Genetic Engineering

There are several benefits of genetically modified foods. The world population has reached to seven billion people and it is predicted to become double in the next 50 years. Ensuring an adequate food supply for this booming population is going to be a major challenge in the years to come. Genetically modified foods can make it possible to meet this need in a number of ways such as strong plants, improved nutrition, high crop yields, reduced allergenicity, medical benefits, healthier farm animals, environmental benefits, food safety improvements, and economic benefits. Genetic engineering has been successful in producing plants with increased pest and disease resistance, while retaining high yields, taste, and processing attributes.

1999 Whitman, Deborah B. "Genetically modified foods: harmful or helpful?." CSA Discovery Guides. Np (2000). Prather, T., J. DiTomaso, and Jodie Holt.

The world has seen many changes and advances over the last century, but possibly none that hold as many possibilities as genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is turning up in more and more places, and it is almost certainly here to stay. Just as computers and plastics changed most aspects of living since they were invented, biological engineering has the potential to do the same in the future. This new technology has a wide range of possible benefits, from helping farmers, to improving foods, to helping the environment, to helping sick people. Genetic engineering may even one day be used to help solve world hunger.

Before we go on any further, it is extremely crucial for us to fully understand what exactly genetically modifying food is all about. Humans have been genetically modifying food for thousands of years, but the method they used is different from the genetic modification that we use nowadays. In fact, genetic modification is only a new scientific breakthrough of the 20th century. The ancient method of genetically modifying food is known as “selective breeding”, which in more scientific terms is to cross hundreds or thousands of genes. Selective breeding has been used for a great variety of things, ranging from crops to animals.

Whitman, Deborah B. "Genetically modified foods: harmful or helpful?" Cambridge Scientific Abstracts–Genetically Modified Foods–Hot Topic Series (2000). Web. 29 Oct. 2013 Young, Allison.

Changing the genetic traits of plants or animals to make them better has been done for many years, and there are many ways to do this. Genetic modification is one way that we modify our food to make them better and more productive which is very different from natural way of producing something better. GMOs make up a large percentage of our global food supply and have become very important since they were first developed. The process of genetic modification began after people started to understand how traits are passed down from one generation to another. The first genetically modified organism was introduced in 1980 and there has been billions of dollars spent on research, development, and regulation since.

Frankenfoods Biotechnology and genetically modified organisms have gained quite a bit of notoriety in the past decade. Proponents of biotechnology are claiming that genetic modification will revolutionize agriculture and medicine and overall benefit human kind far beyond the reaches of imagination. On the other side of the issue, there are those who claim that genetic modification is dangerous and unneeded. But is either side correct? Will GMOs revolutionize the food and health industries or will they cause damage and downfall?

The Case of Genetically engineered Crops” (2003) Plant Physiology Vol 132 p 10-16 28)     S Uzogara “The Impact of genetic modification of human foods in the 21st century: a review” Biotechnology Adv. Vol. 3, p 179. 29)     A van Harten “Mutation Breeding – Theory and Practical Applications” (1998) Cambridge University Press, the Netherlands p 237. 30)     Food Ethics Council “Novel Foods: Beyond Nuffield” (1999) p 24 31)     “Applying the Precautionary Principle to Genetically Modified Crops” Center for the Study of American Business.

AgBioForum. 6 (4): 155-161. From http://www.agbioforum.missouri.edu/v6n4/v6n4a02-raab.pdf Whitman, D. (2000). Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful. from http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php.

“Consumer Risk Perceptions and Marketing Strategy: The Case of Genetically Modified Food.” Psychology & Marketing 30.9 (2013): 741. 23 July 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.