What Are Genetically Modified Organisms?

Genetic modified organisms, or GMOs, are living organisms that, through the genetic engineering process, have been altered to withstand certain chemicals and increase the nutritional value of the product. In fact, the majority of the foods found at the grocery store are genetically altered. Genetic modification is becoming increasingly popular on farms throughout the United States and moving into other parts of the world due to their increasing yield capabilities and pest and weed control. However, this has been, and continues to be, an extremely controversial topic of discussion in the world of agriculture and biotechnology, as well as health food critics, because of potential environmental and health risks.

As said before, GMOs are genetically modified organisms, and can be dangerous, so experts say. They say that the GMO process causes diseases such as cancer or diabetes, and some also say that GM foods can cause allergic reactions. They are saying this because, as they have discovered, some companies have mixed protein from nuts and inserted into beans, which can be harmful

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.

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

GMO’s have been around for a long time, creating discussions and controversies throughout certain location around the world. gmoinside.org concurs that GMO’s have been sold in

Genetically Modified Organism or GMO is an organism that has been altered genetically. There are many possibilities for altering an organism such as growing conditions, quantity, or even scientific breakthroughs. Many choose a side over this heated debate, whether GMOs are safe or if they are harmful to humans. Currently about two-thirds of all items in the supermarket is GMO(Corn The Miracle Crop). GMO promise increase crop yields, lower costs, and less herbicides and pesticides. Altering the organisms genetics could negatively affect the organism resulting in an unstable product. Researchers have found that an unstable product can result in poor crop production, decrease in nutritional value, toxic and

In contrast, the counter argument claims that GMOs are unsafe for human consumption. However, GMOs actually improve human health by reducing the amount of pesticides needed for successful crop production. With the use of GMOs in crop production, the amount of pesticide and herbicide application has decreased. To resume, successful crop production is essential to a farmer’s success, which could be why over 18 million farmers throughout the world utilize GMOs. The successful production of crops can be achieved by genetically modifying crops with resistance against insects, weeds, and other threats. Resistance to different stressors has reduced pesticide applications by 8.1 percent. Additionally, crops that are modified to be resistant to specific

The increase in world population and farmable land slowly diminishing has created a global concern about how the world will be able to produce enough food and crops to feed the thriving population. The use of pesticides has become more common as the population thrives, pesticides are used to control pests such as insects, bacteria, fungi, and rodents. Although the EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, makes sure that all pesticides used in food and crops is safe; Environmentalists are concerned about whether these pesticides are overused and will have any negative effect on humans or the environment as time progresses. The solution to the overuse of pesticides and sufficient food became another controversial issue, the use of GMOs on food and crops. GMOs are Genetically modified Organisms or crops that have had their DNA altered or modified through genetic engineering by individuals in the biotechnology field. The process of genetically modifying organisms or crops is done in a lab, one being for example the modification of corn, 85% of corn growth in the United States is genetically modified (Huffington Post, 2014). In reality, much of what we eat everyday in genetically modified in some type of way.

Most developed nations do not consider GMOs to be safe. 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. In the U.S., the government has approved GMOs based on studies conducted by

There is a general scientific agreement that food from genetically modified crops is not inherently riskier to human health than conventional food, but should be tested on a case-by-case basis.[138][139][140][141] No reports of ill effects have been proven in the human population from ingesting GM food.[138][142][143][144] Although labeling of GMO products in the marketplace is required in many countries, it is not required in the United States and no distinction between marketed GMO and non-GMO foods is recognized by the US FDA. In a May 2014 article

GMO’s are extremely unhealthy for humans to intake. Studies have shown that numerous health problems increased after GMOS were introduced in 1996. Smith states, “The percentage of Americans with

The introduction of Genetically Modified Organisms, also known as GMOs, has dramatically affected the world’s food and drug markets. Plants can now produce more food, protect themselves from pests, and survive the harsh chemicals used to kill weeds (Driessen/Charles). Unfortunately, GMOs have many negative consequences. They can harm humans through unintentional toxins created by complications of the engineering process. Some GMOs produce pesticides, which may lead to the creation of pesticide-resistant super-species, potentially causing a catastrophic ecological disaster (Mercola). Genetically Modified Organisms may also have a negative impact on the world economy. GMOs need more testing and refinement before allowing them into the world’s food because they have the potential to harm human health, destroy the world’s agricultural economy, and cause a worldwide environmental catastrophe.

What are genetically-modified foods? The term GM foods or GMOs (genetically-modified organisms) is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques. These plants have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. The enhancement of desired traits has traditionally been undertaken through breeding, but conventional plant breeding methods can be very time consuming and are often not very accurate. Genetic engineering, on the other hand, can create plants with the exact desired trait very rapidly and with great accuracy. Not only can genes be transferred from one plant to

Because richer nations don’t currently need GMOs it is easy to denounce them under any possibility that they could be harmful. Because developed nations are not as affected, they would rather just avoid and condemn GMOs seemingly without consequence due to any potential risk rather than actually analyze and evaluate the harmful effects. There are, however, consequences that often go unnoticed in poor nations where the efficiency of GMO crops is crucial to feeding their explosive population growth. Rather than blindly condemn all GMOs, it is important to clarify misconceptions about GMOs so that the debate can shift focus to the extent of screening and testing that should be conducted before approving a GMO product for human consumption.

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.