The Pros And Cons Of GMO Regulation

According to Lois N. Magner, Professor Emerita at Purdue University, there are risks involving the consumption of foods that contain genes that are foreign (129). These GM crops are inserted with a gene that produces a “naturally occurring” pesticide, Bacillus Thuringiensis, which is “toxic to certain pests” (129). One might be eased by the words “naturally occurring” however that gene does not originally appear in that specific pant. Therefore, we do not know how it will affect that organism as a whole. It is important to note that “when people eat these GM foods they ingest the pesticide” (129). “In March 2015, the World Health Organization determined that the herbicide glyphosate (the key ingredient in Roundup®) is “probably carcinogenic to humans”(“GMO Facts”). If the plants are toxic, and the animals are eating these toxic plants, they too become toxic. Nevertheless, we humans eat both plants and animals, doubling the consumption of pesticides. Both Magner and the “NON-GMO” project state that there is no evidence or enough research to claim that “GMO” are safe because human health effects across a lifetime have not been examined. However, animal studies have shown GM foods linked with “organ damage, immune system disorders, accelerated aging, and infertility (Magner pg). Ever since these products were increased health problems have been on the rise. This is extremely worrying as we do not know

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.

Many will argue that Genetically Modified Organisms(GMOs) are not safe for human consumption, however they are almost inevitable for our everyday food consumption. Some argue that the recent increase in gluten intolerance is caused by GMO foods (Argument against). Other state that the risk to humans by GMO’s is relatively small (The GMO”). The bottom line is what people put into their bodies is a personal choice and a person should be able to easily tell if a product has been genetically modified or not.

In December 2014, a Harvard professor wrote an article outlining the many benefits of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and why it is a good idea to use them. This professor is now surrounded by controversy because he failed to note his connection to the largest producer of GM seeds, Monsanto, who not only told him to write the article but also gave him the major points he was to address. Why was this such a huge deal, and why did Monsanto want a pro-GMO article out there so badly? The GMO debate is largely controversial, but largely misunderstood because of the misinformation given by biased writers, such as John Hibma, a nutritionist and author who wrote the article “More Pros Than Cons.” What many people do not realize is that genetic modification is a serious issue and that articles like Hibma’s fail to disclose the truth about the numerous health, crop, and environmental concerns surrounding GMOs.

For thousands of years, humans have been genetically enhancing other organisms through the process of selective breeding. Polls indicate alarm over the contamination of everyday foods. Americans are especially concerned about Genetically Modified Organisms. So, are they good or not? According to NewsELA, PRO/CON: Is it time to label GMO foods? GMO foods? Andrew Pollackmay's "Genetically Engineered Crops are Safe, Analysis Finds", and Janet Renee's "Benefits you get from a GMO" they talk about the merits and the demerits of GMO crops. GMOs are plant or animal products that have been reengineered in a lab. Scientists use the DNA of bacteria,

It has been shown that some GM crops can be less nutritious and possibly toxic in comparison to natural food. Because of this, many large countries such as Japan have put bans on GMO containing foods. GM foods are not labeled in the US and other countries so consumers are not monitored for health conditions that may result from long term use. Some reports have also linked GMO to possible cancers. In addition to the health effects, GMO crop technology can affect smaller farmers and our environment. GM crops are too expensive for the smaller farmers to grow, forcing the smaller farms into debt or off their land. This hurts the economy, as farms are disappearing while large GMO food companies are taking over. In addition, the initial drop in herbicide use on GM crops that was reported has now been followed up with a large increase in use due to the resistance that has developed, and farmers have had to use more and more powerful chemicals on crops. These chemicals are toxic to people, livestock and may possibly contaminate the

The companies that produce the GMOs are certain that they will improve the production of crops, but that is all they care about they have no idea how dangerous their product is to humans. The production of these genetic foods should be stop until they are proven safe to be consumed by humans without having any allergic reactions to them or any harm to our health. One bite of a food that contains a gene from a plant or any other food that a person might be allergic to could be fatal hazard and they might not even know what happens to them. Therefor there should be no more use of GMOs in

No scientific consensus has proven on GMO safety. Eating GMO corn and consuming trace levels of Monsanto's Roundup chemical fertilizer caused rats to develop horrifying tumors, widespread organ damage, and premature death. That's the conclusion of a shocking new study that looked at the long-term effects of consuming Monsanto's genetically modified corn. Those rats became so fat that I could not tell where the paws were. I hate rats but when I looked at that poor animal-it just hurt. “ Many of the genetically modified foods will be safe I’m sure. Will most of them be safe? Nobody knows.” says Jeremy Rifkin. Even critics of GMO food is untested the long term effects unknown. Animas have been dying of organ change after eating GMO foods. We’ve all seen science fiction movies that feature monsters created when lab experiments go wrong. What happens if our GM foods turn into “Frankenfoods”? Scientists worry that the process of creating genetically-modified plants could lead to new allergens, carcinogens, nutritional deficiencies, and toxins that we’re unprepared to confront. It’s taken us decades to clean up after toxins like lead and asbestos, and those were known elements. How are we prepared to deal with the side effects of

Furthermore GMO’s also cause a lot of issues for the environment. These crops and their herbicides can harm birds, insects, marine life, and soil organisms. They pollute water and the environment. Most genetically modified crops are herbicide tolerant which means that farmers are able to use herbicides to control the growth of weeds and not damage their own crops. Between 1996 and 2009 US farmers have used 283 million pounds of herbicide. Round up is actually the biggest seller. This creates weeds that are resistant to herbicide and causing farmers to use even more toxic chemicals every year. Therefore GM foods contain residue of toxic

GMOS have been cluttering many parts of the United States for many years but the issues surrounding them have recently made surface. A GMO is a Genetically Modified Organism. In other words, genetically modified means the materials that make up an organism have been altered and artificially engineered somewhere in a laboratory. Scientists create what can be called the ‘ultimate plant’ which are able to sustain life outside normal conditions that make organic plants susceptible to death. In most all cases GMOS are created to sustain the application of a herbicide or other chemicals. It is a more efficient way to get the most out of what nature gives. Some companies who produce GMOS

GMO’s are very unhealthy. They cause organ damage to animals, gastrointestinal, and immune system disorders that are accelerated and infertility. From GMO’s, genetically modified food can leave material inside us, possibly causing long term problems. It can transfer into DNA of bacteria living inside us, called toxic insecticide. The health problems were increased after GMO’s were introduced in 1996. Any percent of Americans with 3 or more Chronic illnesses went from 7% to 13% in 9 years.The food allergies gained, and disorders like Autism,

Genetically modified organisms is a topic that has been hotly debated for many years; stemming from the central question of the future legality of GMOs, the question rages whether GMOs are the key to alleviating several of the world’s struggles or if they are too riddled with dangerous ramifications. Advocates argue GMOs offer positive health effects. Additionally, they insist GMOs offer improved crop yield; nevertheless, opponents claim GMOs cause adverse health effects like increases in allergic reactions. Similarly, opponents maintain GMOs harm the environment through increased dependence on the use of herbicides. Some experts argue

While there isn’t a consensus on whether genetically modified crops are dangerous to human health there has been an increase in the amount of research that has been done with genetically modified crops. With GMO technology scientists have the ability to insert genes that would allow crops to increase yields, grow in more diverse climates, and even have increased nutritional values. If these technologies become reality then the stress that agriculture puts on the environment could be reduced. Useable farmland is also decreasing from erosion, increasing salinity, and a decline in soil fertility GMO crops could be a viable solution to increase food production and decrease the amount of land required to farm crops. (Ritzer & Dean, 2015) Though without the long term studies being performed by independent scientists people like Stephen Trinkaus owner of Terra Organica are worried that, while GMO’s haven’t caused anyone to get sick directly, they could still be linked to the increase in allergies and

There are many opinions on GMOs, many of which are bad. But, most opinions cannot be supported because of the limited information we have on GMOs. Still, I have collected the information that we do have and concluded that GMOs are good and should be used more often. This is because GMOs reduce pesticide use, GMOs can provide vaccines, proteins, and other pharmaceutical goods, and lastly, GMOs can provide food to prevent allergies. Although there is a big debate on whether GMOs are good or bad for you, with the limited information we have, I have chosen the most valuable reasons to support that GMOs are good.

According to the World Health Organization (2014. 1), "Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be defined as organisms (i.e. plants, animals or microorganisms) in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination. The technology is often called 'modern biotechnology ' or 'gene technology ', sometimes also 'recombinant DNA technology ' or 'genetic engineering '. Foods produced from or using GM organisms are often referred to as GM foods.” Many organic crops farming farmers are against cultivating of GM crops because of the threat to farm land and environment however, biotechnology companies and GM crops growing famer desire to have profit and consumer look for low price. Thus, the debate over the environmental impact of genetically modified GM crops is growing. Although GM crops negatively affects on some organism in environment, they reduce the use of pesticides and increase crop yield.