Genetically Food And Drug Administration Regulates Labeling Of Genetically Modified Food

Over the years there has been a rapid increase of foods that are genetically modified being sold to us throughout the U.S. Genetically modified foods contain organisms that have had DNA from a non-related species transferred into their genes via biotechnology to permeate them with specific traits. And doing so these foods should not be sold. Crops that are genetically modified such as corn, soybeans, and tomatoes are toxic for the environment. Also, the health consequences of eating genetically modified organisms are largely unknown. And, genetic engineering creates dangerous side effects.

A new kind of foods called the genetically modified foods has been creating a quiet revolution in the American market for the past several years. Scientists are able to produce these new foods by transferring genes from one organism into another across species boundaries. This new technique has been developed to improve the shelf life, nutritional content, flavor, color, and texture of foods. Since 1994, about 45 genetically modified foods such as tomato, corn, soybeans, canola, and potatoes have been marketed in the United States. About two-thirds of foods that are processed in U.S. contain genetically modified ingredients. So, we the people are consuming these foods without realizing the fact that they are not produced naturally.

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are all over the world and are found in 80% of processed food in the United States. GMOs are animals and plants that have undergone DNA recombination; they are genetically engineered with DNA from other plants, animals and microorganisms such as bacteria or viruses. Such DNA recombination does not occur in nature and cannot be obtained from traditional crossbreeding (NON-GMO Project; Vigne, Komar & Fuchs). Since recombinant DNA technology involves transferring genetic material from one organism to another, GMOs are also known as transgenic organisms since there has been a transfer of genes (University of New Mexico). This procedure is different from cloning; cloning involves the replication of DNA sequences of the organism but without changing the genes in the DNA sequence. Thus, genetic modification involves actual modification of DNA sequence. However, the replication of genetically modified organisms is done through cloning in order to maintain the exact gene sequence that was created or desired (University of New Mexico). The production of GMOs is controversial and has strong proponents and opponents. Around 60 countries including Japan, Australia, and countries in the European Union have restrictions or bans on the production and sale of GMOs. Numerous reasons are proffered for this position such as health, safety and environmental concerns. At the same time, there are many proponents of GMO

Most people in the United States don't realize that they've been eating genetically engineered foods since the mid-1990s. More than 60 percent of all processed foods on U.S. supermarket shelves—including pizza, chips, cookies, ice cream, salad dressing, corn syrup, and baking powder—contain ingredients from engineered soybeans, corn, or

Some evidence proponents use to prove genetically engineered foods are really no different comes from the American Association for the Advancement of Science that wrote in their, Statement by the AAAS Board of Directors On Labeling of Genetically Modified Foods, “consuming foods containing ingredients derived from GM crops is no riskier than consuming the same foods containing ingredients from crop plants modified by conventional plant improvement techniques. (SITE). Many governmental and scientific organizations agree with the AAAS statement. The National Academy of Sciences found that “no adverse health effects attributed to genetic engineering have been documented in the human population.”(SITE). The scientific perspective is that genetically modified foods do not cause risks to human health. Proponents argue that genetically modified crops will prevent world hunger and be an answer to saving thousands of lives.

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.

Someone out there has probably wondered why their tomatoes which they bought at a supermarket, taste different than the tomatoes at a farmers market. Well to answer that curious person, the tomatoes from the supermarket are most likely Genetically Modified. Genetically Modified foods (GM foods) are organisms in which genetic material (DNA) have been altered in a way that is not natural. Basically they are inserting genes of another species into their DNA, the process is known as biotechnology. 45 percent of corn and 85 percent of soybean are genetically modified. Fulton states that “some 70-90 percent of processed food is genetically modified and has been that way for years” (“Politics Heating Up Over…”). The

The addition of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s) also commonly known as Genetically Engineered (GE) to our food products have been a heated controversy for some time now. This debate is currently attracting a lot of consumer/media interest in 2014. From the 1990’s on, GE foods have been consumed by millions of Americans and humans across the world. So what exactly are GE foods? DNA (genes) from one species is genetically engineered into certain animals and plants with a specific predicted outcome to be the result. Some types of gene modifications are made to enhance flavor, conserve natural resources, increase nutrients or create

America uses 2.4 billions of acres to grow GMOs; by 2012, 28 countries across the world grew GMOs in 3.7 billion acres of land (ISAAA 1). The United States take up more than 50% of that land. Even though so much of America’s crops are genetically modified, the Food and Drug Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture do not require the labelling of genetically modified food products. Producers have the choice of including a GMO-containing label or a GMO-free one (Storrs 1). There is an increased accessibility of genetically modified, GM crop planting has increased from 1 million to 70 million hectares, one hectare equals 100 acres (GMO Compass). In America only one state, Vermont, out of the fifty states in the U.S. is planning to require labels on GMO-containing foods beginning July 2016 (Bailey 1). Act 120, an act delineating the labeling of foods produced by genetic engineering, has caused issues with Vermont and the federal government. The state is facing trials in order to pass this legislation. Labeling of foods in general is not strictly enforced by the government organizations who are accountable for food safety, such as the FDA. There are little regulations that must be met (Storrs 1). Due to the increasing availability of GMO-containing foods, the FDA should require all GM food producers to label their products because consumers need to be aware and GMO-containing foods and organically grown foods have extensive differences.

The Bill of Rights written by James Madison declares that people have the right to life, the right to liberty and freedom, and the right to the pursuit of happiness (US Const. amend. I, sec. 3). But do we have the right to know what we are taking into our bodies? Recently, the proposal arose that there should be mandatory labeling of genetically modified (GM) foods in the United States. The proposal was however, rejected at the national, state, and local levels. According to the World Health Organization, genetically modified foods are foods with artificial transformed DNA. Genetically modified foods are made from the slicing of the DNA of different genes from plants, animals, etc. (par. 2). Genetically modified foods were researched, and

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About 90% of cotton, corn, and soybean planted in the United States during 2014 and 2015 was genetically modified. Organisms that have been engineered in laboratories and have been altered for a beneficial way are genetically modified foods and crops. That is done by manipulating the food’s DNA. GM foods/crops were first approved for human consumption in the United States of America in 1994. Genetically modified crops covered one-tenth of the world’s farmland in 2010 ("Genetically modified organism (GMO)."). Also, genetically modified foods and crops are not any different from crops modified by other techniques but genetically modified crops and foods are the only ones regulated by governments around the world (Messer). Genetically modified foods are beneficial to the society because more food is available, they are resistant, and safe.

A popular debate in the United States that’s been ongoing since 1990, is the labeling on Genetically Modified or Engineered foods otherwise known as GMO’s. Genetically engineered food is an unnatural process of plant or meat products. These two products have had their DNA artificially altered in a laboratory by genes from other plants, animals, viruses, or bacteria to produce foreign genes in food. Monsanto, an agriculture company, claims the reason behind this experimental genetic alteration was said to produce a multiplying supply to feed the world. Nevertheless, Americans are in a debate with the government to label genetically engineered food due to several reasons. Labeling genetically engineered ingredients will help consumers determine which products they decide to consume. The FDA published a policy that states they do not require labeling of GMO foods. Americans and people all over the world feel that they should have the right to know what they are purchasing and consuming due to a list of health, environmental, ethical, and religious reasons.

Since the 1980's scientists have been altering crops, including some of the food we eat (Fairly & Gaskins, 2000). Genetically modified food has always been a concern for many people. I find the concerns to be unwarranted because there has never been a negative health report due to the fact of consuming GM foods. Biotechnology gives us the best means for solving the world's food shortage now and in the future. Genetically modified crop plants are now grown on nearly 150 million acres in the United States alone, helping farmers to increase yields, reduce pesticide spraying, and save

As we know genetic modification has been very widely used now in agriculture for a long time. In the market most of the food may contain an ingredient from genetically modified crops. According to a Center for Food Safety report, currently, up to 92% of U.S. corn is genetically engineered (GE), as are 94% of soybeans and 94% of cotton (cottonseed oil is often used in food products). It has been estimated that upwards of 75% of processed foods on supermarket shelves – from soda to soup, crackers to condiments – contain genetically engineered ingredients.