Myths and facts about transgenic and organic food Nowadays, people are giving more importance to food labels than ever before. The variety of terms and definitions is overwhelming, organic, transgenic, non GMO, processed food, just to name a few. Considering all the available media information, it should not be such complicated decision. The message remains the same, organic food is good, and transgenic food is not. However, is organic food really the best option? On the other hand, is transgenic food really dangerous? What are the scientific studies supporting these facts? Organic farming is gaining popular support. This movement might be something relatively new, but the practice itself dates back to the origins of agriculture. Obviously, …show more content…
Conversely, there have been multiple indicators correlating these products to cancer, allergies, infertility, organ damage, genetic defects, and premature death. Scientists do not come to an agreement regarding these investigations, because most findings have been derived from short medical studies of 12 months or less. It is known that “short-term studies are useful for ruling out acute toxicity, but do not provide valid evidence regarding the long-term safety of GMOs”. (Fagan, Antoniou, Claire …show more content…
Over the past few years there has been several cases of food contaminated with Escherichia Coli and Salmonella, mostly from organic food manufacturers. For a better understanding of this issue it is necessary to go back to the basis for organic agriculture. Which is essentially about the nutrients needed for the soil and its direct relation to the quality of the product. The more nutrients are added to the substrate the better the quality of that product. Farmers replace synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides for natural alternate methods, using fertilizers based on decomposed organic matter like Humus and Compost. Among the active components found in this products are animal feces which contain harmful parasites that could be transmitted to the plants. Several studies support this statement; an evaluation from the University of Minnesota revealed that “the percentages of E.coli–positive samples in conventional and organic produce (on farms in Minnesota), were 1.6 and 9.7%, respectively” (Mukherjee, Speh, Dyck, Diez-Gonzalez,
They also found that these toxins lead to Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoporosis, multiple types of cancer, ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, and Multiple Sclerosis. Now what should be done with all this information? GMOs have not been tested on humans as much as they should be and this is just one of the many reasons that they should not be consumed. Along with their extensive list of side effects present in animals, soon humans will also be affected in a noticeable way. There have been extensive tests done on animals that have digestive systems exactly like ours, and these studies have shown that there are major health risks and problems in our near future.
GMOs has been around for nearly 50 years. It is something that has emerged itself within our lifestyles and become something that appear in our daily lives, whether it’s on the shelf in grocery shops or on your plate right know; GMOs can be found almost anywhere. However, although the production of GMOs have certainly increased over the years, opinions on it has differed. Some people have come to believe it is dangerous for our health, while other people has stated the exact opposite. Something that
Salmonella is one danger that has caused many effects to consumers. Walsh writes about one incident when an outbreak “from tainted peanuts that killed at least eight people and sickened 600,” (Walsh 167). This incident left many people asking the same question, how can we trust the food that we put into our bodies? Salmonella, a type of food poisoning caused by bacteria found on different food types has caused an epidemic because of its domino effect on food and our health. Once one factory is contaminated, that factory could be housing both crops and meat, which is then transferred to our supermarkets and on our dinner tables. ...
The amount of foodstuffs produced by organic farms does not meet the demand of the population, which is the main objective of farming. Observing the United States of America alone and using myself as the average American we
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
GMOs have their pros and cons, but in terms of their effects on biodiversity, the technology is almost solely negative in how it affects the environment. Genetically modified food can damage agriculture as it allows for less restraint on chemical usage which leads to stronger weeds and weaker soil. The crops can easily spread their genetically modified genome through the wind. GMOs damage living organisms by making nasty insects stronger and vital insects weaker. GM foods are correlated with the decline in mammal and bird health and the introduction of GM animals like salmon poses a threat to the ecosystem of wild fish. GMOs can also bear consequences in terms of genetic pollution and alteration through 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.
This has created a large amount of debate on local, national, and international levels about the safety of genetically modified foods to human health. There are many angles that have been taken from different groups on this issue. Some believe it is harmful to our health, with one source stating that, “mice eating GMO corn had fewer and smaller babies (Jagelio 2013).” Without testing on humans how are we to know these harmful effects aren’t impacting our health and reproduction. Other groups see GMOs as being both beneficial and having no impact on human health.
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...
An English doctor, named Arpad Pusztai, did a study on rats being fed genetically modified foods. His study found out that rats that ate genetically modified potatoes had pre-cancerous cells, smaller brains, smaller livers, smaller testicles, and damaged immune systems. After finding this out, he then changed the eating habits of the rats by interchanging between feeding them organic potatoes and genetically modified potatoes for two weeks at a time. He concluded that whenever the rats ate the organic potatoes, their symptoms disappeared, but when the rats ate the GMO potatoes again, the symptoms reappeared. Pusztai study isn’t the only that proves that GMOs are harmful. Other studies have also shown that GMOs are linked to reproductive problems, immune system problems, accelerated aging, gastrointestinal distress, and dysfunctional regulation. This proves that GMOs have a serious effect on our
(Steve Strauss, October 2014) In fact, many studies linking GMOs to serious health problems such as allergies and cancer have not been conclusive, and more research must be done to see if GMOs play any part in the causation of these health problems. Furthermore, non-GMO products have always been available as an option to consumers if they do want to avoid GMOs. Placing GMO labels will not take away from the non-GMO
Many consumers and farmers have discovered that living in an industrialized culture where the focus has become faster, bigger, and cheaper is not the best way to produce our food. Obsessed with productivity, the agriculture industry is reaping the negative consequences of creating an unsustainable environment for food production. Time and time again, the media captures stories regarding deadly bacterial contamination and dangerous pesticide contamination causing illness and death in our communities. The environment is also damaged and contaminated. This devastating trend, due to irresponsible farming practices as a result of the industrialization of the food industry, has become all too common.
This noble declaration is often stated as an ultimate objective for mankind. Some claim it can never be done and use the catch phrase in jest. Some believe it possible but not until a great distance into the future. However, the technology exists that can get us one step closer to this goal. Genetically engineered food is the answer. With it, the problems of food scarcity and malnutrition can be diminished, and one day even eliminated completely. Preventing the expansion is the controversy ignited by the field of genetically engineered foods, which are also referred to as genetically modified organisms, or as the catchier term, GMOs. These foods are often scorned as an “abhorred devil” and considered unsafe, enough to “make the very existence of the species of man a condition precarious” (Shelley 94, 144). But is the problem with the creation? Or does it lay with the creator and subsequent reaction?
GMOs contain negative health risks for the human body that are undetected and unadvertised by most tests conducted by GM food production companies. Not only do GMOs have negative effects on the body, but they also harm the environment. The environment is defined by the surroundings or conditions where a person, plant, or animal lives and operates. Some claim that GM crops benefit the environment by reducing pesticide use and increasing the crop yields, but the past 20 years have shown the opposite. GMO crops have not improved yields and have increased the use of glyphosate, the active ingredient in certain herbicides. According to USDA and EPA data, by 2011 there were three times as many herbicide-resistant weeds found in farmer’s fields than there were in 2001, one of the early years, farmers started using GMOs in their
(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
After almost a century of neglect, organic farming is now finding place in the mainstream of development and shows great promise commercially, socially and environmentally. While there is continuum of thought from earlier days to the present, the modern organic movement is radically different from its original form. It now has environmental sustainability and productivity at its core, in addition to the founders concerns for healthy soil, healthy food and healthy people. Based on the technique of organic farming, it utilizes organic wastes such as the remains of plants, animals as well as farm wastes and aquatic wastes; including other biological materials, mostly produced insitu along with beneficial microbes (biofertilizers) to release nutrients to crops, which connotes the ‘organic’ nature of organic farming. For clarity purposes, Organic Farming (OF) is different from Certified Organic Farming (COF). While OF employs the understanding and knowledge of naturally occurring process through the relationship with the environment, COF includes the checks and balances to maintain soil fertility and the control of insect, pest and diseases based on commercial quality control and marketing mechanism (NHM, 2015). Within the philosophy of organic farming, all aspects of farming system are interlinked with each other and rely on each other through organic management. This is obvious from the web relationship explained thus: A healthy biologically active soil is the source of crop nutrition, on-farm biodiversity controls pests, crop rotation and multiple cropping maintains the system’s health and on-farm resource management with integration of animal husbandry ensure