Ventria's Argument For The Production Of Genetically Modified Rice

How can genetically modified food affect our society? GMOs are crops which have been scientifically manipulated to receive certain results. The United States proves their commitment to this movement, as their grocery shelves are filled with them. However, not many stand with the U.S., as many countries have banned biotech foods because of their risks. Genetically modified foods are a risk to our society as they may contaminate other productions, but they resist weather patterns; they lack the necessary tests to provide information about their possible dangers, however they are envisioned to be a solution to many health issues; furthermore, they dominate the food industry by not allowing variety, but on the other hand, GMOs may help future issues of food shortages.

Are you wearing a cotton shirt? What if I told you that cotton is genetically modified? There are many products that have been genetically modified for over 20 years, but there are a group of people that have just started worrying about it now. The definition of a GMO is to genetically modifying an organism to improve on the genetics already in the organism. Despite what people think GMO’s are safe for humans to eat and don't cause any human health risks.

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.

Stakeholders might propose to Ventria to plant rice elsewhere far from Sacramento valley with the same conditions (soil, seeds, weather..) and same techniques used in California, or even plant the GM rice in close area like greenhouse to avoid contamination.

In a perfect world, what would everyone have? Well, they most likely would have good health, money, stability, and proper environment to live very productive lives. This is what people strive to have, but very few receive. Why? There are many reasons. One reason might be the lack of agricultural advancement in many countries. If these countries were to embrace genetically modified crops, the citizens would have much better lives. According to Osakabe, Yuriko, Kajita, and Osakabe, in their article “Genetic Engineering Of Woody Plants: Current And Future Targets In A Stressful Environment”, genetic engineering in plants is better than traditional breeding methods because “…they bypass the long generation for breeding…” (106).

People nourish themselves by consuming three meals each day. Eating is essential for survival, but what is actually in food we eat? Many are oblivious to that. People should be very informed to what is actually going into their gastrointestinal system because it significantly impacts their health, and it can between life or death. Gone are the days when people saw every step of how their food was manufactured until it got onto their table to eat. With increased human population on Earth, consequently, mass production is ubiquitous. The commonality of mass production, has led to genetically modified foods. Genetically modified foods are foods that have been genetically engineered to produce effects that make them more desirable. It is also worth noting, that GMOs are not on food labeled when sold to the public. Many people are unaware of genetically modified foods as they have significant negative effects on humans in conjunction and the environment.

Those who support genetically modified foods strengthen their position by claiming a decent amount of benefits the biotechnology creates. Deborah B. Whitman, a master of biotechnology from The Johns Hopkins University, attended a Food and Drug Administration meeting held in November 1999 in Washington, D.C., that discussed many benefits involved in genetically modified foods. In his article Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?, he summarized how genetically modified foods are disease-resistant and can help in human’s nutrition. Well-grown genetically modified foods can alleviate nutrient deficiencies in third world countries where impoverished people rely on a single crop such as rice. Besides these benefits in health, genetically modified foods contain genes expressing herbicide tolerance and pest resistance, which help prevent environmental damage and reduce the production cost by reducing the amount of herbicides and pesticides needed. Our health and the environment are crucial components of our lives; they are what people have always been concerned about. Many people improve the quality of their lives by looking for and obtaining genetically modified products. If genetically modified crops did not actually offer improvements to people’s lives, the product's sales would decrease and lose popularity among consumers. Nevertheless, the opponents' concern of genetically modified food is right in regards to the chance

I strongly agree with Howard’s opinion that there is no way can help Ventria to stay in California. If they try to fight for approval, although their purpose of saving diarrhea infected children may influence the public’s decision, the catastrophic consequences of commingling of the genetically modified rice with traditional rice and the high profits of the genetically modified rice will result in most of people against them. Meanwhile, the use of the genetically modified rice is to treat diarrhea but very few children in United State are infected by this disease and most of diarrhea patients are in developing countries. Thus, it raise questions: Why do Ventria put United States in high risk to save children in Africa or Asia? Why don’t plant

If these relevant stakeholders were to have a dialogue, many opinions on how to reestablish the company’s protocol would be said. Specifically, strategies how to get pass the regulation issues and gain the approval of different advocates. They will need to figure out a way to address their potential risk. Environmental and consumer groups feel as though Ventria will contaminate other rice crops. If GM crops were to contaminate other crops, California will be at risk of losing Japanese

Deeter and Ventria are trying to get approval for commercializing pharmaceutical plants to produce medical proteins in rice. They are looking to expand beyond 50 acers to 120 in 2004. Therefore, they are subject to the CRC and Rice certification Act board. The first issue is outside critics. Per our text, the four advocacy organizations (friends of earth, center of food safety, the consumer union, and the environment California) produced a report addressing their concerns reporting to The California food and agriculture, The California EPA, California Health services and the public. The report stated that the first issue of concern was contamination of food rice. These groups do not want the rice that humans eat to be genetically altered by pharmaceutical rice. The contamination and cross polarization can occur by birds, insects, water fowl, and weather. Deeter and Ventria had no plans or protection to combat this issue. If these situations were to happen, they could cause hazardous human health issues. The consequences could be infections/diseases, allergies, stomach cancers, ulcers, resistance of digestion and immune system disorders and responses. The last issue addressed by this report was critical environmental consequences by accidentally cross-breading to produce a “super weed” promoting the spread of such.

The environmental groups were interested in Ventria because they didn’t want Ventria’s actions to have any impact on the world. They have put a lot of hard work into making our environment a better place, and the last thing they want is to have companies like Ventria mess it up. Ventria has to abide by 3 organizations, in order to go along with their plans, and one of them is an environmental organization. So the environment clearly holds a lot of power. The next group is the consumer groups. Their interest in Ventria relates to the contamination. They do not want what Ventria is doing to contaminate food for men and animals. There are been previous instances where plants from the man-made medicine has gotten in with food grown for humans. That was definitely a huge deal, and they also have great power because these type things fall in line with the FDA, another organization that has to approve of Ventria’s plans. Finally, the farmers. The farmers have the most to lose I think with Ventria. Farmers grow their rice, and mostly export it out. One of their biggest clients is Japan. Japan has made it very clear that if they even think for a second, or find out that the U.S. is participation is man-made pharmaceuticals in plants, they will back out and stop buying from the US. This will hurt the farmers, because it will essentially take them out of business, or cause a lot of

The groups that have a stake in Ventria’s actions are its investors, government agencies, environmental groups, rice farmers, consumers who eat the rice and the consumers who will benefit from the genetically engineered rice. The investors have the money and the means to agree to any concessions they can to get approval for their rice. The rice farmers and environmental agencies do not want this to be approved so they are fighting and trying to persuade the government agencies not to approve

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

For the last several decades, the world has been plagued by widespread starvation and poverty. Economies are failing in numerous countries, and developing nations struggle to feed their inhabitants. As a result of the world’s mounting overpopulation, food has become scarce and resources are rapidly dwindling. However, modern science has provided a solution: agricultural biotechnology. Genetically engineered crops represent the bright future of agriculture. Crops like cotton, corn, and soybeans can have genes inserted or deleted into their cell membranes; this modification facilitates pest and virus resistance, drought tolerance, and even provides nutritional enhancement. Genetically altered crops produce much higher

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.