Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Genetically modified crops problem
Genetically modified food history
Genetically modified crops problem
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Genetically modified crops problem
America’s consumers today, whom are concerned with the food they are eating, will take time to look at nutritional information and the ingredients listed on the label. They check for the carbohydrates, fats, calories, sugars, and fiber. Consumers believe that thoroughly reading the label on this and other foods gives them some assurance that the food they are eating is healthy. The reason is that government standards require companies to list everything that goes into the package and ensure the ingredients are safe for human consumption. However, what if food producers were unaware ingredients of their food products were not intended for human consumption? How can food producers be assured they are producing a safe product? How can consumers really know what food they are consuming contains and if it is safe?
Although, American consumers may prefer not to consume genetically modified (GM) foods, the odds are they do (Jalonick). GM foods are plants that have been altered by use of DNA technology, by utilizing DNA molecules from different sources into a single molecule. In 1994, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the government agency charged with oversight for food safety, gave the Calgene Corporation approval to market their genetically modified Flavr Savr Tomato (Thayer). Since 1994, GM crops have become the most rapid form of agriculture adopted in modern history. Jalonick points out,” Last year, the USDA estimated that seventy percent of the nation's corn acreage was planted with herbicide-tolerant corn and sixty-three percent had been planted with insect-resistant seeds.” The GM acreage planted in soybeans and cotton is even higher.
Although, some consumer groups and scientific organizations argue that GM fo...
... middle of paper ...
...anic Industry Survey.” Greenfield, MA. 2011.
Rees, Andy. Genetically Modified Food: A Short Guide for the Confused. London, Ann Arbor:
Pluto Press. 2006. Print.
Reinberg, Steven. “FDA Issues Final Regulations for Genetically Engineered Animals.” U.S
News and World Report. HealthDay. Web. 15 January 2009.
Thayer AM. “FDA gives go-ahead to bio-engineered tomato.” Chemical & Eng News 1994
23 March. 72:7–8.
United States Department of Agriculture. Biotechnology “Noncompliance History.” Animal and
Plant Inspection Service. Web. 15 March 2010.
United States Food and Drug Administration. “Guidance of the Industry: A Food Labeling
Guide” Appendix C: Health Claims: 2009. Washington D. C. FDA Web. 9 May 2011
Welch, Laine. “FDA still mulling GM salmon; seafood winners named.” Alaska Journal of
Commerce. Web. 25 February 2011.
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.
In the documentary, Food Inc., we get an inside look at the secrets and horrors of the food industry. The director, Robert Kenner, argues that most Americans have no idea where their food comes from or what happens to it before they put it in their bodies. To him, this is a major issue and a great danger to society as a whole. One of the conclusions of this documentary is that we should not blindly trust the food companies, and we should ultimately be more concerned with what we are eating and feeding to our children. Through his investigations, he hopes to lift the veil from the hidden world of food.
In our fast pace society, we base everything on time and money. This need to save money and time has transformed the way we see food and purchase food. Food is an essential part of all cultures. It plays a role in every person’s life. The population has the power to choose what we eat and how the food industry is shaped. There are many important questions that we need to ask ourselves in order to keep the food industry in check. These questions are: How do we know our food is safe? What should we eat? How should food be distributed? What is good food? These are simple yet difficult questions.
Customers/Consumers were worried about the changes in the market for food and drugs because they no longer had a single clue of what was in their products. Food production was moving from household prepared to general markets. As food markets became more refined due to the improvement of technology. The difficulty in discerning the quality of their product heightened. With new and quicker ways make food, fears of the ingredients that the foods consisted grew. Preservatives and chemicals also instilled a concern to consumers. Health officials, chemists, and other individuals tested and proved the dangers of these new additives.
GMO’s are essential parts of society and are eaten everyday by billions of people. Unfortunately the majority of people never ask what a GMO is, and what is in one. Essentially a GMO is a crop that has been modified to be resistant than its non-modified counterpart. The enhancement of desired traits has usually been undertaken through breeding, but normal breeding methods are slow and are inaccurate. Genetic modifying, on the other hand, can create plants with the desired trait very quickly and rarely fail. With the rapid increase in the world’s population, GMOs can be the answer, but there are still problems that organizations like Forbes and Greenpeace have pointed out, such as the safety factor, moral issues, and outright cost of the process. However GMO’s are already used on farms and are found in almost every grocery store. GMO corn is the most abundant GMO crop, with 40 different types of it. This is because corn is America’s most abundant crop, and our entire economy depends on it. With GM corn, it will become easier to mass produce corn. Different types of GMO corn can increase herbicide tolerance, pest resistance, and nutrient availability. However GMO’s contain some cons such as health risks and Economic concerns.
Companies nowadays are using different and strong methods in marketing their food products. The Companies are very competitive, and the results can affect the people. When we think about this job field, it is convincing that those producers should use cleverly ways to gain their own living. In the other side they shouldn’t use misleading ways that could harm the people. Food companies should be straightforward with every marketing method they use. People have the right to know what they are consuming and also to know the effects of these products on them, whether it is harmful, useful, or even neutral.
Chemical advancement in modern science is a contributing factor to “better”, faster, and cheaper food production. Although the ideas of GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms) that scientists thrive for are theoretically beneficial, they are corrupting the natural methods for farming and food that consumers will purchase. Nowadays, around 70% of food has a genetically modified ingredient. What is being consumed in mass quantities across the country barely constitutes as food in some instances. A prime example lies in the tomato. Tomatoes are sold year round in grocery markets nationwide....
Due to false advertising, I feel that certain food companies are being careless in trying to make people buy their products in order to make money in the quickest way possible. My only suggestions for this situation are either the companies to tell the truth about their products, or stop advertising completely. If the companies could spend more time researching the effects of their products, then they could make improvements to their foods or maybe find alternatives to the ingredients. That way people can make the right decisions in buying what is best for them and their children. Thank you for your time.
Genetically Modified crops, or GM crops, refer to plants used in agriculture whose DNA has been purposely altered in order to create a better, more efficient outcome. There are many different GM crops being used today, most commonly plants with built in pesticide or chemical resistance, such as BT corn and roundup ready soy. Though you may not know it, most of what you eat has some form of a genetically modified organism in it. The Food and drug administration, also known as the FDA, has stated that companies in the US are not required to inform the consumer on whether or not a food contains any form of a GMO, or a Genetically Modified Organism. This means that you would not necessarily be informed on whether or not the foods you are buying and eating are GM foods. Of course GM foods have to meet the same requirements as any conventional food would, but just because there is no immediate harm to humans, does not mean that there are no consequences at all. This also could suggest that since it is difficult to predict and prove long term effects of using GM crops, companies are just selling these abnormal crops to farmers and assuming that only good things will result. GM Crops may be created with the intention of helping, but there are many ramifications that are continuing to be ignored. These would include negative effects to human life, unintended harm to animals and the environment, and the fact that we are already losing control of the modified plants that we have created.
If crops were affected by droughts, disease and insects, having destroyed many acres across America’s Midwest region, the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) would not be beneficial in regenerating new crops. Genetically modifying foods (GMOs) “are plants or animals that have been genetically engineered with DNA from bacteria, viruses or other plants and animals that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding” (nongmoproject.org). Most research done has concluded no positive benefits in using GMOs. There are serious health risks associated with eating GM foods based on scientific research done around the world. The purpose of GMOs are to increase production of crop yield and reduce pesticide use but research says otherwise. If farmers wanted to continue using GMOs to produce crops, labeling should be mandatory to allow consumers to have a conscious choice whether or not to eat GM food. Through research it has been proven that the use of GMOs to increased production of crops during a time of drought or disease have no benefits, just risks.
More and More people are becoming concerned about what they eat, especially if they consume food products that are manufactured in food industries. However, it is hard to know what exactly you are consuming if food industries provide false nutrition content and mislead consumers by placing false advertisements on the packaging. When a company produces a product that contains misleading label, consumers are not receiving complete information about the food they are eating which could lead to health issues including allergies and problems with diabetes.
The patient has experienced fever, chills on body, headaches and anorexia as well as sweating especially during the night. The patient has also been feeling fatigued, muscle aches and nausea as well as vomiting especially after eating (WHO, 2010, p. 117). These symptoms started forty eight hours ago, and the patient has not taken any medication except for some aspirin.
Food labels are supposed to tell us exactly what’s in the foods we consume but we don’t know where those things come from. I think that food labels should state exactly where and what companies provided the ingredients in the foods on the food labels. If we knew exactly what we were eating we could prevent each other from getting sick from the foods. The government will never release exactly what we are eating because they’re are gaining too much money when they keep things kept a secret but; too many people are getting sick from these foods we need to be able to prevent ourselves from getting
Food borne illnesses are caused by consuming contaminated foods or beverages. There are many different disease-causing microbes, or pathogens. In addition, poisonous chemicals, or other harmful substances can cause food borne illnesses if they are present in food. More than two hundred and fifty different food borne illnesses have been described; almost all of these illnesses are infections. They are caused by a variety of bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can be food borne. (Center 1)
Many Americans eat GM foods without even realizing it. It is no surprise since GMO can better the shelf life of the food and put up at a reasonable price. GMO can be dangerous to the human body for many reasons. Genetically engineered food are shown to be unsafe and unpredictable because of the foreign genes that are introduced into plants which may have a negative impact on the human body. Studies show that when rats are fed GM potatoes, there were appreciable differences in the intestine as opposed to the rats that are fed the normal potatoes. (Whitman, 2000) Another concern is the allergens that are developed when eating GM foods. The promoter that is used in most GM crops turn on the foreign gene at high output, but instead turns on the other natural genes in addition to the foreign one, resulting in allergens, toxins, carcinogens or anti-nutrient. (Natural revolution, 2014) Another risk involved is the production of StarLink corn that is specifically designed ...