Food Products and Biotechnology

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Food Products and Biotechnology

INTRODUCTION

This paper is about Biotechnology and its use in creating new food products. In researching this paper, I found there is a lot of information on this subject and a lot of debate on the creation of genetically altered food, medicine, crops, and more. I decided to do my paper on the genetically altered food part of the subject. I will discuss what biotechnology is, who is for it and who is against it, and what some of the ethical concerns are when it comes to growing genetically modified (GM) crops.

THE FOOD BIOTECHNOLOGY DEBATE WHAT IS BIOTECHNOLOGY?

Biotechnology is a broad term that applies to all living organisms. It is used for everything from microorganisms used to ferment beer to the most sophisticated forms of gene therapy. There are two categories of activities in biotechnology: the traditional methods and new scientific methods. The traditional methods are the way that farmers have been breeding their crop for centuries, cross breeding plants until finally some generation down the line is exactly the way they want it. The new methods are taking genes from different organisms and inserting them into another organism in the lab. This eliminates the waiting period to get the results they want, instead they get the exact plant they want right away. The United States government defines it as being "any technique that uses living organisms or parts of living organisms to (1) make or modify products, (2) improve plants or animals, or (3) develop microorganisms for specific uses. The purpose of biotechnology in foods is to create better tasting and more nutritious foods, that have higher crop yields, and plants that are naturally protected from disease, insects, and drough...

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...ulture and food security for all, taking account of

the full range of scientific finding as well as socioeconomic and ethical implications. They are concerned that there needs to be more testing due to growing evidence of hazards to biodiversity, food safety, human and animal health. They do not feel that neither the need nor the benefits of genetic engineering of agriculture have been proven. They say that new scientific evidence warrants an immediate moratorium. They say that cross pollination is already happening creating many species of superweeds and that the chances of transgenes spreading to other plant is 30 times more likely than a plant spreading its own genes. These 61 scientists have me convinced after reading their statement that the governments need to put a halt to this and have further testing and refining done before anymore are grown commercially.

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