Essay about Rogerian Argument of Genetic Engineered Foods

“Should We Care About Genetically Modified Foods?” by John N. Shaw appeared in Food Safety News issue of February 1, 2010, as a feature under the health section on the controversy between the pros and cons of genetically modified foods (Also known as GMO, genetically modified organisms). The main idea of this article is to inform people of the benefits of GMOs . The author, John Shaw received his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance with a minor in Marketing from the University of Arkansas in 2007, where he was a “leadership scholar.” In addition to his studies, he has worked as a research assistant with Food Law LL.M. Director Susan Schneider, interned with Wal-Mart Government and Corporate Affairs division, the Arkansas Attorney General Public Protection Division, and with United States Senator Blanche Lincoln. John has a passion for Food Law, sports, and outdoors. In the article, he states, “ I submit that I am no scientist; merely an interested student.” According to the article, he is passionate and has done sufficient research about the topic to support his argument.

Genetically Modified Organisms (G.M.O.s) debates have plagued society and politicians since the idea of G.M.O.s have come to the playing field. Should farmers use them? What are the risks of G.M.O.s? Can G.M.O.s cause cancer in humans? All of these questions as well as a collection of others are waiting to be answered. The article “A Lonely Quest for Facts on Genetically Modified Crops” by Amy Harmon is concentrated on a councilman-Greggar Ilagan- researching questions he has about G.M.O.s so he can make an educated vote on whether or not to pass a ban on genetically modified crops.

Genetic engineering is the deliberate modification of the characteristics of an organism by manipulating its genetic material, otherwise known as DNA. Since biochemists Stanley Cohen and Herbert Boyer pioneered genetic engineering in 1973, the process has grown to have numerous applications such as medicine production, for example insulin (Mckinley). However, a main topic of concern is the application of genetic engineering on foods that we eat everyday. By modifying the genetic "blueprint" of crops, it is possible to improve many aspects of agriculture. But with any sort of scientific discovery that allows humans to act as Mother Nature, genetically modifying organisms has been a very controversial topic. Yet our society continues to grow, and the need for the benefits of genetically modified foods continues to grow. Genetically modifying foods should be permitted in our society because it allows larger yields of crops to be produced, produces foods with higher nutritional values, and reduces our global ecological footprint.

Due to reading “Stuffed and Starved” by Raj Patel this semester, I learned about how foods are produced and impact the world. Ever since I visited the farmer’s market in October, I became more aware of whether or not I am consuming genetically modified crops. Raj Patel revealed some of the many truths about the Green Revolution regarding genetically modified crops that influenced my choice of eating. Prior to reading the section of the book that made me aware of what I am eating, I believed that genetically modified crops were more beneficial than harmful to everyone. Not only did the genetically modified crops produce a higher yield to feed people, but the negative impact of technology outweighed its benefit. For example, Patel states, “domestic

Genetically modified crops are an incredibly important issue that everyone should be aware of since it is something we are exposed to at a daily basis. Genetically modified crops also known as GM crops or Biotech crops has been one of the most heated debates of issues within our society. The debate about the safety, concerns and disadvantages of GM crops have raged since the mid 1990 's but this is due to the lack of knowledge of the general public. Many people are unaware of what the GM crops actually are and what they offer. Genetically modified crops are plants that are used in the agriculture and have been modified to initiate a new trait to plants that does not happen naturally in the species. These plants are modified using genetic engineering techniques to enhance desired traits. GM crops are made when genes of commercial interest are transferred from one organism to another.() There are many methods used for the production of GM crops but the two primary used for plant insertion are gene guns and agrobacterium tumefaciens. There are also three types of modifications which are transgenic, cisgenic, and subgenic plants. However, there are a number of issues that surround this controversial topic such as environmental, health, and economic concerns. Even though there are some worrying facts about GM crops people don 't realize the advantages or the ways it has helped humans as well as animals. There are many reasons why GM crops are proven

Robert Paarlberg once stated, “There is a scientific consensus, even in Europe, that the GMO foods and crops currently on the market have brought no documented new risks either to human health or the environment.” A widely known debate about GM crops is the risks the organisms have to human health and the environment. Chen Zhang discusses the benefits throughout his article, “Genetically modified foods: A critical review of their promise and problems,” and not only the benefits to human health, but also the benefits to the environment. For instance, “Some genetic modification is specifically targeted to enrich certain nutrients or substances having high therapeutic and pro-health value, including vitamins A, C, E, unsaturated fatty acids, alimentary cellulose and probiotics” (Zhang). Chen Zhang is portraying there are modifications in genetic material, which benefit health by the targeted nutrients and vitamins when modified. Scientists are able to modify the chemical composition in food, which means there will be less of harmful chemicals and more of the beneficial makeup of foods. Later on in the same article it states, “Similarly, using this biotechnology, researchers can also alter the amino acid composition of proteins as well as the content of carbohydrates” (Zhang). In other words, Chen Zhang asserts that scientists and researchers have the capability to change the

Genetically modified foods, known as GMFs, are an extremely controversial subject. By definition, GMO’s are, “organisms whose genome has been altered by the techniques of genetic engineering so that its DNA contains one or more genes not normally found there.” Scientists genetically engineer these foods to, for example, contain an additional vitamin or weather withstanding qualities. Relatively recently, Kevin O’Leary, who was in favor of GMFs, and Rachel Parent, who was against them, had a televised debate on O’Leary’s talk show. While both sides proved valid points, O’Leary’s argument seemed the most convincing, with multiple data points and references. While genetically modified foods have many obvious benefits and drawbacks, the good seem to outweigh the bad on a global scale. GMFs can increase nutrition in third world countries, stop the world wide issue of waste, and even slow global warming and deforestation in our environment.

Today, most soy and corn grown in the U.S. is Genetically Modified. Soy and corn are also the number one feed for the animals that we eat. Corn also provides the ingredients for most of our sweeteners and cooking oil. Most processed foods sold in the United States have ingredients from genetically modified crops. And yet, “Scientific Studies have not concluded that Genetically Modified foods are safe for the population” (Eating Well. “Should the US ban GMOs?”). The major question that has developed with GMOs is whether or not these modification in the plants we consume is detrimental to our own health. Are we trading higher crop yields for personal health risks? Are we replacing possible starvation with another form of disease or health problem? And, “Should GMOs be allowed in the General Food Supply?”

Genetically modified food is a topic of intensive debate that has caused a lot of controversy over the years, basically due to a lack of knowledge about genetic engineering and large amounts of misleading information within mass media. Genetically modified foods have recently gathered more attention since environmental and health organizations have actively rejected genetically modified foods for various reasons. Genetically modified foods have the ability to resolve problem of famine and malnutrition in the world, also produce greater yields, decrease pesticides and herbicides usage, and improve the nutritional value of food. While the benefits of GMOs to our society have been widely discussed, their effect on our health is still a controversial

Genetically modified foods are one of the most common products in the market today. Corn, tomatoes, and strawberries are only just a few of the many examples. In the scientific community, there’s a huge debate between whether or not genetically modified foods should still be something that should be happening. People who oppose the idea of genetically modified foods claim that using them will harm people’s health as well as nature itself, while people who support the idea of genetically modified foods claim that it will be beneficial to people’s health and problems including starvation as a whole. I am in favor of genetically modified foods as I firmly believe that they are more beneficial than harmful.

“70 percent of our corn farmland and 93 percent of soy farmland are planted with crops genetically engineered to resist pests and herbicides and increase crop yields. 60% of all the processed foods in the United States are genetically modified; a shocking statistic has the concern of many Americans. However, most people are uninformed about the beneficial impact that genetically modified food has on their diet. GM is the use of molecular biology technology to modify the inherited structure of organisms. Genetically engineered crops increase nutrients, drought tolerance, provide more food for growing populations, and resists diseases and pesticides. Genetically engineered foods are crucial to the improvement of economy, agriculture, society, and health choices. The creation of GM foods was one of the most significant breakthroughs in food industry. Genetically modifying foods is a key component that is harmless for the enrichment of our foods.

Genetically engineered (GE) food crops have caused heated debate in the food industry for many decades and have caused many consumers major concern. According to Dr. Carroll Rawn, a biology professor at Seton Hall University, genetically engineering food entails taking genes from a certain crop and inserting those genes in the DNA of another. This process changes the nucleotide sequence of the crop and, therefore, its characteristics. The debate lies in the question of whether these changes are beneficial for the productivity and quality of the harvest. Jeremy Rifkin argues in his article, “Science and Technology: O Brave New World,” that GE foods are not beneficial

  You may know about the emerging field of biotechnology - the medicine, the ethics, the DNA, the Human Genome, etc.  But few realize the emergence of its agricultural branch, and the international conflict that has arisen from it.  It may apply to you more than you thought, for half of the soybean products and a quarter of the corn you ate in 1999 may have been genetically modified (Kaufman A6).  Genetically modified crops (commonly referred to as GMOs) are crops whose characteristics have been altered to produce a favorable trait, whether it be prolonged freshness, a more attractive appearance, or pesticide resistance (Activist 1).  Genetic alteration is the act of inserting a gene,

Consumers do not need to go far to find Genetically Modified (GM) foods at the grocery store considering “90% of the corn and soybeans planted in the United States” (Landrigan, 2015, p.1) are genetically modified, helping to increase farmer’s crop yields. The GM corn alone is used extensively in many other forms such as processed foods, sodas, bread and more. Even though GM foods have been around since the early 90’s, the debate surrounding the plausible health and environmental impacts have only inflated in more recent years. For what started out as scientists in a lab striving to improve the U.S. and the extended worlds existing social problems such as world hunger, turned into a social concern of its own. Consumer knowledge is limited or skewed due to chemical giants such as Monsanto, investing in a multitude of public campaigns to display the safety of modified foods. Although there are multiple concerns surrounding GM foods, the heaviest burden on society today is the unknown. It is extremely important that the general public becomes more knowledgeable surrounding every facet of GM food in order to help identify and create solutions, while striving to decrease any potential negative implications.

Did you know that the use of genetically modified foods is becoming more and more common all the time? It is even estimated that around 60-70 percent of all processed foods on the shelves today, contain GMO ingredients (Erdosh & Lusted, 2014, “Genetically Engineered Food…” section). Dr. Smith, a professor at Cornell believes that “the controversy over genetic engineering arises because the general population has little understanding of plant breeding and the process involved (Hibma, 2015, para. 9).” However, GMOs come with many advantages and these advantages are ones that anyone can look into themselves if they have questions. Some of the advantages include the fact that these crops have a stronger insect resistance, farmers can produce a larger crop, and these foods can provide greater health benefits.