I don’t agree with him and intend to rebut his claim. Till present, no study has established coherently that GM foods lead to violent or aggressive behavior among children or among humans for that matter. In fact, GM foods have been associated with many benefits, which shall be discussed throughout this paper. In short, GM foods do

Most people in the United States don't realize that they've been eating genetically engineered foods since the mid-1990s. More than 60 percent of all processed foods on U.S. supermarket shelves—including pizza, chips, cookies, ice cream, salad dressing, corn syrup, and baking powder—contain ingredients from engineered soybeans, corn, or

Genetically engineered has foreign genes inserted into their genetic code. In 1973 the idea of a man made DNA or rDNA came from Stanford University from a grad student. Also Professor Herbert Boyer and some of his biologist friends decided to try it. 75 percent of our processed food that U.S. produce contain some genetically modified ingredients. Some of this are crackers, breakfast cereal, and some cooking oils. Mostly everything that contains soy or corn even high fructose corn syrup have at least been genetically modified. Some of the most common type of genetically modified foods are Corn, soy, yellow crookneck squash, zucchini, alfalfa, canola, sugar beets, cotton, and Hawaiian papaya. The food and drug administration regulates labeling of genetically modified food. So some people have concern about not labeling the genetically engineered food. They are concerned because what if a genetic of peanut is inserted into a tomato and a person who is allergic to peanut eats it. Does that make the person eating the tomato also allergic to that tomato would he be able to eat it. Expert say that about 60 to 70 percent of the genetically engineered food that are in the United State grocery shelf. In a survey nearly 9 out of 10 scientist from the American Association for the advance of science say genetically modified food are generally safe to eat. Today they are at least twenty six countries that partially or totally banned genetically modified food. Some of them are China,

For instance, genetically modified crops, have created an epidemic of herbicide-immune plants, and insects that aren’t killed off by herbicide (Koba). This results in an excess use of herbicide, and “the major herbicide, glyphosate, is found inside the GM plants we eat, leading to its detection in people.” (Perlman). And recently, an international agency, declared glyphosate as highly carcinogenic (Perlman). A carcinogen product, means it has a potential to give the consumer cancer. Herbicides are known to damage “crop plants, especially if too large a dose is used… [also it] changes the habitat of animals such as mammals and birds”

Nina Fedoroff’s and Nancy Marie Brown’s Mendel in the Kitchen: A Scientist’s View of Genetically Modified Foods is a rich narrative describing the history, technology, and science of genetically modified foods and their implications for society today. Along the way, Fedoroff and co-author Brown use illustrative examples to dispel myths and misunderstandings about genetically modified foods. Even those initially unfamiliar with genetically modified foods will leave with a broad yet solid grasp of these complex biological concepts. Fedoroff and Brown use clear and concise language; combined with helpful illustrations, even the most difficult topics (particularly those related to genetics) discussed in the book were made accessible to the general public. Ultimately, Fedoroff argues that the real problem is the general lack of understanding amongst the public about what exactly this plant biotechnology is, causing unwarranted fear and mistrust of genetically modified foods. Genetically modified foods are beneficial to society as a whole and safe for us to consume, and Fedoroff asserts that it is time we embrace these GMOs through Mendel in the Kitchen.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines GMOs as an organism whose DNA has been altered in a non-natural way. GM plants are usually changed to be insect resistant, virus resistant, or herbicide tolerant. Monsanto is a huge factor in the production of genetically modified organisms, or more commonly known as GMOs. GMOs have been studied and there is proof showing they are harmful to humans, animals, and the environment. Big businesses like Monsanto are taking over and basically producing a monopoly over the agriculture industry; running small, “mom and pop” farms out of business. GMOs should be banned because they have little benefits and the corporation is only looking out for the good of themselves.

The human race is not the only species who is suffering from these technologies. Animals are also being modified to a dangerous point. If you look at our poultry industry in America, you can see that more and more farmers are straying away from organic practices and using GMO elements because of cost and production benefits. This however is leading to animal cruelty situations and unhealthy consequences. According to research, the consumption of poultry meat and eggs has increased from 85 million tonnes to 117 million tonnes in only 8 years (Executive Guide to World Poultry Trends, 2001). We can see that this obvious increase in consumption has led to the use of genetic modification to increase poultry weight and egg production to meet the demands of the industry.

People from around the world, different ages and ethnicity, no matter of their social status, want to be healthy. Being healthy means being happy. The main ingredient for a wellness recipe starts from the foods and drinks that people consume every single day of their lives. Yet, not all the food can be assumed as a source of energy for peoples ' healthfulness. Nowadays, scientific progression experiments have made a revolutionary step into an unbelievable and kind of nitty-gritty discovery, which was released to the public as Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). Although, the basic information and the description of what GMOs are and what the specificity of it is, was not accompanied with the mass-presented GMOs food. According to a book, Genes on the Menu: Facts for Knowledge-Bases Decisions written by author Paul Pechan, the basic facts and introduction of GMOs was described. Pechan stated, "A genetic engineering procedure where a gene from one, sometimes unrelated, organism is transferred to another…", which is how Genetically Modified Organisms occurred in the actual world (3). Along with this statement, it was specified that by making such modifications, it "…can give a plant a new property, like resistance to insects or virus attack and tolerance to herbicides" and that was a particularity of GMO crops (Pechan 3). Although GMOs crops were extensively released for public use, people have to know and be informed of what the hidden truth is behind the GMOs. The

It is proven that when you genetically modify anything those genes become less diverse. When genes become less diverse they can all be susceptible to a certain thing. Say a drought comes along. This drought is very long and rough. Instead of all the plants dying at the same time some that were not genetically modified may be able to survive longer. Even though some plants may not come as we would like, we simply cannot go for this all-or-none plan GMO industries have going on. Genetically engineered crops have shown no increase in yield and no decrease in pesticide use (Tady). Pesticides are as poisonous as they sound, they are being eaten every day and run into our local waterways. Big companies care more about their money than what we put into our bodies. (Tady). The more we let companies take advantage of us they less they care about what goes into their products. It’s all about the

Did you know that 95% of the nation 's sugar beets, 94% of soybeans, 90% of the cotton and 88% of feed corn today are genetically engineered. According to the Institute for Responsible technology, Genetically Modified Organisms are the result of a laboratory process where genes from the DNA of one species are extracted and artificially forced into the genes of an unrelated plant or animal. Today in the United States there are seven major genetically altered crops including Maize, Soybean, Cotton, Canola, Sugarbeet, Alfalfa, Papaya, and Squash. GMO’s came along by farmers having flaws with a crop, like if a tomato had a beetle every year and the farmer was spending large amounts of money on pesticides every year. Then a biotechnology company comes out with a tomato that produces its own natural pesticide, you would be nuts to continue in the old ways.

When it comes to issues as complicated and important as our world food supply and the eminent danger of cancer in our society, everyone seems to have an opinion on different solutions to these problems. While this is completely fine, some will not fully look into the subject areas before they form their own opinions. When people fail to explore all the areas of a certain subject, and are only exposed to one possibly flawed source, their opinion could be unsupported, and therefore inaccurate. A certain study regarding cancerous mice found that a mouse eating genetically altered food sources could later develop cancerous tumors. These foods were made through the process of replicating and removing certain genes from the plant in order to improve both their yield and survivability. This process is called genetic modification, hence why the products are called GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms).The group leading this experiment then offered it to the public as proof that GMOs were carcinogenic.While this can make for a catchy headline, it does not mean it is true. Most people however, would see this and immediately factor it into their opinion on whether GMOs are the proper solution to solve our world hunger problem. L.Z.B. Touyz points out in his paper that this experiment is flawed and therefore inconsequential. Even though he offers thorough proof that their experiment was flawed, more people will still know about the experiment and their claim, than the number of people

People hold a very intimate relationship with food, whether it be for nourishment, a peace offering, trade, part of a religious practice, to provide a sense of community, or to satisfy a personal need. Its meanings are rooted deep within and are the foundations of many cultures. There was a time when humans were very connected to the food they ate. Not only did they know its origins, but they ate what was needed for survival. They were as much a part of earth as any other animal, although they had an intelligence to understand,

I am a food lover. I live to taste new food items, try new recipes, and experience the wonder of food. For me, ingredients are more than just a step in the process. Ingredients need to be of quality and need to be as fresh as possible. They are the difference between a mind altering eating experience and a boring or even distasteful meal experience. With that being said; we have now engineered food to stay more fresh, longer and offer people with food allergies the ability to have things they once could not. Genetically modified foods may even offer enhanced nutrients in foods that may not normally contain a

Genetic engineering (GE) is the process of modifying organisms, usually to perfect them in some way. This process involves the changing of gene sequences in an organism by inserting different genes from two or more species into the chromosome of the organism being modified (Genetically Modified Food). GE is used in a wide variety of organisms including plants, animals, and, crops. The purpose of using these techniques in crops is to improve the quality of them. GE can yield multiple benefits such as increasing the rate at which crops grow, helping crops to grow to larger sizes, making them sweeter, and even adding nutrients to certain crops which do not occur naturally within these crops. Because of these benefits, many people believe