Genetically Modified Foods Research Paper

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The vegetables and fruits that we consume on a daily basis all come from farms where it either grows organically, conventionally, or in a genetically modified method. With the rise of insects, disease, and fungi, GMO was introduced to prevent the spread of it and give a better crop yield. GMO stands for genetically modified foods and it's the transfer of favorable genes into a plant to attain a desirable trait. The top three most genetically modified crops grown in the United States are corn, soybeans, and cotton. Approximately 88% of corns are genetically modified and are produced using plant biotechnology. This type of corn is engineered to have the protein BT delta endotoxin which kills off the insect Lepidoptera larvae instead of using …show more content…

The pros of GMOs is the increased crop productivity, insect resistance, improved nutrition, phytoremediation, and abiotic stress tolerance. Genetically modified technology has reduced chemical pesticide usage by 37% and the rate continues to successfully grow every single year. As the human population is increasing, the demand for food also increases as well. With that demand, food must be provided to everyone and GMOs create desirable fruits and vegetables even though it's not natural. Also, organic foods tend to be more expensive than GMOs so it makes a cheaper substitute for the same thing but in a different form. On the other hand, the cons of genetically modified foods are the health risks, environmental risks, and the possibility that something could go wrong in the plant transformation process. In the laboratory, not all toxic and allergenic substances can be predicted. Genes can also go from one genetically modified crop to another and transfer genes that might not be wanted for that species. In addition, it takes ten years to develop a new genetically modified crop so it takes a really long amount of time for that

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