Christopher Rosa
Prof. Click
ENG 100
9 Dec. 2014
Breeding Uncertainty
Recent developments in food engineering have substantially increased man’s potential to reduce human intervention, and supply a vast amount of food for the ravenous world population. Genetically engineered (GE) crops were initially introduced in 1996, and appeared to have an auspicious future because they were announced to be immune to destructive insects and herbicides. Before the alteration in food production in the mid-90s, plants were predominantly cross hybridized. The idea of cross hybridization is to create a plant that carries the excellent attributes of both of its progenitors and exclude their undesirable traits; the drawback is that the chances are slim that …show more content…
Most supporters of GE foods claim that with help of genetical engineering, farmers can successfully grow more crops and provide an increased food supply. For example, Calestous Juma, a globally recognized authority in environmental science, claims that “bananas are threatened by a bacterial disease known as Xanthomonas wilt, which causes more than $500 million in crop losses annually [...] We would benefit greatly from having other disease-resistant crops.” (Juma 8-9). What Juma is suggesting is that genetically engineering crops is an effective management of herbicides and insects that translates into more profit because less crops are being damaged by pests and thus less human intervention is needed. As Dr. Bevan Moseley, a doctor who holds Ph.D in bacteriology and radiation biology, argues, genetically engineered foods are generally safe: “genetically modified foods have been consumed by some hundreds of millions of people for almost two decades with no reports of any serious health consequences. This suggests that the regulatory machinery for assessing the safety including non-allergenicity of the introduced proteins, has been working reasonably well” (Moseley 5). In other words, if there haven’t been reported cases of severe problems regarding GE foods, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is an agency …show more content…
The solution to the uncertainty of genetically modified foods is to go back to the stage where it was not present; in this case, before 1996 when genetically modified crops were not initially introduced yet. The topic of genetically modified foods is crucial because we have to be aware of it so we can make conscious decisions. We have to be more critical because, in a generation where uncertainty is breeded, and yet not properly examined and evaluated before it’s readily available for consumers, we have to be careful with information that is thrown at us.
Works Cited
Conko, Gregory Miller. "The Rush To Condemn Genetically Modified Crops." Policy Review 165 (2011): 69-82. Academic Search Premier. Web. 29 Nov. 2014.
Cummings, Claire Hope. Uncertain Peril. Boston: Beacon Press, 2008. Print.
Juma, Calestous. "Preventing Hunger: Biotechnology Is Key." Nature 479.7374 (2011): 471-472. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.
Moseley, Bevan"How To Make Foods Safer-Genetically Modified Foods." Allergy 56.1 (2001): 61. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Dec. 2014.
Rissler, Jane, Margaret Mellon. The Ecological Risks of Engineered Crops. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 1996. Print.
Schmidt, Charles. "Natural Born Killers." Environmental Health Perspectives 106.9 (1998): A432-A437. EBSCO Host.
Prof. Click
ENG 100
9 Dec. 2014
Breeding Uncertainty
Recent developments in food engineering have substantially increased man’s potential to reduce human intervention, and supply a vast amount of food for the ravenous world population. Genetically engineered (GE) crops were initially introduced in 1996, and appeared to have an auspicious future because they were announced to be immune to destructive insects and herbicides. Before the alteration in food production in the mid-90s, plants were predominantly cross hybridized. The idea of cross hybridization is to create a plant that carries the excellent attributes of both of its progenitors and exclude their undesirable traits; the drawback is that the chances are slim that …show more content…
Most supporters of GE foods claim that with help of genetical engineering, farmers can successfully grow more crops and provide an increased food supply. For example, Calestous Juma, a globally recognized authority in environmental science, claims that “bananas are threatened by a bacterial disease known as Xanthomonas wilt, which causes more than $500 million in crop losses annually [...] We would benefit greatly from having other disease-resistant crops.” (Juma 8-9). What Juma is suggesting is that genetically engineering crops is an effective management of herbicides and insects that translates into more profit because less crops are being damaged by pests and thus less human intervention is needed. As Dr. Bevan Moseley, a doctor who holds Ph.D in bacteriology and radiation biology, argues, genetically engineered foods are generally safe: “genetically modified foods have been consumed by some hundreds of millions of people for almost two decades with no reports of any serious health consequences. This suggests that the regulatory machinery for assessing the safety including non-allergenicity of the introduced proteins, has been working reasonably well” (Moseley 5). In other words, if there haven’t been reported cases of severe problems regarding GE foods, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is an agency …show more content…
The solution to the uncertainty of genetically modified foods is to go back to the stage where it was not present; in this case, before 1996 when genetically modified crops were not initially introduced yet. The topic of genetically modified foods is crucial because we have to be aware of it so we can make conscious decisions. We have to be more critical because, in a generation where uncertainty is breeded, and yet not properly examined and evaluated before it’s readily available for consumers, we have to be careful with information that is thrown at us.
Works Cited
Conko, Gregory Miller. "The Rush To Condemn Genetically Modified Crops." Policy Review 165 (2011): 69-82. Academic Search Premier. Web. 29 Nov. 2014.
Cummings, Claire Hope. Uncertain Peril. Boston: Beacon Press, 2008. Print.
Juma, Calestous. "Preventing Hunger: Biotechnology Is Key." Nature 479.7374 (2011): 471-472. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.
Moseley, Bevan"How To Make Foods Safer-Genetically Modified Foods." Allergy 56.1 (2001): 61. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Dec. 2014.
Rissler, Jane, Margaret Mellon. The Ecological Risks of Engineered Crops. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 1996. Print.
Schmidt, Charles. "Natural Born Killers." Environmental Health Perspectives 106.9 (1998): A432-A437. EBSCO Host.