Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO/s) have evolved enormously during the last decade. With the evolution of GMOs, comes the natural argument for and against them. Most of the arguments that are taking place are directed towards the health of human beings. It is still unsure what the long-term effects of consuming GMOs will have on humans, but only time will tell (Nodoushani, Sintay, & Stewart, 2015, p. 139). Other arguments that are being made are the effects that GMOs will have on the environment as well as the argument of requiring labeling of all Genetically Modified Foods. In this paper, I will discuss the benefits of Genetically Modified Organisms which include the health benefits, environmental benefits and the benefits of labeling, …show more content…
I will also discuss the concerns for GMOs which include human health, environmental concerns and labeling as well. One of the biggest arguments that is circulating about GMOs, like stated before, is the health concerns of humans.
According to Health Research Funding (HRF) (2013), there is a high risk for humans to develop a food allergy that they had not had before. This raises concerns because if a person develops a reaction to a specific food and then consumes meat from an animal that has consumed that same food, then the human may have an allergic reaction from the residue that is in the meat. Another fear that has developed in humans is the possibility that new disease may be created using GMOs (Murnaghan, 2017). This is a concern because most GMOs are created with some bacteria and/or viruses. People believe that the bacteria and viruses that are used in the GMOs will combine to create a new disease which may become extremely harmful. The third concern about human health is the efficiency of antibiotics. Joshua Duvauchelle (2014) stated in his article that some GMOs have antibiotics in them. The antibiotics are placed in the GMOs to help them be resistant to diseases (Duvauchelle, 2014). It is believed by Iowa State University, that if a person consumes enough of a GMO that contains the same antibiotic repeatedly, then that person’s body will become resistant to the antibiotic
(Duvauchelle, 2014). If the person was to become sick and their doctor was to prescribe the same antibiotic medication that was in the GMO, then the medication would not be effective (Duvauchelle, 2014). I believe that people are concerned about this because there is already a concern about people building a resistant to medications. This will only make matters worse for patients. The final concern about the health of humans is that no one is sure of any long-term effects that GMOs will have on humans. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) tried to conduct a long-term study about GMOs but stated: “that it is not feasible to assess long-term effects of GMOs because it is so difficult to assemble a control group without labels on GM food.” (Bashshur, 2013). A control group is a group of people in a study that does not receive the same treatment as the other group. For the GAO to efficiently conduct this long-term study, they would need to gather a control group that consisted of people who had not consumer any GMOs. This is an almost impossible task since people consume GMOs without knowing that they are. This study will most likely never be able to be conducted since almost everyone had consumed a GMO at some point. The population must wait until someone has symptoms which can be traced back to the consumption of GMOs.
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.
Do you know what you're really voting for? Iowan farmer Reg Clause suggests you may not in his column, “Say ‘no’ to GMO labeling.” Reminding readers that general election day has come, he attempts to convince us that a certain law should be voted against. The proposed legislation would mandate all foods that contain genetically modified organisms, also know as GMOs, to display a warning label on their packaging. He argues that this would be detrimental to the good name of these types of foods when they do not deserve to be shamed. I agree that the genetically engineered crops should not be labeled, but not because that would tarnish their name. However, the reasoning for my opinion comes from the perspective that it would not only be impractical
GMO`s are starting to rapidly take over our food supply, but what exactly is a GMO? A GMO is a make up of DNA that is combined forcefully with a plant or animals DNA, and creates a new version of it. Seeing these products sold in stores for the first time people question what the change is from the natural, and organics, because when someone reads GMO they wonder if it is healthy and safe to consume.
According to an article titled “Genetically Modified Foods Eaten” regularly by Linda A. Johnson today, essentially 40% of the foods we eat are genetically modified, unless you eat organic foods and/or you grow your own. Most products containing corn, soil, canola oil, or cottonseed oil contain genetic modification. One of the biggest genetic modification company is Monsanto (Johnson). She goes on to say many Americans don’t even know they are consuming genetically engineered foods. In “Genetically Modified Foods Confuse Consumers” by Mary Clare Jalonick writing in the Washington Times, has talked about how this is because the FDA does not require them to be labeled. Jalonick has said, “Genetically modified foods are plants or animals that have
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.
Stop and think about your food before letting it enter your body. Is it safe? Is it good for me? Well, if you find yourself stuck in one of those situations where you can’t decide whether GM foods are good for you or bad, you’ve come to the right place. GM crops can be dangerous for you because the allergies it can give you. These GM crops are organisms that have been inserted with genes to make them look better for you, but remember, you can’t judge a book by its cover. These “delicious” looking crops can look like the best crops you ever laid eyes on, but on the inside it can cause you to get allergies that can cause you to rethink, is this really good for me? Research shows in the article, “GMOs and Genetically Modified Foods Risks and Dangers of GMOs”, that, “This can create an overproduction of allergens, toxins, carcinogens, or antinutrients.” This disseminates with clarity that GM crops can create many different allergens a...
The term GM foods or GMO (genetically-modified organisms) is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques (Whitman, 2000). These plants have been modified in the laboratory to offer desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. Also, genetic engineering techniques have been applied to create plants with the exact desired trait very rapidly and accurately. For example, this is done by the geneticist isolating the gene responsible for drought tolerance and inserts it into another plant. The new genetically-modified plant will now have gained drought tolerance as well.
GMOs can also bear consequences in terms of genetic pollution and alteration, from contamination and mutation to adaptation to evolution to species extinction. Indeed, some claims are not well supported and may require testing, like genetic alteration through consumption or the validity of correlating animal health deficits with GM feeds. However, overall, GM foods clearly affect the world negatively in terms of biodiversity and ecosystem impacts. With all of the controversy surrounding GMO foods: health versus biodiversity; benefits versus dangers; pros versus cons, a topic that always arises is the subject of labeling. Labeling has been a matter of discussion for years and surprisingly, it is a hot debate that is still full of life.
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.
In this day and age, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) have become a topic of large interest in the media. GMOs are defined as an organism whose genetic structure has been altered by incorporating a gene that will express a desirable trait (Dresbach et al. al. 2013). Often times, these traits that are selected are either beneficial to the consumer or producer. Currently, GMOs are being created at a higher rate than ever before and are being used in the foods that we eat.
Consuming foods that have been genetically altered have serious health risks based on research done on rats by The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM), an international organization of physicians. Risks include infertility, immune system problems, accelerated aging, disruption of insulin and cholesterol regulation, gastrointestinal problems and organ damage. Many AAEM physicians have prescribed non-GMO diets for all patients to improve health conditions. Jeffrey M. Smith, an advocate for non-GMO, says scientific research shows the link of GM food to thousands of sick, sterile, and dead livestock; thousands of toxic and allergic reactions in humans; and damage t...
In conclusion, the application of genetically modified food has a lot of pros and cons. There is so much disagreement about the benefits and risks of GM because there are so many different views surrounding it. This issue is very important today because it will change our future. How would the world be when every single living creature will be in some aspect genetically modified? Would we be more resistant to illness? Or would we be weaker and more vulnerable to diseases? Would this be the beginning of the mutant era? Regardless of the answers to these questions, we will need to consider the implications of genetically modified foods.
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are a cause of continuous debate. What would be the purpose of producing genetically altered food? Many argue that GMOs could prove to be very beneficial, the use of GMOs could lead to advances in medicine, and agriculture, and they could also prevent famine in poor underdeveloped countries. Genetic modification offers many benefits: pest control, disease resistant crops, drought resistant crops, no use of insecticides, nutritional beneficial foods, and less contamination. This is only a short list of the many benefits offered by the used of GMOs. With so many benefits why are we opposed to such a miracle? (NERC 2005)
“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.
LaMar T Waters GMO Controversy 6/5/2017 Nutrition | SC104 Instructor: Susan Sampson GMO (Genetically Modified Organism). My Controversy is about the benefits and risks of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). All of the GMOs are those materials/organisms that have had their DNA or molecular structures genetically modified using genetic engineering techniques. Most GMOs have in some way had their genetic structure altered, some of these may be in the form of plants, animals, bacteria and some virus’s.