What does corn, soybeans, and a Big Mac have in common? These products, along with many other foods are some of the most common products containing GMO’s sold today. Many people in the world go about their day not knowing about the products they are eating. What are GMO’s? GMO’s or genetically modified organisms, are living things such as microorganisms, plants, or animals that do not occur naturally. They are the product of genetic engineering, a scientific process that alters the biological makeup of a species, or combines genetic material from one species with that of another species. (DOC: Genetically-Modified Organisms (GMOs).) The reason the companies use genetically modified products is because they have higher resistance against many things such as diseases and harsh which makes it easier to grow without being wiped out.
The usage of genetically modified organisms in food production is a popular reason for outrage. Most people consider this meddling with genetic code to be disgusting or dangerous. Based off of the fact that GMO’s are present in a large amount of our foods, are they considered to safe? Scientific evidence does not show that GMO’s are harmful, however there isn’t any proof of them being completely safe either. Anti- GMO groups believe that humans should not be exposed to organisms that may present unknown risks. These unknown risks have caused some countries to go the extra mile for their people and refuse to get involved with genetically modified foods. 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 GMO. (non-GMO Project)
Advances in technology such as t...
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Union of Concerned Scientists. "Genetically Modified Food Could Harm the Environment." Genetically Engineered Foods. Ed. Nancy Harris. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2003. At Issue. Rpt. from "Risks of Genetic Engineering." 2007. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?query=&prodId=OVIC&contentModules=&displayGroupName=Viewpoints&limiter=&disableHighlighting=false&displayGroups=&sortBy=&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&action=2&catId=&activityType=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010259223&source=Bookmark&u=mcc_glendale&jsid=4fb329ed167b739498be6f01e5a27d8a
If you read the paper or watch the news, you’re undoubtedly aware of the debate raging over genetically modified food. Is it bad or is it good? Between the feuding sides, you might find yourself a little lost and wondering which side is right. Answers to seemingly simple questions have been blurred or exaggerated by both sides. On one side genetically modified food is more sustainable, safe, cheaper, easier to grow and has the potential of creating disease-fighting foods. Although this is positive and good intentioned, there may be unintended consequences that we have been quick to overlook. Those opposing genetically modified food clam that it is dangerous, harms the environment, increases health risks, and causes infertility and weight gain. Even things like the declining bee population may have closer ties to modified food than previously thought. We must look to science for answers. By studying genetically modified organisms (GMOs) we can guide our decision about whether we want to be consuming them.
Genetically modified organisms are “an organism whose genome has been altered in order to favour the expression of desired physiological traits or the output of desired biological products.” http://www.merriam-webster.com/concise/genetically%20modified%20organism%20(gmo). The United States were first approved for human consumption of genetically modified foods in 1995. The techniques used for producing the genetically developed organisms include cloning recombinant DNA technology. Primary uses of genetically modified organisms are mostly in areas of agriculture and biomedical research. GMOs compromise numerous aids to society, including enlarged crop yields and the development of fresh therapeutic agents which prevent and treat a wide variety of human diseases . However there are some concerns around the use of genetically modified organisms which include the risks stood to human health and the initiation of insecticide resistant superbugs. This essay will provide evidence to support the evidence that the genetic modifications of crops produces better results than selective breeding or mutation.
Genetically Modified crops, or GM crops, refer to plants used in agriculture whose DNA has been purposely altered in order to create a better, more efficient outcome. There are many different GM crops being used today, most commonly plants with built in pesticide or chemical resistance, such as BT corn and roundup ready soy. Though you may not know it, most of what you eat has some form of a genetically modified organism in it. The Food and drug administration, also known as the FDA, has stated that companies in the US are not required to inform the consumer on whether or not a food contains any form of a GMO, or a Genetically Modified Organism. This means that you would not necessarily be informed on whether or not the foods you are buying and eating are GM foods. Of course GM foods have to meet the same requirements as any conventional food would, but just because there is no immediate harm to humans, does not mean that there are no consequences at all. This also could suggest that since it is difficult to predict and prove long term effects of using GM crops, companies are just selling these abnormal crops to farmers and assuming that only good things will result. GM Crops may be created with the intention of helping, but there are many ramifications that are continuing to be ignored. These would include negative effects to human life, unintended harm to animals and the environment, and the fact that we are already losing control of the modified plants that we have created.
While many argue that Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO's) are beneficial, it has been proven otherwise. The term GMO is an organism where it's genetic material has been modified through genetic engineering or gene splicing. (NON-GMO PROJECT, 2014) GMO ranges from plants, insects, mammals all the way to micro organisms and bacteria. (EFSA, 2014) GMO's can reduce the need for herbicides and pesticides as well as alter components of food such as nutrients, However, even though GMO's has its benefits such as its resistance to pests and herbicides (Whitman, 2000) the disadvantages outweighs the benefits by far. Genetically Modified Organism are a danger to the human health because GMOs harm the environment and pose a national health risk in addition to economic concerns.
Scientists have been changing genomes of plants and animals by integrating new genes from a different species through genetic engineering, creating a genetically modified organism (GMO). Consumers in America have been eating GMOs since 1996, when they went on the market. There are benefits to genetically modifying crop plants, as it improves the crop quality and increases yield, affecting the economy and developing countries. But there are also negative effects from GMOs. Consumption of GMOs has various health effects on both body systems of animals and humans. GMOs also affect the environment, ecosystems and other animal species. The cons outweigh the pros in the case of GMOs.
GMOs, or genetically modified organisms created in a lab by altering an organism’s DNA, are in almost everything we eat (Chevat and Pollan). In fact, 75% of all supermarket food contains some form of a GMO (Caldwell). They can be engineered to resist disease, pesticides, and herbicides, which has many environmental and human repercussions. Although genetically modified food is cheap for consumers, it is harmful to the environment and it is dangerous for humans to ingest, and therefore needs to be eliminated from our food supply.
The phrase “GMO” used by these anti-GMO groups is actually a misnomer. In fact, humans have been genetically modifying organisms since the beginning of agriculture through artificial selection, allowing the large size and varieties of corn and other crops we see today. The corn we see today is massive in comparison to its ancestors due to our ability to harness selective breeding and use it to our advantage in growing crops. Not only that, the animals we see today have been “genetically modified” to a certain degree in order to produce more milk or lay more eggs or provide more meat, and these animals have most likely eaten genetically modified crops. Therefore, nearly every crop and animal in the market has been “genetically modified.” So, people cannot actually eat non-GMO foods since the crops’ genes have been undergoing changes due to human
GMOs better known as Genetically Modified Organisms or GE (Genetically Engineered) are the product of a process of which allows scientists alter genes of a variety of foreign species such as plants, bacteria or even animals. This can cause unpredictable changes and can be harmful when consumed. GMO puts people as well as the environment at risk, such as destroying the natural food web to causing potential disease and allergies from mixing genes. Disease is one of the main concerns regarding GM foods because of the use of viruses and bacteria that are used. There is a risk of disease developing when consumed by humans. Another main concern is keeping the area with these GM plants contained. Spreading causes contamination in wildlife and land
(Fraiture M.A. et al 2015) GMOs are a large portion of foods sold in supermarkets today with the most common plants being corn, soy bean, canola, and cotton. GMO crops are created by combining DNA from different species and intended to tolerate poor farming conditions. Studies with lab animals have shown multiple organ failures and been associated with adverse reactions and a decrease in livestock. (Fraiture M.A. et al 2015) Studies have been done to prove potential health risks humans may have after consumption. GMOs have helped the economy by saving crops that may not have survived harsh conditions and insect infestation but will we find out human safety concerns too
This assignment is going to be focusing on genetically modified animals. Genetic modification of an animal is where you alter its genetic material by adding changing or removing DNA sequences. The aim of this is to make animals that are more disease resistant and enhances the growth. According to EFSA website it says, “GM technology has already been used for plants and microorganisms. They are used to create new food in the agriculture world. As far as GM microorganism they are created to produce enzymes. Research is now underway to use this type of technology for animals. Safety assessment guidelines have been created by many international organizations for these animals and their products. (European Union, 2013) The list of accomplishments for genetically modified animals includes becoming organ donors, vaccine safety, biological products, to study diseases and to be more disease resistant. Also in some cases such as with mosquitoes they have been used to kill their own kind, which can help cut back on diseases. Some of the principals I found are not necessarily scientific principles but is more ethical principles; however, they can be included as scientific because after all when dealing with things like animals or insects or even human testing there is a lot of ethical principles that are needed to be used. One is to minimize the risk of harm or discomfort to the animals. Another example of uses of the principles is by the ways a genetically modified animal can be produced and the management of these animals. A proposed GM animal must be stable for at least two noncontiguous generations. There must also in some cases have less impact on their wild counterpart. The only exception in this case is those such as GM mosquitoes or b...
Genetically Modified Foods are not suitable regarding safety. Some argue that this is false. They say that GMO’s are beneficial and don’t have any problems concerning safety. They say that there are other things that aren’t any riskier than GMO’s that we eat and we are fine after eating these things (crop plants modified by conventional plant improvement techniques). Also, they say that it is safe and beneficial because it increases food supply and there is not an abundance of definitive information evident to prove that it is harmful. Another thing that people say is that it increases pest and disease resistance. Even though these people certainly have a point, they’ve missed the big picture. They don’t understand how great the impact
“GMO seeds are used in 90 percent of corn, soybeans and cotton grown in the United States,
GMO’s, or Genetically Modified Foods, are the result of a laboratory process where genes from the DNA of one organism are harvested and put into the genes of an unrelated plant or animal. In the 1990s, GMO’s were first introduced and are now used in the majority of processed foods in the United States; while in Europe and elsewhere they are banned as ingredients. GMO’s are more harmful than beneficial and are not the answer to the world’s hunger problem.
Genetically Modified food is a type of DNA technology that is used to alter genes in plants therefore bringing out desirable characteristics that can be combined and selected. Genetically modified food technology can be used for various reasons such as increasing the nutrition and population rates of food all over the world. In underdeveloped countries there is a lack of money to buy food and a limited number of crops they can buy to sustain themselves. Genetic engineering allows scientist to alter gene characteristics to fight malnutrition. An example of this would be the Golden Rice Project. This project has infused beta-carotene into rice plants so that they could produce vitamin A. The vitamin A elevated the vitamin A deficiency and created
Nacci, Giuseppe. “Genetically Modified Food Can Cause Disease.” Genetically Modified Food. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2009. 24-30. Print.