Genetically Modified Foods

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Hunger is currently one of the world’s most widespread crises, affecting millions of people. In every single country of the world, there are people that go to bed without food on a regular basis, and many that end up dying of starvation. One way that the eradication of hunger has been attempted is by increasing the amount of food in the world, so that there is enough to go around. Scientists have tried to do this by creating new species of crops, using genetic engineering. Though genetically modified foods were originally created to improve agriculture, their negative effects greatly outweigh their positive ones.
Though they have a relatively short history, genetically modified foods have grown into a massive industry. In 1995, the United States first allowed GM foods to be sold for human consumption (Diaz and Fridovich-Keil). The first genetically modified food sold in the United States was a tomato that was invented to stay fresh longer (Fernandez). After only four years, nearly half of the United States' cotton, soybeans, and corn were genetically modified (Diaz and Fridovich-Keil). Currently, GM crops are planted on over one billion acres all over the world, according to the United Nations (Lerner and Lerner). The majority of processed foods in the United States are made with genetically modified ingredients, at over 70 percent (Mercola and Pearsall 216). GM foods now have a strong foothold in the United States’ food industry.
To begin with, scientists originally began creating genetically modified foods for many positive reasons, including making crops and livestock stronger and/or more nutritious (217). One type of rice was genetically engineered to contain enzymes that produce an extra protein to help iron-deficient people ...

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...article/443507>.
Fernandez, Michael. "Genetically Modified Food." World Book Student. 2014 ed. World Book, 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2014. .
Lerner, K. Lee, and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. "Genetically Modified Foods and Organisms." Gale Encyclopedia of Science. 4th ed. 2008. N. pag. Science in Context. Web. 3 May 2014. .
Mercola, Joseph, and Kendra Degen Pearsall. Take Control of Your Health. Schaumburg: Mercola, 2007. Print.

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