The Issue Of Genetically Modified Food

Genetically modified foods can be good and bad for humans and the economy. For example, if you do not cook an genetically modify foods it can cause us humans to become deathly ill. If the soil is not treated before the genetically modified seed is placed into the ground it can damage the soil and the earth around it.

What is genetically modified (GM) food? These are foods whose DNA have been artificially altered in some way to produce foods with unique qualities not found in nature. For example, onions that don’t make you cry when they are cut. Whenever you go to the grocery store or eat a restaurant, chances are you’re eating GM food without even knowing it. It’s in the ingredients we buy and fed to the animals we get our food from. What you may also be unaware of are the health and safety concerns, along with the lack of labeling identifying GM products. What’s more disconcerting is GM crops have the potential to change our ecosystem forever. This is a social issue that affects us all, because we all have to eat.

Whether Americans realize it or not, most of them consume genetically modified organisms every time they eat a snack or a meal. According to Robin Mather’s article “The Threats from Genetically Modified Foods”, “you’re eating genetically modified foods almost daily unless you grow all of the food or always buy organic” (Mather). This can be a scary thought for those who know about the numerous effects of GMOs or those who didn’t know what was in the food they’ve been ingesting for years. When Nielsen selected 1,200 Americans for a survey on GMOs for The Wall Street Journal, “61% of consumers had heard of GMOs and nearly half of those people said they avoid eating them” (Gasparro). The only difficulty with avoiding genetically modified organisms is that they make up approximately eighty percent of the ingredients used in processed foods that put together most of the regular American diet (Gasparro). The reason that genetically modified organisms are in most processed foods is because most processed foods contain corn or high fructose corn syrup that comes from genetically modified corn plants. Of all the corn, soybeans, sugar beet, and canola crops grown in the United States, over ninety percent of those crops are grown from genetically altered seeds (Gasparro). Ever since 1996, when genetically modified plants were first commercially grown for the public, the use of genetically modified seeds has been on a sharp increase (Charman). Although the use of genetically modified

Another contributing factor to the controversial nature of GMOs is the fact that a majority of the world does not consider such food products safe, since “ in more than 60 countries around the world, including Australia, Japan, and all of the countries in the European Union, there are significant restrictions or outright bans on the production and sale of GMOs” (The Non-GMO). However, even though genetically engineered organisms are widely considered to be unsafe in many aspects, the U.S. government has little to no restrictions on the production and consumption of these products.

GMOs have been deemed completely safe and legal. Other countries however, have firmly set their feet on the other side of the fence. Although it doesn’t directly affect us Americans right now, it could in 50 years when there are nine billion people. The simple fact is, if they aren’t using GMOs than they are not getting the greatest yield possible out of their crops, and if they remain anti-GMO they won’t be pulling what little weight their smaller countries can pull when crunch time comes and our world needs more food

A genetically modified organism, GMO, has been altered by genetic engineering techniques. GMOs are widely used by scientists in many different ways to include the production of food and in research.8 Zebrafish genetically modified to be a fluorescent bright red, green and orange have been available for purchase as pets in 49 states in the United States since 2003.8 However, these patented GloFish are banned in California. The California Fish and Game Commission decided the fish were the result of a “trivial use for a powerful technology.”7 The Commission’s belief that the fish should not have been created led to a law making the GloFish illegal. Originally GloFish were developed by scientists in Singapore to be living pollution sensors as they would only glow when in the presence of pollutants.7 The Commission’s ban on GloFish highlights the controversy over genetically modified organisms and how public opinion can be swayed by the beliefs of others whether those beliefs are based on science or not. This paper will focus first on what genetic modification means and then will look at the pros and cons of genetically modified foods. Finally, the author’s opinion of the issue of GMO food will conclude the paper.

The genetic engineering of foods has, in one sense, been in existence for hundreds of years. The first time Gregor Mendel bred different varieties of pea plants to observe the various traits present in their offspring, the concept was born. Today, genetic engineering has developed into one of the most complex and advanced fields of scientific thinking, all the while provoking many questions and acquiring many opponents along the way. While there are compelling arguments presented for each side of the issue, the simple fact is that genetically modified (GM) foods are a reality, especially in the United States, as they are already present in many products that are consumed on a daily

Genetically modifying food has caused many controversy around the world for the way foods are modified. Most of the food we eat are canned, fresh, and ready to be eaten. Most of the food has also been genetically modified. Although modifying food has been used for many years, many countries have not adapted or want to genetically modify their foods. Genetically modifying food is a good and bad thing but there will always be different opinions about genetically modifying food, but one thing is for sure, genetically modifying food will increase more and more.

Off and on over the years, I have heard about GMO’s from time to time. GMO’s are genetically modified Organisms. Which basically means that they have been changed by means of science to be resistant to bugs or other issues that crops face. In the American food supply GMO’s are quite common, we don’t even know if we are eating them. As of right now “70 to 80 percent of processed food that Americans consume contain plants that have been genetically engineered” (source 2). This being the case there are a number of ethical concerns raised by this. A couple examples are whether or not they will cause disease or allergies in humans through ingestion or by other means, whether or not they are environmentally safe, and if they should be labeled so that we know that we are eating them. I myself have no issue with GMO’s one way or the other, though I can understand people’s

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

What if people could create an organism that was stronger than it was previously? More resistance to diseases, poisons, and that could thrive in a hostile environment? That is what scientist are creating with GMOs (Genetically Modified Organism) but mostly with plants that farmers produce for food such as corn or soybeans. Scientist can create modified organism when they pick an organism (such as corn) and then have certain changes introduced into their DNA using genetic engineering. It is different from breeding because instead of getting random genes, scientists are putting the desired gene directly into the plants’ DNA. Genetically modified foods are a controversial topic throughout most of the country but most Americans would be

GMOs are not properly regulated in terms of safety measures as it pertains to food. As it pertains to risks to human health, concerns continue to mount regarding US governmental agencies due diligence in safety analysis of GMOs. For example, the FDA’s policy has been minimal based on their reliance of GMO producers

Many Americans consume thousands of pounds of genetically modified foods every day. Throughout the 21st century, genetic engineering tremendously impacted new research in pharmaceutical and forensic science. During that time, it also revolutionized the food in America and many other countries around the world. Using Recombinant DNA biotechnology on crops and farm animals helps improve nutrition and quantity of foods. However, crops that are altered with hybrid genes can also contain chemicals harmful to humans. By using developed biotechnology, scientists are able to inject viruses and bacteria into the embryos of plants to produce genetically modified crops (). The same is applied for transgenic farm animals to increase the size of the

Many consumers do not wish to eat food that has been dosed with pesticides because of the possibility of health hazards. However, genetically modified foods are quite capable of helping eliminating the utilization of harmful chemical pesticides. Due to this, many farmers choose and prefer to plant biotech produce because of this benefit. In recent news, Sudan decided to take part in planting a type of these crops, Bt cotton. The production of Bt cotton has led to a decrease in the amount of insecticides used by 50%, reducing the risk of exposure to these chemicals. In China, the use of Bt cotton has led to a reduction of 78,000 tons of pesticide which covers about a quarter of what China has sprayed. (ISAAA, http://www.isaaa.org/resources/publications/briefs/44/executivesummary/default.asp) Furthermore, the uses of these types of biotech crops allow a reduction of risks associated with agricultural waste run-offs. GMOs in these countries show how they are beneficial especially for preventing environmental and human contact damage.

Could it be that there are dirty little secrets lurking inside the foods you put on your table? “Do you really know what’s inside the tomato you just put on your salad? Do you care to know if that cheeseburger you just ate is not infused with liquid nitrogen?” There are no notices, no warnings and most definitely no labels. Genetically modified food (GMF, GM Crops, or Bio-Food) are the norm in America today. Some even say we are just another Human Experiment for our American Government. While others claim if it weren't for scientists and their experiments we would never have discovered genetics and DNA.