Processed Foods Vs. U.s. No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

“More than half of U.S. consumers express concern about genetically modified organisms, but many have no idea what that means” (Goldman 115). In modern days, we find ourselves living in a “plastic society”. Everything that we see is not really what we see, it is being camouflaged. This applies greatly to social media, but people don't see it very much in food. Now more than ever, the food industry is using genetically modified seeds and chemicals. This is an unethical practice because people don't know what they are consuming, and if what they consume has negative effects on them, they should be informed.

It is no secret that roughly a third of America’s population is considered obese, and in a documentary published about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), Genetic Roulette, the director uncovers that, “Since the mid-nineties, the number of Americans suffering from at least three chronic illnesses nearly doubled.” While there are a plethora of factors that contribute to this travesty, I believe a major component of this drastic increase of chronic illness is health illiteracy. Most would blame the individuals for their health deficiencies. However the core of the problem is that the population is uninformed by their government.

In the article “Why Is Processed Foods So Bad for You?” the author Michael Hobbes explains what it takes to manufacture and sell a product (1). He contrasts the ingredients of the original homemade recipe and the one that is selling on the shelf. He explains that in order for a product to be shipped and stored for long increments of time, preservatives must be added. Those preservatives may be hurting people in the long run.

There is a great debate going on right now on the subject of genetically modified foods, or GMOs. For some, the idea of GMO food is a good one because the modifications allow crops to become resistant to drought and infestations, letting more people have more regular meals. Some research even shows that the world produces 17% more food than it needs to produce to provide each current human with three squares per day (Healthcare Articles and Infographics, 2013)! Others look at genetically modified foods as a dangerous proposition. From allergic reactions to potential intestinal damage, many people wish to avoid GMO foods because of animal studies that have shown changes in internal cell structure, abnormal tumor growth, and unexpected deaths that have occurred (Healthcare Articles and Infographics, 2013). By 2050, farmers must produce 40% more food to feed an estimated 9 billion people on the planet. Either current yields will have to increase or farmland will expand farther into forests and jungles. In some cases, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) would offer an alternative way to boost yields without sacrificing more land or using more pesticides (Maxmen, 2013).

Imagine entering your local grocery store and per your routine you go straight to the produce section. You have been dreaming of juicy, succulent apples all day. But, as you reach your hand down to select a perfect honey crisp you are taken aback. The apple is labeled in bold, daunting words: GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS. You glance around the section only to find that almost every fruit and vegetable there has the same threatening label. Without proper education on what GM foods are you chose to forgo purchasing any produce. With the institution of labeling genetically modified organisms comes wasting similar to this will occur more and more frequently. With approximately 70 percent of the food in the grocery stores, not to mentioned processed

The production of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) simply involves laboratory modification of food products, by altering their genes such that a desirable trait is obtained. GMOs are also known as genetically engineered-, bio-engineered-, biotech crops, or transgenic organisms. In today’s America, food produced through genetic modification can be found in almost all forms of edibles from Snack boxes Cereals, livestock, and even fruits. In 2003, the Grocery Manufacturers Association estimated that GMOs were present in at least 70% to 75% of conventional processed food on supermarket shelves. This staggering statistics was supported by a 2011 USDA document which showed a whopping 88% of U.S. corn, 94% of soy, 95% of sugar beets, 90% of canola

One of the main concerns of today’s generation is health. Many people are concerned with staying fit, which means working out and eating healthy. Currently, today’s generation is at a crossroad between what is considered healthy and the price of being healthy. The biggest concern revolves around Genetically Modified Organisms or GMOs. GMOs are scientifically modified foods or hormones used to increase food production and reduce the number of pesticides and disease a crop or organism may be susceptible to. So what is the big concern? Consumers are wary of eating the unknown. Many are scared to eat GMOs due to an irrational fear of disease. Consumers tend to overreact about Genetically Modified foods without truly understanding the purpose of GMOs.

Everyone loves to eat food… especially in America where obesity has been a problem for years. Sadly, this essay is not about obesity but about something that could possibly be more life threatening. The issue in this essay is over the larger risk of eating food that has GMO’s that are also known as genetically modified organisms which are in the food we happen to eat every day and give to our family and friends. Largely, the stances are highly polarized with opponents saying it is all cancer causing, poisonous, and environmentally dangerous (The Truth about). I believe that some of these additives may not be safe for us and it is having an effect on our bodies which can lead to dangerousenvironmental effects like cancer for example. Some believe thatthe problem with GMO’s are that they are not one hundred percent natural. Before I even knew about GMO’s I was always devouring all kinds of foods that seemed at the time a little unhealthy but overall good to eat. After finding out the truth behind my favorite brands I was somewhat disgusted by I heard what has been inserted into these foods over the years. But just like the author said the world is not black and white, and we cannot lump an entire branch of science together with those abusing it (The Truth about). As a teenager I look forward to having a long and fulfilling life but with the way people say scientist and companies poison the food we eat I feel that just eating something with GMO’s in it will have a negative

In this time period we are surrounded by world hunger and obesity on the same solid rock called Earth, however many big corporations have come to solve one of the two food related problems. The Genetically Modified Organism, or GMO. A GMO is “an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques, modification involves the mutation, insertion, or deletion of genes. Genetically engineered crops are

GM food can leave wasted material inside us, which possibly cause long-term problems (Smith, 2011, para.1). For example, contaminated genes of GM soy can transfer into the DNA and may cause bacteria living inside our body when it is consumed. This was found in pregnant women’s blood and their unborn fetuses. Once GMOs were produced in 1996, many health problems increased. The percentage of U.S. citizens with three or more chronic illness increased to 13% from 7%. Also, food allergies increased significantly since 1996 and other disorders such as digestive problems, autism, reproductive disorders are increasing as well.

Genetically modified foods are known to be unhealthy for the human body. When creating these genetically modified organisms, also known as GMOs, three main components are required, the gene you want to transfer, the organism you want to put it into, and a vector to carry the gene into that organism’s cells. The unnaturalness of this procedure can cause problems in the human body. GMOs were introduced to consumers in 1994 and since then health problems have increased. From 1996 to 2005, there was a 6% increase in health issues that occurred (Smith). In the article “Playing God in Garden” by Michael Pollan, he stated “my New Leafs are clones of clones of plants that were first engineered seven years ago in Monsanto’s $150 million research facility…” (Pollan 4). This shows how severe genetic engineering is.

With a growing population there is fear that the world won’t have enough food to keep up. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) have been introduced as safe for human consumption to our market since 1996 without sufficient safety testing. Evidence points to no necessity for GMO food (not to mention harmful affects) and therefore it should be banned from the United States just like it has been in multiple other countries. Some things this paper will cover is how GMOs are made, who makes them, what affects they have on the environment, and what a safe alternative is.

In the past decade or so, genetically modified foods and genetically modified organisms, also known as GM Foods and GMO’s, have been a never ending topic of discussion. GM Foods and GMO’s have adversely affected people’s health all over the world. GMO’s are developed through taking genes of different species, then combining them through genetic engineering. Neither of those things can happen naturally or out in nature. That should raise lots of red flags to our society already. Adding these altered foods into our diets can very easily lead to an increased risk of disease and cancer. In this article http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/03/08/deli_meat_consumption_causes_premature_deaths_from_heart_disease_cancer_study_finds.html it explains how some the foods we eat today have changed over the years. Little did you know, a simple ham and cheese sandwich, (yes, those sandwiches mom used to pack us everyday for lunch) nowadays can cause heart disease and some cancers faster than cigarettes. Most of the time we don’t realize that we’re eating harmful processed food. No, you can’t blame your traditional farmers, they had no part in it. Farmers today, still choose to grow natural and organic foods. Struggling to keep their businesses afloat. Blame the big corporations out there. The corporations that don’t consider the health of people, but choose to use genetically processed seeds to enlarge their produce, and even enlarge their pockets. They take the cheap and effortless way

It is not only GMOs foods that threat our health as Americans. There is an epidemic in the US that needs to be addressed, child obesity. One of third of children in the US between the ages of 6 to 19 is overweight or obese. In addition, child obesity needs to be addressed at an early age, because in estimate 80% of obese children become obese adults per federal statistics. One main reason is that our children spend most of the week in school, their school hours are almost equal to adult working hours. Therefore, the food they eat in school is crucial to their health and development, but the foods and beverage they purchase in the school’s vending machine is not healthy enough, and contain high calories (State, 609). These days the vending machine industry and the food companies seek school monopolies to be the only one to sell to schools, and the key to making the most money is to sell a nutritionally fat food for the lowest price (American, 155).

Processed foods have almost completely taken over all of our grocery stores. It seems like everything you put into your shopping cart is processed and/or made with artificial ingredients. There are about 10,000 new processed foods products in the US every year (Schlosser). Processed foods have also taken the media by storm. You can’t watch tv, look at facebook, or even read the newspaper without seeing an ad for processed foods or telling us that they are bad for you. David H. Freedman tells us, “An enormous amount of media space has been dedicated to promoting the notion that all processed food, and only processed food is making us sickly and overweight.”(Freedman 70) Even fast food restaurants have joined the processed food bandwagon by switching their freshly made fries to frozen fries to cut costs and make production faster (Schlosser). Is it a coincidence that the prevalence of obesity started to increase as more processed foods hit the shelves? 85% of adults are predicted to be overweight by the year 2030 (Schulte 2). But is obesity really related to processed foods?