A REPORT ON THE PUBLIC’S AWARENESS OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED (GM) FOOD
Executive Summary
The purpose of the report is to educate the people about the existence of genetically modified (GM) food. A total of 50 questionnaires were issued to members of the public around areas that sold food, from food courts and restaurants to supermarkets and wets markets. In addition, secondary research related to the reasons of producing genetically modified food were also carried out with the help of the internet, books and newspaper articles.
The report was created to increase awareness about what genetically modified food is. The following findings were then looked into: Interest Level, Reasons for producing GM food, Reasons for consuming GM food, and the Effects of consuming and producing GM food.
The findings of the report revealed that …
It is recommended that ..
A REPORT ON PUBLIC AWARENESS OF GENECTICALLY MODIFIED (GM) FOOD.
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Purpose
The purpose of this report is to create awareness on the negative effects of genetically modified (GM) food. This report will also make recommendations to improve the situations.
1.2 Background
Genetically modified (GM) foods are foods derived from organisms whose genetic material (DNA) has been modified in a way that does not occur naturally. The usage of these GM foods has been used as early as 1960 when worldwide efforts were made to increase the production of food. Although Singapore does not produce their own GM food, wholesalers and retailers often import them. Enzymes or genes used to modify the DNA of crops or food has resulted in higher outputs per unit area in their fields, for example, due to high yielding varieties, China’s rice ...
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... GM food crops have been produced as it increases the production of food, increases nutritional value, and increase the revenue for manufacturers. These are the reasons for the production of GM Food.
There are also similar reasons to why GM Foods are being purchased and bought. Many Singaporeans purchase GM Food because they are unaware, while some purchase and consume it for its nutritional value, and to help solve world hunger problems.
However, there are negative effects of producing and consuming GM Foods. Issues about allergies and the extinction of biodiversity and natural species have been brought up. Moreover, this would affect the citizens of Singapore and the environment.
In conclusion, from all the factors above and the report, Singaporeans will be more aware about genetically modified food and what it has done positively and negative to the society.
The first claim, made by the bioengineering companies creating the GMOs, is that the products are "resistan[t] to insects or viruses, toleran[t] [of] certain herbicides and [have] nutritionally enhanced quality" (Maghari 2). With resistance against pests and tolerance to harsher pesticides, bioengineers claim to be creating a super food that requires less maintenance and costs less. In fact, for many developing countries, this seems a promising start to the end of w...
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.
The genetic engineering of foods has, in one sense, been in existence for hundreds of years. The first time Gregor Mendel bred different varieties of pea plants to observe the various traits present in their offspring, the concept was born. Today, genetic engineering has developed into one of the most complex and advanced fields of scientific thinking, all the while provoking many questions and acquiring many opponents along the way. While there are compelling arguments presented for each side of the issue, the simple fact is that genetically modified (GM) foods are a reality, especially in the United States, as they are already present in many products that are consumed on a daily basis. Just as the market for GM foods has increased, the level of opposition has increased as well, even up to the point of terrorist action against producers, growers, and sellers of genetically modified foods. So the question is posed, will GM foods be the future or the failure of our agricultural system?
The past twenty years have seen rise to a new burgeoning scientific field: genetically modified foods. During the plant breeding process, geneticists interfere with the reproduction and modify the genes of the new seedling by introducing a fragment of DNA from another organism that possesses the desired trait. With genetic modification, scientists can increase the pest, herbicide, cold, and drought tolerance so that the crop can survive in harsher climates. In some cases, the nutritional value can even be increased (Ulrich 9). Despite the obvious benefits of more nutritious foods and crops that are hardier and more resistant to harsher climates, there are some concerns surrounding GM foods. Each new alteration can cause an unforeseen allergic reaction, negate the effects of antibiotics, or potentially cause some adverse effects to the environment (Falkner 101). Every newly developed GM food must be tested on a case by case basis as there is no universal method that determines the safety of all modified components. As a result, long term effects of ingesting food with altered material are unknown.
Genetically modified organisms (GMO) are food products that are another increasing risk in the globalization of food movement. GMOs are changes to animal and plant through engineering changes at the genetic level to try and achieve some new productivity and other manufacturing advantage. Also, these changes can become intellectual property of the company that creates the GMO, and there by can create a market that becomes exclusive to certain food companies. (The Levin Institute,
The original idea of genetically modified foods was to alter food through genetic engineering to create specific changes in its DNA. The reason why GM foods were created was to increase farmer’s production of crops so that they would have a larger harvest and a bigger profit. Another reason GM foods were created was so that food would last longer on the shelves of supermarkets, and therefore save money. There are many concerns that come with GM foods, including health, environmental, and social concerns. The main health issues that people are concerned about are the chances that there could be unintended changes in the food that is being modified. Another health issue is that the GM foods could contain allergens. “After a protein is produced, the cell modifies it in various ways. The protein may be modified in the genetically modified plant differently from the way it would in an unmodified cell, and the modification could produce an allergen.” (Goodenough & McGuire, 2012) In order to prevent these allergens, scientists perform many rigorous tests.
Scientists have been changing genomes of plants and animals by integrating new genes from a different species through genetic engineering, creating a genetically modified organism (GMO). Consumers in America have been eating GMOs since 1996, when they went on the market. There are benefits to genetically modifying crop plants, as it improves the crop quality and increases yield, affecting the economy and developing countries. But there are also negative effects from GMOs. Consumption of GMOs has various health effects on both body systems of animals and humans. GMOs also affect the environment, ecosystems and other animal species. The cons outweigh the pros in the case of GMOs.
“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.
This paper will analyze the controversy related with genetically modified foods in our food supply. I will concentrate on the positive and negative effects of GMO's. The objective is to help the reader to learn
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are a cause of continuous debate. What would be the purpose of producing genetically altered food? Many argue that GMOs could prove to be very beneficial, the use of GMOs could lead to advances in medicine, and agriculture, and they could also prevent famine in poor underdeveloped countries. Genetic modification offers many benefits: pest control, disease resistant crops, drought resistant crops, no use of insecticides, nutritional beneficial foods, and less contamination. This is only a short list of the many benefits offered by the used of GMOs. With so many benefits why are we opposed to such a miracle? (NERC 2005)
...ence of GM crops is that genetic modifications can develop proteins in plants which a consumer could be allergic to. For example, one of the most common allergies is with the peanut. What would happen if peanut proteins interlace into tomato seeds? Then people with peanut allergies would not be able to eat genetically modified tomatoes. There are many reasons to stop the production of GM food. It can produce serious long-term nature accidents, but there is no way to know much about it until is too late (“GM Food” 2).
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) are one of the most important issues in the world today. GMOs are organisms that have had their genetic DNA altered for improvements in productivity and quality. Their pros and cons to those who consume them and the economy around them have been weighed heavily for years, with no true answers coming to the surface. With the widespread science of GMOs becoming more abundant, people should know the truth behind what is being done to their food before consumption, to then form their own opinions. However, all bias aside, GMOs do cause harm in many ways, but while benefiting the world in many ways.
Genetically modified foods is one of the most controversial issues around the world. GMOs (genetically modified foods) are defined as organisms that have had their genetic materials altered in a way that does not occur in nature. Doing this is supposed to improve both the quality and shelf life of most agricultural products. GMO’s have spread worldwide concern with both health and environmental effects. Both of these concerns brought up a lot of controversy. People across the world are asking questions on the environmental and health effects that these foods will have on us and the world we live in. There are both advantages and disadvantages that genetically modified foods will have on our country.
Today you can’t go to a supermarket without encountering genetic modified food on shelves and have become a general part of our kitchen. Genetic Modified Foods or simply known as GM Foods are crop plants or animals manipulated through latest technological molecular biology application performed in laboratories to improve shelf life and resistance from pest. Since the discovery in 1983, we have been using and improving genetic food technology in order to satisfy the worlds growing food consumption. Now a days crops which had been genetically modified are able to develop even in the least ideal environment. The topic of genetic modified foods is surrounded with controversy. Though GM Foods has its advantages and impact in the world,
Genetically modified foods most commonly refers to the plants, which has been modified in the laboratory to enhance improved nutritional content and aimed traits created for human beings and animals. With progress in various types of technology, especially in genetic engineering, farmers and scientists have changed the way in which food is grown and made, raising questions about the methods, their risks and possible effects. It is not a secret that GMF-ed foods have spread out rapidly to the whole world. GMFs have raised concerns over their own beneficial in that they are resistant to diseases, produces greater yields, and it improves the nutrition of foods making the people unaware about their effects. Every time we go to any grocery stores or supermarkets, we would not know whether the vegetables, fruits or even meats being sold are genetically modified. To make this situation worse, most consumers do not pay much attention to what they are eating, when they are actually consuming modified foods.