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The advantages and disadvantages of genetically modified food
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Effects of genetically modified foods on the human body
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Who does not like to sit down and eat a delicious, juicy hamburger with French fries from a fast food joint of your liking? Nevertheless, with the way of the world and the busy schedules most people keep now a day, they put little consideration into what they’re eating. Furthermore, this also may be true when it comes to selections at the grocery store, and sure it is easier to grab frozen foods that are quicker with less prep time, however, do you know what are in those types of foods? Genetically Modified food sneaks their way into most people’s diets every day without them even knowing. Even though genetically modified foods can be cheaper and they can be more abundant, they should be banned because of the health and environmental risks that they can cause.
What are Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)? Genetic engineering has been around for decays, and it involves manipulating the “structure” (DNA) of genetic material, this is done by inserting other genome traits into another organism to get the new beneficial genetic traits (Beckrich 1). The first genetically modified plant was produced in 1983 it was a tobacco plant and had traits to become resistant to antibiotics, in the early 1990’s China became the first to commercialize transgenic crops with a virus resistant tobacco (Bawa and Anilakumar, 1). Additionally, for that point
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It is evident throughout this essay that the risks do not outweigh the reward, and with every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. It also remains clear that something has to be done to remove these genetically modified products for the environment and the shelves at the
A trip to any supermarket in Canada will reveal nothing out of ordinary, just the usual of array of fresh and packaged goods displayed in an inviting manner to attract customers. Everything appear familiar and reassuring, right? Think again. A closer microscopic inspection discloses something novel, a fundamental revolution in food technology. The technology is genetic engineering (GE), also known as biotechnology. Blue prints (DNA) of agricultural crops are altered and “spliced” with foreign genes to produce transgenic crops. Foods harvested from these agricultural plants are called, genetically modified (GM). Presently, Canada has no consumer notification; GM foods are being slipped to Canada’s foods without any labels or adequate risk assessments. This essay argues that GM foods should be rigorously and independently tested for safety; and, consumers be given the right to choose or reject GM foods through mandatory labels. What is the need for impartial examination of safety of transgenic foods? And why label them? GM foods are not “substantially equivalent” to conventional foods, genetic engineering of agricultural crops is not a mere extension of traditional plant breeding, and finally, there are human health implications associated with it.
Genetically modified? That alone should be a cause for alarm, and have you wondering, what exactly is in this that I am eating? Yet every day millions of American’s choose to load up on food filled with GMO’s, and not even know it. First we must understand what GMO’s are. GMO’s are any organism whose genetics has been altered using genetic engineering. We should not be tampering with nature, and should try to grow organically as much as possible. There has not been enough research on GMO’s to know the potential long term effects it can have on us, so this is why GMO’s should be banned.
When you eat a cheeseburger, you might know that you are eating a beef patty with cheese, lettuce, and ketchup on a sesame seed bun, but do you know what you are really eating? According to the documentary GMO OMG, “approximately 85% of all processed foods contain GMOs”, yet most consumers are unaware that this secret ingredient is included in most of their food. Although Monsanto believes their product is safely feeding the world, consumers should be aware of the hidden horrors of genetically modified food because research indicates that GMOs could drastically affect their health as well as cause environmental damage, all while violating the rights of consumers and farmers.
If you could ensure that your future children would be healthy, would you? This is a trivial question because most parents would stop at nothing to ensure that their children are healthy. Human germ-line engineering may soon make it possible to alter the genome of human embryos—permanently changing the genetic blueprint for every cell in an embryo’s body. Through human germ-line technology we could eradicate many debilitating genetic diseases (e.g. Tay-Sachs disease, cystic fibrosis etc.), prevent cancer, and even increase the average life span. Human germ-line engineering is prenatal and produces genetically modified traits that can be passed along to subsequent generations—so the resulting genetic alterations are permanent. The utilization of human germ-line engineering technology, however, is analogous to Pandora’s Box. As attractive as it may seem, opening Pandora’s Box and unleashing human germ-line engineering technology could have severe consequences including negative medical or economic ramifications and a potential amplification of social and economic stratification. In this paper I will present views on the consequences and possible regulation of human germ-line engineering. I propose that the risks of human germ-line engineering technology outweigh the potential benefits and therefore this technology needs to be banned.
Food, everybody has to eat food. In this century there are millions of different foods that can be eaten. But sometimes while Americans indulge in the luxury options of foods, I wonder if they ever really pay attention to how bad many foods are for their bodies. I think everybody should turn to organic foods to help them live healthier lives. The reason that foods are so bad for the body to consume is because foods are packed with GMO’s. GMO’s are “genetically modified organisms” which are plants or animals that have been genetically engineered with DNA from bacteria, viruses, or other plants and animals. These experimental combinations of genes from different species cannot occur in nature, naturally (“GMO Facts,”2014).
Experts say, “Unless you consume only certified organic foods […] you’ve almost certainly eaten foods containing ingredients whose genes have been tweaked […].” (Anonymous, 2013, p.4). This assertion proves that people is eating food with Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s), nevertheless they disown the consequences of its intake. The opinions in the scientific society are divided, however recent experiments let predict the possible effects that GM Food production and consumption generates in a global scale. Genetically Modified Foods should be banned because it generates a negative impact on humans’ health, affects the environment and harms the third world nations.
Food is an essential part of everyday life without it one could not survive. Every day we make choices on what we put in to our bodies. There are countless varieties of food to choose from to meet the diverse tastes of the increasing population. Almost all food requires a label explaining the ingredients and the nutritional value allowing consumers to make informed decisions on what they are consuming. However, many may not be considering where that food is coming from or how it has been produced. Unfortunately, there is more to food than meets the eye. Since 1992, “ the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ruled, based on woefully limited data, that genetically modified foods were ‘substantially equivalent’ to their non-GM counterparts” (Why to Support Labeling). GM food advocates have promised to create more nutritious food that will be able to grow in harsh climate conditions and eventually put an end to world hunger in anticipation of the growing population. There is very little evidence to support these claims and study after study has proven just the opposite. GM crops are not only unsafe to consume, but their growing practices are harmful to the environment, and multinational corporations are putting farmers out of business.
According to a recent study, the meat being supplied by our nation’s schools might not meet the standards by the fast-food industry. Everyday students are sitting down to a processed, unhealthy, fat filled lunch. While many students are educated in the topic, some may be oblivious to the damage the food is doing to their body. Students all around the world are eating processed, genetically modified food, but with a new school program, they will be getting balanced, all natural meals.
The GMO it is always a topical theme, on television, on radio, in newspapers, often we talk about this topic so debated and even painful contrast. But before expressing their own opinion and their own thinking, we must understand what it means and what are GMOs. The abbreviation GMO is the achromic of terms: genetically modified organisms. This are non-human organisms whose genetic material has been altered by genetic engineering techniques. The first GMO of the modern era, was obtained from S. N. Cohen and H. Boyer that were able to clone a frog gene. GMOs are produced through biotechnological processes. Biotechnology are techniques that exploit the properties of both plant and animal cells to produce new varieties of plants or animals. Biotechnology is not an invention of recent decades. Simply the process of fermentation of the wine, which is achieved by exploiting some bacteria, is a biotechnology process known since ancient times.
The term GM foods or GMO (genetically-modified organisms) is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques (Whitman, 2000). These plants have been modified in the laboratory to offer desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. Also, genetic engineering techniques have been applied to create plants with the exact desired trait very rapidly and accurately. For example, this is done by the geneticist isolating the gene responsible for drought tolerance and inserting it into another plant. The new genetically modified plant will now have gained drought tolerance as well.
How many of you hear the words “genetically modified food” and immediately think “BAD”? How many of you scorn the idea that genetically modified foods are useful? How many of you have been manipulated by the media to think that all biotechnology is evil? Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are organisms that have been genetically spliced to achieve a certain trait. As the demand for a larger food supply is increasing due to population growth, the benefits that GMO foods provide are being hailed as the only solution to the food crisis. However, many people are making inadequately informed decisions, and are pushing them to the back shelf. I will inform you on why genetically modified organisms may be the only way to a stable, safe future for the less fortunate.
The most wonderful activity a human being can experience is new flavors and foods. For example, the first time a person tastes a delicious juicy piece of prime rib or a delightful hamburger with cheese and ham, his world is never the same. However, since the beginning of the twentieth century, the production of food has been supplemented by science. This has triggered an angry dispute between the people who support the advances of biotechnology and people who love nature. In order to understand the controversy, we have to know the meaning of genetically modified foods. With new technological advances, scientists can modify seeds from a conventional seed to a high tech seed with shorter maturation times and resistance to dryness, cold and heat. This is possible with the implementation of new genes into the DNA of the conventional seed. Once these "transgenes" are transferred, they can create plants with better characteristics (Harris 164-165). The farmers love it not only because it guarantees a good production, but the cost is also reduced. On the other hand, organizations such as Greenpeace and Friends of Earth have campaigned against GMO (“Riesgos”) because they think that they are negatively affecting the earth (Gerdes 26). Both the advocates and the opponents of genetically modified foods have excellent arguments.
“Genetically modified foods are a "Pandora's box" of known and unknown risks to humans and the environment. They have been forced onto the American public by multinational biotech and agribusiness corporations without adequate oversight and regulation by the United States government (Driscoll, SallyMorley, David C).”Genetically Modified Food is food which has been chemically altered by scientists during the production process to give the food more nutrients, better appearance, and a longer shelf-life (Rich, Alex K.Warhol, Tom). The importance of this issue is that these GMO’s can actually have a negative effect in our society in general. It could mutate in a negative way and cause cancer or other diseases. Genetically modified food should be strictly controlled due to its various detrimental effects on the environment, human health, and potentially insect/animal effects.
Genetically modified food’s, or GMOs, goal is to feed the world's malnourished and undernourished population. Exploring the positive side to GMOs paints a wondrous picture for our planet’s future, although careful steps must be taken to ensure that destruction of our ecosystems do not occur. When GMOs were first introduced into the consumer market they claimed that they would help eliminate the world’s food crisis by providing plants that produced more and were resistant to elemental impacts like droughts and bacterial contaminants, however, production isn’t the only cause for the world’s food crisis. Which is a cause for concern because the population on the earth is growing and our land and ways of agriculture will not be enough to feed everyone sufficiently. No simple solutions can be found or applied when there are so many lives involved. Those who are hungry and those who are over fed, alike, have to consider the consequences of Genetically Modified Organisms. Food should not be treated like a commodity it is a human necessity on the most basic of levels. When egos, hidden agendas, and personal gains are folded into people's food sources no one wins. As in many things of life, there is no true right way or wrong way to handle either of the arguments and so many factors are involved that a ‘simple’ solution is simply not an option.
With the world’s population exponentially increasing, massive hunger in third world countries, and an ever-changing environment due to climate change, conventional crops can no longer sustain the world’s population. The solution to this conundrum lies in the introduction of genetically modified crops: a new breakthrough in the agricultural industry. GMOs (Genetically modified organisms) have resistance to new aggressive sources of weeds, pests, and other diseases to thrive in harsh environments. They also have larger crop yields, crucial to feeding a growing population. Moreover, some even assert that they contain more nutritional value and taste better than traditional crops. Despite all of this, perhaps the most crucial benefit of GMOs is the fact that they can be resistant to the effects of climate change. Increasingly frequent droughts, storms, and bouts of heat have plagued farmers and decreased crop yields significantly. Global warming is inevitable and could cause a decrease in the food supply when the world desperately needs an increase. In the intense debate over GMOs, the question now is not whether or not we should use GMOs, but it is how we should use them. There are many possible safety hazards in GMO products and the safety precautions that are currently in effect are not enough to regulate the numerous threats that GMOs could propose. There may be a tradeoff for the numerous benefits that GMOs grant to the food and farming industries. A documentary brings up a very chilling question: if pest insects die after consuming genetically modified foods, what will happen to humans who consume the food? These fears are merely the tip of the iceberg in a sea of uncertainty. Many professors fro...