The Consequences Of Banning Gmo's

GMOs, (genetically modified organisms) have been a topic of interest in the social eyes for years. Since they’ve been created, many people have voiced and written about their opinions on GMOs, and whether they are dangerous or not. Created to expand the genetic diversity of crops and animals, many don’t know whether GMOs are good or bad, and neither do researchers. Though there hasn’t been any evidence claiming whether GMOs are good or bad, it has certainly not stopped the public from creating their own opinions. Since no one knows the truth behind GMO, it has opened a window of opportunities for companies including Monsanto to voice their support of GMO, while other companies like the Non-GMO Project voice their

A GMO is a genetically modified organism that goes through the process of genetic engineering. This is when genes of one organism are extracted, altered, and then artificially placed into another organism to then grow. We typically see GMOs in the food we consume every day. These foods include fruits and vegetables, however the most common organisms that are genetically engineered include, corn, soy, and cotton. It is ultimately the unnatural cross breeding of plants, animals, bacteria, and virus genes (Non-GMO Project). But now why is there a debate for placing a label to notify consumers of GMOs in their foods? Do we know the potential harm that GMOs can cause? We have the right to know what we are putting into our bodies and what is found in our everyday foods.

Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMO’s, are organisms that have had genes from a different organism implanted into their own genetic code in order to produce a new result (“Genetically engineered foods”). This practice has elicited polar responses across the globe, for a multitude of reasons. Besides the obvious reason, being the morality of changing an organism's DNA for human benefit, one frequently noted problem is the monopolization of GMO’s by the company Monsanto, whose name is nearly synonymous with GMO’s due to their involvement with these crops. Monsanto has been at the center of many controversies regarding GMO’s, and is even considered to be ranked third to last for reputation among all major American companies (Bennett). Most

Recently, there has been a huge uprise in reports from all over the world of new diseases that have affected much of the population today. Diseases such as obesity, Alzheimer’s, Celiac Disease, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and so much more have been on the rise. Researchers have suspected the culprit of these diseases to be our food. Along with the diseases, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) has also been on the rise. The more poor food we eat, the greater the potential harm to our health. One of the poor foods we consume is GMO: the altering of genes in food to produce desirable effects. These effects can range from an improvement in nutritional value, texture, flavor, and a longer shelf life. These

There are roughly sixty countries that require GMO labeling and they do not have the problem that the United States have. Some countries even go as far to ban GMOs and only let some in. They have to go through many processes and tests to examine the effects and quality of the plant and/or product. These countries have lower rates of GMO food purchases and their environment is much cleaner than the United States. Monsanto has always tried its hardest to prevent any law from passing to regulate and label their products. They have spent millions of dollars. They have also threatened to sue the states that have brought up the idea or bill the label. The public has protested and demanded labeling, they believe they have a right to know

Today’s world is all about how we can be seen as helping others, or how one county is offering support to those in need of it. When Jeremy Seifert starting his work on his film GMO-OMG (Seifert, 2013), the film started by asking people the simple question do they eat GMO. The film goes through the first 2 min of just people responses to that question and it is amazing how people were so unware of what they were eating. GMO are genetically modified organism which as the movie explains there are two primary categories of GMOs, the pesticide producer, and Herbicide resisters (Seifert, 2013) which help farmers to grow crops by making them resistant to bugs or weeds that would have destroyed crops in the past. Monsanto is one of the largest GMO producers of a corn seed that would allow for crops to grow with natural resistant to herbicide and insects. When Jeremy went to Africa to research why some of the locals were rejecting the Monsanto seeds because they said that you could only plant them once and then you would be forever in need of the replace seeds rather than just reusing seeds from the fully grown plants. The Haitian people believed that the seeds of life are a common inheritance of all humanity (Seifert, 2013).

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.

GMOs are not widely known to people, so I included some important information that needs to be known. Producing GMOs is nothing new as it has been around for about 20 years. Today, about 80% percent of food in the Unites States that we eat at home, fast food, and processed food can have ingredients of GMOs. With that amount of GMOs in our food, it’s understandable why people would be upset that some of these foods still don’t have labels on them. Farmers in this situation are using organic or GMOs in their produce which could affect who buys the product for companies that ban or accept GMO produce. For many it would cause a low economic standard for the farmers, which would lead to selling the land that they own. (National Research Counsil,

Genetically modified organisms are both widely loved and hated, but what really is it? You may hear of GMOs but did you realize that it 's around you more than you would think. According to Elizabeth Weise on USAToday (2016), “40-75% of food in a typical supermarket has been genetically modified”. In today 's day and age, genetically modified organisms are taking over the market. It is important to understand what they are and how they affect the food we consume in our everyday lives. Because of the world’s growing population and need to meet demand, GMOs are becoming more common-use, changing our food in ways we are unaware of. Like giving a crop immunity to a virus, it is important to be informed and educated of the changes.

80% of all crops and produce that are consumed in the United States are genetically modified. Genetically Modified Foods are plants or animals that have undergone a process wherein scientists alter their genes with DNA from different species of living organisms, bacteria, or viruses to get desired traits such as resistance to disease or tolerance of pesticides. It is my intention to show the negative side effects of GMO products; which explains why so many people are becoming increasingly concerned about consuming GMO products.

“In the U.S., the government has approved GMOs” (GMO Facts 1). For the most part, our government is in place to protect us, and with an approval of GM Foods , or GMOs, we can safely rest knowing that they are safe to consume due the to rigorous testing the GMO’s had to go through in order to be approved. The USA is not the only country that allows them and does not require a label to be on the box of GM foods, “Countries such as Australia, Japan, and the United States currently have no laws requiring companies to label products containing genetically modified ingredients.” (Genetically M...Foods 3). The reason why they don 't require a label on GM products is because there is no need to cause an unnecessary sense of fear to the consumers that are not educated about GMO’s. There is really no reason to anyways because the Government said they are safe to eat, therefore we may consume them safely.

Imagine that Sunday morning bacon smell is crafted in a laboratory by gene splicing and corn on the cobb was sprayed by herbicide that just created a new mega weed that might destroy all wheat on earth. Most of the food people eat in this world contains genetically modified organisms. If you haven’t thought about what was in your last meal, then you may need to start thinking about it. 92% of corn in America is genetically modified, and 94% of soybeans are created or modified in a lab. An estimated 75% of processed food is genetically modified (United States Department of Agriculture). In other words, most of the food the average American eats is altered from its natural state. GM foods are created when scientists take traits from specific animals or plants and add them to other animals or plants. For example, add a specific type of growth hormone to a pig and one has more pig than without.

Genetically modified organisms are plants and animals that have been biologically engineered with the DNA of other plants, animals, bacteria, etc. Such modifications and combinations cannot occur in nature through crossbreeding or by other organic means. While commonplace in the vast majority of our marketplace, the information and "nature" of genetically modified foods is not as common. Information is, in fact, available on these genetically modified products, but they have to be sought out. The debate over genetically engineered foods, and the disclosure of what exactly is being done to them, has become a hot button topic. From grassroots campaigns, to the upcoming presidential election, genetically engineered and modified foods are a popular topic. These genetically modified organisms need to be removed from everyday agriculture because of the risk they pose to human health and to the environment.

Let’s face it, the term genetically modified (GM) foods is not the most appetizing word in the English language and neither is the term genetically engineered foods for that matter. Whether or not you realize it, you have consumed at least one product that contains genetically modified foods. These “modified foods” are hiding all over your supermarkets and in some instances, there is no way to tell just by looking at it. But, they have been around for more than two decades and it has helped to keep our food supply alive.

If you live in the US and eat commonly found food, you are most likely consuming foods that are genetically modified (GM), whether you like it or not. If you never have wondered where the origin of the food you choose to consume on a daily basis, it is time to start understanding how important knowing where your food comes from. “A genetically modified organism is a new version of a plant or animal that is created by altering genes using biotechnology” (What Is a GMO?). Most of the food found on the market today in America is GM. People have a common misconception of the safety of GMOS because the FDA makes statements that GMO’s are nothing to worry about, and that it is perfectly healthy to intake food that is artificially made.