Labeling For The Health Of Americans

Monsanto is an American agrochemical corporation which manufactures pesticides and GMO crops. One of the most well recognized herbicides is Monsanto’s Roundup, which contains the carcinogen glyphosate. To prevent from killing the crops when farmers apply Roundup to their fields, Monsanto invented GMO versions of many staple crops such as corn, soybeans, and cotton which resist Roundup. Like the weeds, these GMO crops still absorb glyphosate, however the crops are able to stay alive through changes in their genetic makeup which make them herbicide resistant. The herbicide tolerance of certain crops has been adopted because it, “simplifies weed control to the use of a single herbicide and a flexible and easy management strategy” (Labrada, 2003), as well as decreasing the cost of weed control programs. As a result, Monsanto bought out most small farms and now owns 80% of the U.S. market share of corn and 93% of the U.S. market share of soy, which are then sold to modern food processing. Upwards of 75% of the processed food on American supermarket shelves contain genetically engineered ingredients. Not only are Americans consuming massive amounts of GMOs, which pose a huge health risk themselves, they are also consuming massive amounts of glyphosate, a chemical known to cause cancer and birth defects (Kruger, 2014). If society stopped consuming carcinogens, the cancer epidemic will be

We have been participating in a mass scale biotech agricultural experiment for over twenty years. Since the mid-1990s the U.S population has been consuming Genetically Engineered (GE) foods or foods that contain Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) without having done enough research to assess its long time effects on humans. According to the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA), agency responsible for protecting the public’s health and safety, “genetic engineering is the name given to certain methods that scientists use to introduce new traits or characteristics to organisms.” In other words, scientists modify the structure of plants or animals by removing some of their DNA material; or by inserting that

In the past few years, society has been made more aware of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Because of this, GMOs are being replaced in diets with more natural and organic options. GMOs have been researched and found to cause adverse effects on human health because of the gene splicing, or genetic alterations that are done to create them through genetic engineering. Before this issue became an issue, many people were eating processed and even healthy foods without understanding what chemicals and toxins they were actually putting into their bodies. GMOs are infused into food without awareness because one never really understands what all those unpronounceable words, label GMOs, really are. Due to recent research, it has been found that genetically modified organisms are harmful and can lead to increased risks of disease and cancer.

In the TED Talk “What’s wrong with our food system,” Birke Baehr tells his audience that “genetically engineered food…have been proven to cause cancer,” and that eating genetically engineered food causes “signs of liver and kidney toxicity” and “kidney inflammation and lesions” (Baehr). According to The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, a genetically modified organism (GMO) is an “organism whose genome has been altered by the techniques of genetic engineering so that its DNA contains one or more genes not normally found there” (gmo). The essence of Baehr’s argument is that GMOs are harmful to human health and people need to support local, organic farmers who don’t use GMOs. However, this is something the government or scientific community is trying to ignore. Due to conflict of interest of government officials, government supported scientific agencies have been claiming GMOs are harmless and purposefully disregarding scientific studies that prove harmful effects of GMOs. This is a problem because the government is taking action to support GMOs while consumers are being misinformed. Evidence shows that GMOs “have harmful effects on laboratory animals,” “increased the use of pesticides,” and affect the nutritional value of food (Antoniou). Thus, the government should stop overlooking studies suggesting harmful effects of GMOs, require proper testing on GM crops, and stop supporting biotech companies in order to end the use of genetically modified

Recently, there has been multiple studies regarding whether or not GMOs are safe for human and animal consumption, and the results are extremely negative (“5 Reasons NOT to Eat Genetically Modified Foods”). From these tests, researchers have found birth defects, sterility, organ damage, gastrointestinal disorder, gut rot, new allergies, accelerating aging, infertility and immune system disorder in rats (“Smith”, “5 Reasons NOT to Eat Genetically Modified Foods”). These tests are not only done on rats. Glyphosate, a substance in Roundup, caused “total cell death in human umbilical, embryo, and placental cells within twenty-four hours” (“5 Reasons NOT to Eat Genetically Modified Foods”). Therefore, Genetically Modified Organisms have been proven to be extremely dangerous to our health. Lastly, “After GMOs were introduced in 1966, the percentage of Americans with more than three chronic illnesses went from seven percent to thirteen percent in nine years” (“Smith”). Additionally, “food allergies skyrocketed, and disorders like autism, reproductive disorders, and digestive problems are on the rise” (“Smith”). Genetically Modified Organisms cause extreme damage on our bodies and should be banned.

Genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) are organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating or recombination. According to Jeffrey Smith, a respected authority on GMO’s, in his documentary Genetic Roulette: The Gamble of Our Lives GMO’s could be in as much as 90% of processed food in the United States. Genetic modification (GM), also called genetic engineering (GE), or recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology is the process of taking genes and segments of DNA from one species and putting them into another species. Currently in the U.S. there are no legal

“Between 1996 and 2008, US farmers sprayed an extra 383 million pounds of herbicide on GMOs” (Smith). For more than 20 years GMOs have been produced and placed on store shelves; there are many recognized and uncertain hazards that may affect the health of humans and the environment (Ehrenberg). Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), although they provide many benefits to the economy and food supply, are associated with numerous environmental implications; there is a noticeable increase of food allergies, mental and physical illnesses, and disorders in recent years since the introduction of GMOs. Multiple solutions have been proposed by the public, health professionals and agencies, as well as nonprofit groups, suggesting the labeling of these genetically modified organisms, or increasing the government oversight on GMOs.

Over 88% of the American people want to know if they are consuming food or using products containing Genetically Modified Organisms, GMO, according to the consumer reports organization. GMOs are organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering, or GE, according to the non-GMO project website. (nongmo project, what is a gmo) Scientist insert, delete, or switch the DNA in certain organisms. Those organisms may be able to live longer, speed up the growth process, or withstand herbicides and pesticides. The relentless lobbying and marketing schemes of Monsanto, major U.S. pharmaceutical corporations and food manufacturing companies have been able to defeat

Genetically Modified Organisms, also known as GMOs, is one of the major issues arising in our economy today. GMOs are distinctive organisms in which the genetic material has been altered to improve productivity and the quality of the product. Genetically modified organisms have prominent concerns over their apparent beneficial ways in that they’re resistant to disease, help the epidemic of famine, and improve the nutritional value of foods. Having certain foods in your everyday diet is very substantial in humans to be healthy, and to have the quality of life we deserve. It’s no secret in how GMOs have affected our products worldly. In order to bring this epidemic to a halt we fist have to come to an understanding on how dangerous these organisms can be. Genetically altered crops can lead to serious destruction of not only our environment, but also contaminate our organic crops. Also major companies who work with GMOs intend to monopolize market-foods. To prevent these Genetically Modified organisms, it should be labeled on their products, and so then people can be aware of the danger that comes with these products.

Genetic modification (GM) is a fairly new area of scientific interest in the public eye. Genetically modified food is produced by taking the genes of one organism and inserting it into the genes of another (Thompson 8). GM is often done to increase product yield and to resist drought or insects (“Agricultural Seeds”). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) claim there is no reason for GM foods to be labeled or further research. There is no justification for the proposed bill, House Resolution (H.R.) 1599, which would make it illegal to require Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) labeling (Byrne). H.R. 1599 is also called the DARK act, or “Denying Americans the Right to Know” act. A large part of the American dream has always been based on our ability to make personal decisions. The DARK act and other pro-GMO campaigns are taking that freedom away. We have seen this form of government control throughout American history. It is time to change that aspect of our culture. Consumers have the right to know about their food. Time and time again, we have seen the United States government take away our personal choices.

Therefore, more than sixty countries in the world, such as Australia, Russia, Japan and most of European countries, have published laws and regulations to require food companies and supermarkets to label their products, to give people the right to know about food they choose. Without labeling GMO products, there is no effective way to testify the actual effects on human body. This might be a reason why we barely hear about food safety incidents that directly relate to GMOs. However, it is doubtless that continuously having genetically engineered food can cause nausea, allergies and greater chance of getting cancer. Moreover, widespread use of antibiotic resistant genes in GMOs will largely reduce the effectiveness of antibiotics in the near future. We all know that agriculture is always a significant part of the U.S. economy and U.S has been one of the largest exporter of agricultural products, banning GM foods may not be realistic in the coming future. Why I hold that people need to say “No” to genetically engineered food is not only because I worry about health issues these products may bring, but also on account of environmental problems caused by transgenic engineering. According to an article I read named “10 Problems Genetically Modified Foods Are Already Causing”, in recent decades, biological diversity is threatening by large-scale of GM farming. “GM farms make things worse because not only do they produce a single plant species

In today’s corporate structure, the number one responsibility for many corporations is to bring great returns to their shareholders. The same holds true in agricultural corporations which, leads to the search for any advances which, may increase their profit margin. A large part of agricultural advances that lead to a great financial aspect is genetically modified organisms. Though it increases profit for agricultural corporations and stimulates our economy, our health is at a much greater risk. The GM proponents claim that GMOs provide more nutritional value although, health issues have been proven to increase since the development of genetically modified food. Moving forward, many people are becoming aware of these GMOs in our food and the harmful effects they can have on our health, bringing this awareness to the government.

In 1994, the first commercially presented genetically modified food, the tomato, hit the markets in the United States. These genetically modified tomatoes are known as crops created for humans or animals to consume by using the latest molecular biology techniques. The process of it is very simple. The geneticist will need to find the desired gene in an existing organism first. Then the geneticist will cut out the desired gene, relocate it to the intended plant that will be genetically modified, and paste the desired gene into its genome. As soon as the new gene is introduced to the plant, the plant can be reproduced to make a new strain that will be passing down the gene from this generation to the next generation (Genetic Science Learning Center, par. 9). These genetically modified foods are created by the geneticists who hope that they can enhance the desired traits of the crops, such as increased resistance to pests or to improve the nutritional content. Despite being created for the welfare of the consumers, genetically modified foods are not all accepted by the consumers in the United States. “Monster crops, Mutant Meals, Suicide Seeds, Frankenfoods- these terms are meant to label the genetically modified products as some type of concoction developed by scientists gone berserk.” (Gay 38) People fear that these genetically modified foods are a hazard, for they are not naturally created by nature. As people tried to avoid buying or eating the genetically modified foods,

What if I were to tell you that 80% of all packaged food in the United States contain genetically modified crops. Most of the time you are consuming GMO’s, you likely don’t know you are ingesting them. This is because the United States is one of the few countries that do not require food productions to disclose whether or not their ingredients have modifications. Now the main question being asked of the GM plant topic, is whether or not genetically modified plants should be continued to be produced or eliminated. After reading the plant and human affairs course articles assigned and the movies and films we watched in class, I strongly believe genetically modified plants are doing more harm than good for the human body and for society.

The use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s) is global, includes plants, animals, microbes, medical, drug treatments, plastic development, oil spill remediation products and usage has markedly increased over the years (Goldbas, 2014; Mueller, Jafari & Roth, 2016). GMO’s involves genetically deleting, adding or changing the organism’s genetics (Goldbas, 2014). The most well-known GMO’s are in food and medicine (Goldbas, 2014). My thoughts are that I am naïve, historically trusting of the government to protect my food/medicine, perhaps, to a fault because, on a daily basis, I do not think about if there is GMO’s in my food or not. I trust the USA government protecting populations food/medicine more than other governments but I know that our governmental protection on GMO’s is not perfect either because there is minimal regulation.