Genetically And Genetically Modified Foods

Genetic modified organisms, or GMOs, are living organisms that, through the genetic engineering process, have been altered to withstand certain chemicals and increase the nutritional value of the product. In fact, the majority of the foods found at the grocery store are genetically altered. Genetic modification is becoming increasingly popular on farms throughout the United States and moving into other parts of the world due to their increasing yield capabilities and pest and weed control. However, this has been, and continues to be, an extremely controversial topic of discussion in the world of agriculture and biotechnology, as well as health food critics, because of potential environmental and health risks.

Genetically modified foods are produced from organisms that have gone through a process that introduces specific changes to its DNA using genetic engineering. This process allows companies to choose specify traits a crop will display. On the surface this process seems like a technological breakthrough, and it is, however, the topic of genetically modified foods (GMOs) is very complex. There are many aspects of this process we must consider when deciding if GMOs should continue to be sold. Due to many human health, environmental, and economical concerns the sale of all genetically modified foods should be banned.

Genetically modified foods have contributed to better foods in terms of food quality and human health.

We live in a Gilded age of produce. Within the past couple of years, GMOS replaced our original, natural diet with these “genetically altered” foods. GMO, or genetically modified organism, is defined as “a plant, animal, microorganism, or other organism whose genetic makeup has been modified using recombinant DNA methods (also called gene splicing), gene modification, or transgenic technology” (Non-GMO Project). What may be perceived as healthy salad at first glance, may just be a bowl of genetically modified “food”. These are underlying problems not recognized by most of the public. The use of GMOs creates endless risks and pose a threat to the environment, genetic diversity, and future.

Imagine going to the grocery store and seeing a seedless watermelon, but it is not the typical oval, it is square. Down the produce aisle, there are sweet, juicy strawberries; however, there is a warning label that says, “Do not consume if you have a nut allergy.” The world today is moving forward in the way that society produces our wholefoods. Genetic engineering, bioengineering, or biotechnology is the process of inserting the genetics of different plants and organisms into other plants or organisms to create new, more efficient DNA. However, is it truly beneficial to modify the world’s natural foods? The use of genetic engineering can disrupt the ecosystems that have taken billions of years to develop. Many years of research and work have gone into the subject of genetically modified foods; however, this new food trend could create or enhance food related illnesses and health problems, interfere with nature’s environs, and could even cause specific ethical problems for individuals that practice different faith. People should be aware of genetic engineering, how it works, and how it affects their lives.

By the year 2012, over 70 percent of the processed foods in the U.S can be linked to genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. Despite this strong dependency on the manipulation of genetic material, there are many questions concerning long-lasting impacts such food could bring. The government of the United States of America should enforce stricter restrictions on the consumption, production, and availability of food products containing genetically modified organisms. Genetically engineered foods have detrimental impacts on the environment, are linked to large, monopolizing industries, and do not reduce world hunger.

In todays society, people are more concerned about what they put into their body. They eat healthy and maintain a stable diet, but unknown to a number of these people is their food may have been tampered with in the form of Genetically Modified Organisms or, for short, GMO's. Genetically Modified Organisms are plants or animals whose DNA has been altered to favor a certain characteristic or trait which is already in the DNA. This includes enhancing the DNA in plants to make them bigger, invincible to pests, or invincible towards weeds. Although, the reason why GMO's are a controversial topic is because of lack of knowledge. Genetically Modified Organisms are risky and potentially to dangerous to be handling because of the unknown side effects

When you walk into your local grocery store, you can observe floor-to-ceiling shelves packed with foods boasting about nutritional benefits: whole grains in cereals, omega-3s in eggs, and lycopene (an antioxidant) in ketchup, but there are ingredients hiding in these products that many of us do not know are present. They are called Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s), and it has been estimated that over 75% of processed foods on supermarket shelves contain genetically engineered ingredients, which Americans have been eating since 1996. “Currently up to 85% of the United States’ corn is genetically engineered (GE), as are 91% of soybeans and 88% of cotton (cottonseed oil is often used in food products)” (About Genetically Modified Foods). What does it mean when a food is Genetically Modified? To understand what Genetically Modified Organisms are, there needs to be an understanding of what DNA is. “Within the tissues of a plant are cells. Within the cell is the nucleus. Within that are chromosomes composed of the DNA molecule, which in turn is made up of a sequence of base pairs. A simplistic description is that sequence of the genes in the DNA determine the sequence in the RNA, which then determines the sequence of the building blocks of proteins, called amino acids. These proteins can determine a particular trait or characteristic” (Latham). Using genetic engineering, scientists take genes from bacteria, viruses, or other sources and force them into the DNA of a plant.

‘With genetically modified foods I believe we have reached the thin edge of the wedge, we are messing with the building blocks of life and its scary’ - Malcom Walker, Chairman and Chief Executive of Iceland Foods (Quotes from Scientists).

We all as Americans eat food every day to maintain our homeostasis balance of nutrition. We eat our veggies, meats, dairy, and so forth. We buy our produces from local markets and grocery stores all around the country, but do we really know what kind of products we are purchasing? Where our foods come from and how they are grown? There are many products around us and amongst these foods are some that have been genetically modified. Genetically modified foods (GMOS) are also known as bio-engineered. They are usually available to the public for consumption. Whether that organism is an animal, a plant, or a microorganism. Most of the time, GMOs are recognizable as being plants, which is the one of the biggest concern,

As American consumer rights advocates, we are always curious as to what is going in the world, from war to the smaller things, such what we are outing into our bodies. We want to be kept informed as to what is going on, and we have the right to be. There are so many different topics we could discuss on, but now we will stick to one large controversial topic. One of the big debates that have been ongoing, but more recently has been a heated topic of discussion, are about GMO’s. GMO’s are “Genetically Modified Organisms.” They can be found as either plants or animals that have been genetically engineered with DNA from outside sources, such as bacteria, viruses, or even other plants and animals.

Ever wondered what has been put into everyday food and what the impact is on human health? Approximately 60-80 % of everyday food has one ingredient made from genetically modified foods. When hearing “genetically modified food” people automatically think it is only bad for health, but there is also a good impact surprisingly. The one bad thing is that people do not know what types food have been modified because there are no labels for GMO products. Even though GMOs have a bad impact on human health, it also has a good impact.

“70 percent of our corn farmland and 93 percent of soy farmland are planted with crops genetically engineered to resist pests and herbicides and increase crop yields. 60% of all the processed foods in the United States are genetically modified; a shocking statistic has the concern of many Americans. However, most people are uninformed about the beneficial impact that genetically modified food has on their diet. GM is the use of molecular biology technology to modify the inherited structure of organisms. Genetically engineered crops increase nutrients, drought tolerance, provide more food for growing populations, and resists diseases and pesticides. Genetically engineered foods are crucial to the improvement of economy, agriculture, society, and health choices. The creation of GM foods was one of the most significant breakthroughs in food industry. Genetically modifying foods is a key component that is harmless for the enrichment of our foods.

Have you ever been sitting at home enjoying a huge cup of fruits or vegetables and think to yourself that you’re eating habits are healthy? You may be wrong, not knowing where your food comes can come with a big health hazard, yes even with fruits and vegetables. The reasoning for this is the upcoming biotechnology of Genetically Modified Foods. These modified foods are supposed to help with the up and coming population that should rise by 10 billion in 2050.Plus with all the technology coming in, it makes it easier for farmers to do their harvest a lot quicker, which means they have more time for family. Although many people believe the Genetically Modified Foods will be the future, Genetically Modified foods should be closely watched by the government and should be evaluated thoroughly before it is put on the market, Genetically Modified Foods have been tested individually and evidence shows health risks, the number of risk it brings to our environment and ecosystem is not worth with progressing, Genetically Modified foods don’t label their products which gives great superstitions to people on why Genetically Modified Food corporation are trying too hard to keep these labels off.

Do you know exactly what is in the food you eat every day? Do you read the food labels every time you eat different food? Are companies, factories, or stores stating the truth when they claim that their food is “organic” or “natural”? The answer is probably no, unless you really are interested in what you eat. But for the most part, a great majority of the population in this country have no idea what is in their food. Most of them probably don’t even know what the definition of the word “organic” or “natural” and just assume that if foods have that labeled then they automatically are better than other food who don’t claim they are. Also, consumers have little knowledge on organisms that are a major part of foods we eat on a daily basis. These organisms are called genetically modified organism or also known as GMOs. These are organisms whose DNA has been changed or altered, through a processed called genetic engineering, to change its characteristics in order to make the food, as they claim, “better.” According to the Center for Food Safety (CFS), “Currently, up to 92% of U.S. corn is genetically engineered (GE), as are 94% of soybeans and 94% of cotton. It has been estimated that upwards of 75% of processed foods on supermarket shelves contain genetically engineered ingredients.” Corn, soybeans, are substantially used in innumerable amounts of food and to know that 90% of these ingredients are genetically altered with, can be pretty overwhelming. Although the FDA doesn’t