As society continues to evolve, and progress so do the needs of the population. New advancements in biotechnology, particularly the use of genetically modified organisms (GMO) have become a controversial topic in the early 21st century. What makes it controversial is that the process involves an organism whose genetic material has been modified due to genetic engineering techniques. Technology is used to alter the makeup of organisms such as animals, plants, or bacteria. GMO's are the source of many modified foods and are used widely in scientific research to produce other goods as well. (Wald, 2013) The controversy lies within the ethics, legal and social prospects.
The use of genetically modified food has caused many to rethink their moral principles. The University of Washington's IMPACT Center conducted a survey aimed at poverty ridden countries such as Mexico, Chile, and India, focusing on the attitude toward GM crops. The survey included both poor and affluent demographics. In Chile and Mexico, 70% of participants said they were willing to purchase GM food if contained vitamins or nutrients, or used fewer pesticides. In India, 88% of participants stated that they would buy GM foods. (Ling, 2013) There is a definite need for food resources but there are concerns about the use of GM foods. These foods may cause antibiotic resistance in people who consume the pesticide containing food, and an increased risk of cancer, gastrointestinal disease and other autoimmune problems. (Wald, 2013) The question needs to be asked, are terminal illnesses worth the risk of consuming GM food? The cons overshadow the benefits of GM foods. In 2006, 97% of the global crops were grown with transgenic genes. The United States grew 53%...
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...ifferently than men?" International Journal of Business, Marketing, and Decision Sciences [IJBMDS] 6.1 (2013): 62+. Academic OneFile. Web. 28 Nov. 2013.
Schonwald, Josh. "Engineering the future of food: tomorrow's genetically modified food and farmed fish will be more sustainable and far healthier than much of what we eat today--if we can overcome our fears and embrace it. Here's how one foodie learned to stop worrying and love 'Frankenfood.'." The Futurist May-June 2012: 24+. General OneFile. Web. 29 Nov. 2013.
Wald, Micahael. "GMO-genetically modified organisms dangerous or necessary?" Original Internist Sept. 2013: 129+. General OneFile. Web. 28 Nov. 2013.
Whitman , Deborah. "Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?." Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?. ProQuest, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2013. .
Food is an essential part of everyday life without it one could not survive. Every day we make choices on what we put in to our bodies. There are countless varieties of food to choose from to meet the diverse tastes of the increasing population. Almost all food requires a label explaining the ingredients and the nutritional value allowing consumers to make informed decisions on what they are consuming. However, many may not be considering where that food is coming from or how it has been produced. Unfortunately, there is more to food than meets the eye. Since 1992, “ the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ruled, based on woefully limited data, that genetically modified foods were ‘substantially equivalent’ to their non-GM counterparts” (Why to Support Labeling). GM food advocates have promised to create more nutritious food that will be able to grow in harsh climate conditions and eventually put an end to world hunger in anticipation of the growing population. There is very little evidence to support these claims and study after study has proven just the opposite. GM crops are not only unsafe to consume, but their growing practices are harmful to the environment, and multinational corporations are putting farmers out of business.
Should you worry about GMOs? (2013). Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter, 31(9), 4-5. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1458270646?accountid=39340
Whitman, Deborah. "Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?". Cambridge Scientific Abstracts. Available online at http://www.csa.com/hottopics/gmfood/overview.html. Accessed November 9, 2003.
Genetically modified food’s, or GMOs, goal is to feed the world's malnourished and undernourished population. Exploring the positive side to GMOs paints a wondrous picture for our planet’s future, although careful steps must be taken to ensure that destruction of our ecosystems do not occur. When GMOs were first introduced into the consumer market they claimed that they would help eliminate the world’s food crisis by providing plants that produced more and were resistant to elemental impacts like droughts and bacterial contaminants, however, production isn’t the only cause for the world’s food crisis. Which is a cause for concern because the population on the earth is growing and our land and ways of agriculture will not be enough to feed everyone sufficiently. No simple solutions can be found or applied when there are so many lives involved. Those who are hungry and those who are over fed, alike, have to consider the consequences of Genetically Modified Organisms. Food should not be treated like a commodity it is a human necessity on the most basic of levels. When egos, hidden agendas, and personal gains are folded into people's food sources no one wins. As in many things of life, there is no true right way or wrong way to handle either of the arguments and so many factors are involved that a ‘simple’ solution is simply not an option.
Everyday science and new technology are digging their roots deeper into society. Biotechnology is expanding continuously with new fields of research. Genetic engineering has swallowed today’s world and many people don’t even realize it. Genetically modified foods are in our diets and on the shelves in the supermarket. We are being introduced to new types of food, ones that are more healthy and fresh than before. This modifying process is taking place in biotechnical laboratories all over the world, where scientists study which genes are strong and which ones are weak. They then slice and dice these genes, sandwich them in any order, and pack them “to go”.
In areas of the world where malnutrition is an enormous problem and countless die every day, genetically modified foods can help. For example white rice has been modified to contain more vitamin A and labeled “golden rice” to save the lives of those who have a vitamin A deficiency. 40% of children under five in developing countries have this deficiency and 12 million of them lose their life every year (Potrykus). It is fair to say people from these developing countries in Southeast Asia will not be protesting GMOs anytime
“Genetically modified foods are a "Pandora's box" of known and unknown risks to humans and the environment. They have been forced onto the American public by multinational biotech and agribusiness corporations without adequate oversight and regulation by the United States government (Driscoll, SallyMorley, David C).”Genetically Modified Food is food which has been chemically altered by scientists during the production process to give the food more nutrients, better appearance, and a longer shelf-life (Rich, Alex K.Warhol, Tom). The importance of this issue is that these GMO’s can actually have a negative effect in our society in general. It could mutate in a negative way and cause cancer or other diseases. Genetically modified food should be strictly controlled due to its various detrimental effects on the environment, human health, and potentially insect/animal effects.
How many of you hear the words “genetically modified food” and immediately think “BAD”? How many of you scorn the idea that genetically modified foods are useful? How many of you have been manipulated by the media to think that all biotechnology is evil? Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are organisms that have been genetically spliced to achieve a certain trait. As the demand for a larger food supply is increasing due to population growth, the benefits that GMO foods provide are being hailed as the only solution to the food crisis. However, many people are making inadequately informed decisions, and are pushing them to the back shelf. I will inform you on why genetically modified organisms may be the only way to a stable, safe future for the less fortunate.
Genetically modified organisms, a complex substance, have stirred up a global argument that is as equally complex. With people on both sides of the argument, who are firm believers in their opinion, it is hard to choose which opinion to believe in. It is important for the public to understand that “GM technology adds desirable traits from nature, without introducing anything unnatural or using chemicals, so that food is more plentiful” (“The Facts about GMOs”). The everyday person has a common misconception that genetically modified organisms are bad for humans and the environment because of the bad reputation that the non-scientific world gives them. The World Health Organization is cited saying, “Genetically modified foods are “foods derived
Advocates claim that the world may benefit greatly from the production and consumption of GM foods, especially those countries with high rates of poverty and starvation. Experts insist that the GM products will put an end to world hunger. It is estimated that the world population will grow up to 9 billion people in 2050, and a good alternative to feed them is the GM products. Nowadays, in almost all African countries people are dying because of hunger and hunger-related diseases. The estimate of life expectation in these countries is fifty seven years old, and it will decrease to forty seven in 2020 (kwengwere 2-3). The governments of these countries are battling to put a stop to this unfair situation. Experts have said that the best alternative is the implementation of GM cultures in Africa; it will reduce the deaths, increase the life expectations and nourish the whole continent (Forsberg 1). The future of Africa is uncertain, but it is sure to depend on the hands of GM p...
Genetically modified foods are a controversial subject in today’s society. A genetically modified food is the result of biotechnological procedures that allow the genetic makeup of a food or organism to be altered in some way. They benefit the human race in many ways but they also pose many risks to the health of humans and the good of the environment. There is currently not enough proof to ensure the safety of these genetically modified products. Consuming these genetically altered and more processed foods can lead to increased
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) are one of the most important issues in the world today. GMOs are organisms that have had their genetic DNA altered for improvements in productivity and quality. Their pros and cons to those who consume them and the economy around them have been weighed heavily for years, with no true answers coming to the surface. With the widespread science of GMOs becoming more abundant, people should know the truth behind what is being done to their food before consumption, to then form their own opinions. However, all bias aside, GMOs do cause harm in many ways, but while benefiting the world in many ways.
Genetically modified (GM) foods have become omnipresent over the past decade. They are a technological breakthrough that allows humans to manipulate and add foreign genes to crops to enhance desired traits, but they have also evolved into a controversial issue, especially for Third World countries. Some people believe that GM foods not only provide larger yields to feed hungry citizens in Third World countries, but they can also be a source of great nutritional value. For example, researchers have developed a strain of golden rice containing high amounts of vitamin A and numerous other vitamins and minerals. Additionally, GM crops are laced with herbicides and pesticides, and therefore reduce the need for chemical consumption. Opponents of GM foods claim that they pose a threat to the health of consumers and that these crops could eventually cross-pollinate in an unregulated fashion or lead to the growth of superweeds and superbugs resistant to the herbicides and pesticides woven into the genetic fiber of the crops. Developed nations should promote research and monitoring from an ethical point of view and financial assistance through philanthropic ventures in order to limit environmental and health risks. They should also make sure that limited cultural displacement will result from the introduction of GM crops and that instead, a better livelihood and well-being through collaboration will emerge. Hence, GM crops should be introduced only provided that the developed nations assume the ethical and financial responsibilities for the environmental, health, and social consequences that attend this new innovation.
Genetically Modified Organisms are one of the most controversial issues facing our world today. GMOs are foods produced from organisms that have had specific changes introduced into their DNA using the methods of genetic engineering for improvement of productivity and product quality. GMOs have raised concerns over whether or not there beneficial or harmful to our health. It is not secret that GMO foods have had a dramatic impact on the world and humans deserve to know how they are not all that they appear to be. GMOs pose a serious threat to our health, lead to serious destruction of the environment and have contaminated organic crops. On the other hand they are resistant to disease, help humans suffering from famine, produce greater yields, and improve the nutrition of foods. In my personal opinion they are more detrimental to our wellbeing then helpful, however they are not completely useless.
Mith, Jeffrey M. Genetically Modified Food Is Not Safe. Genetically Modified Food. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2009. Print.