GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism. GMOs usually have been altered from another organism such as bacterium, plant, virus, or animals. They are also referred to as “transgenic organisms.” GM seeds are engineered in laboratories to have certain traits such as resistance to herbicides. 75-85% of foods contain GM ingredients. The majority of the country’s corn and soybean crop is now genetically modified. Corn and soybeans are also made into popular processed food ingredients like high fructose corn syrup. Not enough is known about the risks of GMOs. Consumers should have the right to know what’s in their foods and if it is genetically modified (“Genetically Modified”).
In conclusion, GMOs and pesticides are harmful and alarming to producers and consumers. They cause animals pain and harm humans when consumed. Many animals live short and painful lives, while humans now must suffer with long term diseases or damage to their bodies. Although some argue that Genetically modified produce is benefiting producers and consumers, I still argue that genetically modified organisms harm animals and
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.
Many will argue that Genetically Modified Organisms(GMOs) are not safe for human consumption, however they are almost inevitable for our everyday food consumption. Some argue that the recent increase in gluten intolerance is caused by GMO foods (Argument against). Other state that the risk to humans by GMO’s is relatively small (The GMO”). The bottom line is what people put into their bodies is a personal choice and a person should be able to easily tell if a product has been genetically modified or not.
These concerns are about the potential of illnesses GMOs could cause. An article observes, “In the 20-plus years on the market, GMOs have not caused or contributed to a single illness or death” (“GMO Myths Vs. Facts”). There have not been any traces of illnesses after multiple testing of GMO products. Since there are only ten commercially farmed genetically modified crops in the United States, the possibility of people getting a disease from them is rare; especially because three of the crops are mainly for feeding livestock. People have believed multiple problems are linked to GMOs. For instance, “in 2013, the journal food and chemical toxicology retracted a paper linked to herbicide roundup and round up-tolerant GM corn to cancer and premature death in rats… they found researchers had used too few rats… and the results were inconclusive” (Colbert, par. 16). Since the researchers did not have enough evidence, the possibility of the problem being GMOs are
GMOs are Genetically Modified Organisms that are organisms that have had there DNA altered by humans. GMOs are supposed to help problems that are in plants, animals, or even humans. Much of the knowledge we have on GMOs is little to none. That is why we should not using them. Humans and animals could and are dying because of GMOs.
Imagine this, a customer sitting down at a restaurant and ordering their favorite meal. The meal consists of corn, chicken, and a soft drink. All of these foods and drinks have GMOs, but the customer does not know what the repercussions are to themselves. The consumption of GMOs is detrimental to our bodies because of the unintended effects, the immunity to antibiotics, and the harms caused by pesticides.
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.
Thesis Statement: Research suggests that GMO's (genetically modified organisms/products) could be harmful for people and the environment because of their potential to produce new allergens, increase toxicity, decrease nutritional value, and increase bacterial antibiotic resistance.
1. Environmental damage. By growing plants or raising livestock in environmental conditions that normally wouldn’t support them, there is the potential of irrevocably damaging that environment. This is often seen through GMO crossbreeding – weeds, for example, that can be crossed with GMO plants can often become resistant to herbicides, creating the need for more GMO efforts.
According to Jeffrey Smith, this process can cause the organisms to have unknown effects such as toxins, diseases, and nutritional problems (2006). Along with that, the health risks from consuming products containing GMOs are enough to turn people away. According to the American Academy of Environmental Science, “several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food consumption including infertility, immune dysregulation, accelerated aging, dysregulation of genes associated with cholesterol synthesis, insulin regulation, cell signaling, and protein formation, and changes in the liver, kidney, spleen, and gastrointestinal system”(2009). Finding out that GMOs caused all of these issues to animals, people will start to question the safety of the GM food products. This alone can scare the consumers and discourage them from purchasing products containing GMOs. However, that may no longer be a choice
GM foods are in the middle of many controversial issues; primarily these are addressed by conflicts over the relative pros and cons of GM foods. Major biotech companies like ‘Monsanto ' and ‘Cargill ' are promoting GM foods by focusing only on their beneficial aspects, giving least importance to their negative effects on safety, environment and biodiversity. On the other hand, governmental regulators and nongovernmental organizations, along with some scientists, are strictly opposing this type of blind promotion of GM food by enlightening the people on their negative effects The controversies associated with GM foods include issues such as safety, environmental benefits and risks, biodiversity, and ethical and social considerations.GM foods are implicated for adverse human health risks like people being allergic to it, environmental hazards such as development of super weeds, and pesticide and antibiotic resistance in disease causing organisms. On the other
In the past 20 to 30 years, the production of genetically modified food has caused an uproar in the scientific community. Genetically modified food or, GMOs are organisms that have been altered to where its DNA contains one or more genes that did not originate in that specific organism. GMOs were created to help the production of crops and to make food healthier for consumers by adding vitamins and nutrients. While some people believe that GMOs are unsafe and should be banned, I believe that GMOs are extremely beneficial to the agriculture around the world.
Many people around the world ask the question What are Genetically Modified Foods? Well Genetically Modified Foods also known as GMO’s which is an genetically modified organism, it can be a plant, animal, or microorganism, whose makeup has been modified using DNA methods. This creates unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and virus genes that do not occur in natural crossbreeding genes. A recipe or ingredient is classified as high-risk if it uses another source from/of or is produced through a process involving organisms that are known to be modified. High - risk GMO foods are: soy; cotton; sugar beets; corn; animal products; canola and much more. Animal products such as milk, eggs, honey, and meat are also considered as high- risk, because of the GMO’s in their feed they consume.
A Genetically Modified Organism or GMO is an organism whose genome has been altered by the process of genetic engineering so that its DNA contains one or more genes not normally found within. These genetically modified organisms are a relatively new phenomenon in the United States, introduced in 1994. However, beginning in 2014 these chemicals could be found in 90% of corn, cotton, and soybeans produced in the United States. The looks and taste of genetically modified organisms may seem inviting but are the health risks really worth it? In my opinion, I believe that while genetically modified organisms do have positive feel and comfort they pose a large health risk to all who choose to consume them.