Gmo Pros And Cons

The issue of genetically modified food affects every one regardless of age, race or geographical location. You are what you eat. What a person puts into his or her body essentially impacts their health as a whole. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are found in almost every food except for whole, organic foods labeled as GMO free. Genetically altered foods have benefits and disadvantages. The choice of being an opponent or a proponent to genetically enhanced foods is ultimately up to the consumer. Seed producing companies such as Monsanto have a monopoly over how our food is produced and what is acceptable and safe for human and animal consumption. The lack of labeling of foods that contain GMOs sparks controversy with people who believe they have a right to know exactly what they’re eating and if it is safe for their health. This is an issue that affects any person eating food so it is important for one to know the pros and cons of GMOs. I will highlight the supporting arguments for genetically modified food and in contrast I will describe the risks associated with GMO consumption.
So what is a GMO? GMOs are organisms that are produced by forcible insertion of DNA into a host genome (Clark and Lehman, 2001). “Genetically modified food” is defined as that the food itself is a GMO, is a food containing GMO, or is a food produced using a GMO (Kramkowska Grzelah and Czyzewska, 2013). Terms such as biotechnology, genetic engineering, and genetic modification are all used interchangeably to refer to the production of transgenic food.
Over the past couple of decades scientists have made breakthrough discoveries on the genetic level of altering foods for a variety of positive reasons. The most frequently transformed are among plan...

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... companies and official approval committees as irrelevant when concerned with the safety of genetically modified organisms.
The American Academy of Environmental Medicine stated that several animal studies indicate serious adverse health risks associated with the consumption of GM food such as infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, faulty insulin regulation and changes in major organs and gastrointestinal systems (Smith, 2007). The production of GM food does have its benefits in the aspect of mass-producing potentially nutritionally beneficial foods but the actual consumption of it is questionably not safe for animal consumption. Labeling needs to be widely accepted and used across North and South America where a majority of GMO foods are produced so people have the ability to know what they are putting into their bodies and the knowledge to act upon this.