Gmo Essay

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.

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

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.

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 can cause environmental damage and health problems for consumers. Anti-GMO organization Center for Food Safety said genetic engineering of plants and animals is, potentially. Lallanilla refers to GMO crops as “Frankenfoods.” The long-term effect of GMOs still remains unknown. They have been linked to toxic allergic reactions, sick, sterile and dead livestock, and damage to virtually every organ studied in lab animals.

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.

It’s been debated many times about GMO’s negative impact on the environment. The introduction of GMO’s has been exposed to many ecosystems throughout world, bringing a wide concern towards the impact of it. “GM crops are commercially available and planted on more than 40 million hectares across six continents” (FAO). “Activists, worried about GMOs being released into the biosphere, have destroyed test plots in at least four continents. (FAO). Another big concern about GMO’s negative impact upon the environment is that the pollen from GM crops, and trees can contaminate nearby crops and wild plants. Varieties of corn in Mexico have been found to have some contamination with in it, along with many others. This can cause many major changes to varieties types of crops out there, not just corn itself. It alters the DNA within the crop causing them to grow differently.

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.

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

GMOs could also have an effect on the environment. Crops are being genetically engineered as "Roundup Ready" so they can withstand massive spraying with the toxic pesticide, doesn’t readily break down in the environment, and ends up in our streams (Kids Right To Know). Stronger pesticides are being used because of new super weeds and super bugs becoming Roundup resistant. GMOs could also be harmful to non-targeted organisms. The pesticides and other farming techniques are life threating towards bees, butterflies, etc.

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

Do you even know GMOs? Genetically Modified Organisms(GMOs) are genetically modified foods. Do you know the effects GMOs can have on your health or to your unborn child? GMOs can a devastating impact on your overall health. GMOs make up most of the American diet, although we as Americans don’t know whether what we are eating is a genetically modified food or not. Therefore, you don’t know if you are putting harmful toxins in your body or not. These toxins can lead to risks such as a food allergy reaction, an infection from antibiotic-resistant germs, and the potential for future generations to become infertile. Due to these risks, GMOs are not safe for consumption.

Like every other product there are also negative effects. Some feel that we need to get rid of GMO’s because of the negative effects. Do you? Most of the harmful effects are to the human consumption. Although there are less pesticide use, are there really healthier for you? Because a the food has been modified you may not get all the nutrition of the plant. Putting a different gene into a plant is risky as well, if that gene becomes damaged during the process the toxic level could alter, making the product toxic to your

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.