This paper is about placing the health of US citizens where it belongs, above the interests
of corporate America. Today the food industry is controlled by a few large multi-
national corporations, whose mission is to create profits for their shareholders.
Profit itself is not bad and profit is not the issue, businesses are supposed to make money;
But they do have an obligation to society to create products that do not harm people,
animals, or our environment. According to the Coordinated Framework for Regulation
of Biotechnology, “Along with the National Institute of Health, the Food and Drug
Administration and the Department of Agriculture, the EPA regulates the biotechnology
industry to determine the condition under which its products may be used.” (Coordinated
Framework for Regulation of Biotechnology, 1986).
These government agencies are here to protect Americans and to ensure that products,
especially those used for human consumption, are safe, have been vigorously and
repeatedly tested, and validated by independent organizations; some tests
continue for years in order to fully understand the long term impact. The issues
arise when the lines between our “trusted” governmental agencies and private interests
blur, as in the case of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
The Monsanto Company, for example, is a producer of GMO seeds and over the past few
decades, according to Genetic Genie (1995) “at least seven high-ranking FDA employees
have an employment history with Monsanto. Michael Taylor, currently the deputy
commissioner of the Office of Foods, was the deputy commissioner for Policy within the
FDA in the mid ’90s. While employed with Monsanto, Mr. Taylor served as legal
council and a...
... middle of paper ...
...r our families while
promoting their political agenda. We need to take the power back and hold our
elected officials accountable, stage protests, write letters, blogs, tweet, refuse to buy
GMO products, call our supermarkets, write them, vote etc. If our elected officials won’t
vote for the rights of the American people, we need to tell them we will vote them right
out of office.
Works Cited
1. Office of Science and Technology Policy, (1986, June 26) Retrieved from Coordinated Framework for Regulation of Biotechnology, 51, Federal Register
2. http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/conflict+of+interest
3. (2000, January 25) Retrieved from http://www.peer.org/assets/docs/whitepapers/1995_genetic_genie.pdf, pg 20
4. Pollack, Andrew (2009, February 19) Retrieved from http://www.wiser.org/resource/view/35a6b573560ed217dc3023b9c8de8027
The first claim, made by the bioengineering companies creating the GMOs, is that the products are "resistan[t] to insects or viruses, toleran[t] [of] certain herbicides and [have] nutritionally enhanced quality" (Maghari 2). With resistance against pests and tolerance to harsher pesticides, bioengineers claim to be creating a super food that requires less maintenance and costs less. In fact, for many developing countries, this seems a promising start to the end of w...
November 6, 2013: “Voters Reject Labels for Genetically Engineered Food in Washington State Today” - The New York Times. June 4, 2013: “Monsanto Sued Over Genetically Modified Wheat” - USA Today. November 4, 2013: “Washington Voters Weigh The Ethics of Genetically Modified Foods” - The Washington Post.
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.
The first and most obvious supporters of GM products are the biotech companies who produce and patent GM products. The industry leader in the field is undoubtedly Monsanto, who has developed many of the major GM seeds, such as the entire line of "Roundup Ready" products and "Bollgard" Cotton. In dealing with GM foods, Monsanto and companies like it must aspire for two things, a healthy bottom line (i.e. profits) and a...
Monsanto is one of the largest genetically modified seed companies with sales over $11.8 billion to date. Founded in 1901 in St Louis Missouri, by John F. Queeny, the first product that this company produced was an artificial sweetener named saccharine that is sold to the Coca-Cola company. From there, the company went into chemical manufacturing where they came under scrutiny and a lawsuit for the chemical Agent Orange that was used during the Vietnam war. After this and years of battling bad PR for dumping toxic waste and chemicals containing PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) into the environment via creeks and landfills, the company has since made itself to the position that it finds itself today. While GM (Genetically modified) foods are
Are genetically modified foods safe? Genetically modified foods are crop plants created for human or animal consumption using molecular biological techniques. These plants have been modified to enhance certain traits like increased resistance to herbicides or improve nutritional content. This process traditionally has been done through breeding, but is not very accurate. Scientists have been using biotechnology to implant the gene that makes the plants act the way they want them to. Genetically modified foods have advantages and disadvantages on the environment and advantages and disadvantages on society. We have to weigh the positives and negatives to see if genetically modified foods are healthy for us and if we really need them.
“Civilization rests on people’s ability to modify plants to make them more suitable as food, feed and fiber plants and all of these modifications are genetic” (American Association 1). This quote from the article “Statement by the AAAS Board of Directors On Labeling of Genetically Modified Foods” expresses that fact that humans have used the favorable genes of plants since the days of Gregor Mendel, the father of genetics. When plants exhibited a desirable trait, they were bred together so that more of the offspring would have that trait. Genetic Modification is manipulating the genome of the plant, but humans have been doing that for years. Modifying the genes is a more precise way to do this. Genetic Modification improves food and is safe.
Genetic modification (GM), also known as genetic engineering and recombinant DNA technology, is a process that involves combining DNA, and later inserting the newly recombined DNA into cells to be expressed through protein synthesis. The use of this technology in food can result in both positive and negative consequences. Genetic modification of food can aid first world countries by improving the economy and increasing food supplies, and third world countries, by resolving the issue of nutrient deficiency. In spite of that, genetic modification of food can also have negative effects. These include disruption of the food chain and biodiversity, the production of new, unfamiliar allergens, and even economical decline. Currently, genetically modified food is permitted for use and importation in Australia (Benefits of gene technology, n.d.), which raises the question, whether the genetic modification of food can only have positive outcomes for today’s consumers.
From the Flavr Savr ™ tomato to the more recent genetically modified corn, genetic engineering has been around for about 20 years. Now, do you really know what GMOs (genetically modified organisms) are? Do you understand both the pros and the cons are? Are you positive that GMOs mat or may not affect your health or the enviroment? If you answered no to any of these questions I strongly suggest you continue reading.
Genetically engineered goods are a huge controversy in the United States. There has been a lot of conflict between different groups about whether or not genetically engineered foods should be so widely sold or at least not labeled. There are many people on both sides of the argument that have given great insight as to what genetically engineered foods can do for/to people. Those that are in favor of genetically modified food say that it allows for farmers to have a less risky harvest and this can then lead to producing more food for a higher population.
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.
Lead GMO seed producer Monsanto Company is reflected among the top four companies in the industry. The actions taken by Monsanto generally benefit producers and suppliers that distribute the company’s GMO products. The introduction of Monsanto GMO seeds has resulted in a price decrease for major agricultural goods (Phillips, 2014). Further, the company has taken action to increase entrance barriers in the agricultural and GMO markets. These actions included suing farmers for infringing upon seed patents when the seeds from a GM plant contaminate the lands of nearby farmers and adopting a competitive pricing strategy that undercuts the prices of non-GMO producers (Phillips, 2014). The barriers developed by Monsanto and biotech firms reduce the opportunity for market entrants to successfully effect supply and
Some of the big producers of GMOs are Monsanto, Dow, Bayer, Syngenth, and Dupont. Not only are these companies producing genetically
“GMO seeds are used in 90 percent of corn, soybeans and cotton grown in the United States,