Background:
Genetically modified foods are foods in which their DNA has been altered in a specific way, by humans, in order to reveal a specific trait that changes the growth time, size, shape, yield, and resistance against climate change and disease in a plant or animal. (World Health Organization, 2015) Genetic modification has been around since the beginning of time, but it occurred naturally. Plants and animals both over millions of years have naturally modified themselves by Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection or “survival of the fittest” which means, in reference to food, that the plants and animals with bad or harmful traits die off while the strong ones reproduce, passing good, helpful traits to offspring. This all would happen …show more content…
The world right now is in need of inexpensive food in great volumes. Genetically modified food is helping with that problem. There is higher yields of food produced per acre in GM food as compared to crops that are grown by all organic farmers. There also is a big difference in price because of the abundance of produce. From 1975-2005 the cost of corn per bushel decreased by .31 cents and the time spent caring for and growing crops has been cut in half in the last decade. (choicesmagazine.org, 2009) A lot of genetically modified foods are also resistant to certain things that are normally hazardous to human health like diseases and dangerous molds. The shelf life is longer in stores, resulting in better tasting food for longer amounts of time. The foods that are genetically modified have a resistance to insects and viruses that would normally kill crops. With less plants dying and more crops per acre, the profit for farmers and especially large corporations is much higher. There is also a difference in size and taste because of the fact that flavor and size are genetically modified to be enhanced. It is also said that foods that are genetically modified have a higher concentration of nutrients because they can be added during the modification process. (iuns.org, 2012) An example of this is the golden rice project of 2001. Beta Carotene was added to rice …show more content…
One of the downfalls is that the use of genetically modified foods has not been around long enough to see long term effects it might have on humans. Many tests have been done on rats in the past and many of the results found are negative. (Environmental Science Europe, 2015) When the lab rats were fed potatoes that were genetically modified to produce their own insecticide, they had a tendency to develop abnormal cell growth in their intestines. They also found that it inhibited the growth of reproductive organs and immune health. When rats were fed the “Flavr Savr” tomato puree for thirty days, many developed stomach bleeds and others died. More than twenty farmers in North America have noticed that their cows and pigs have been having problems with fertilization. This has been noticed in both males and females. (responsibletechnology.org, 2014) With these studies, many have come to the conclusion that the health risks that arose are due to genetically modifying the foods that the animals were eating. Another problem is that now, most of the world’s crops come from major corporations rather than small farmers. It has put many small farms out of business. Forty percent of the world’s genetically modified food is produced in the United States and Monsanto alone provides 80% of the corn and 93% of the soy. (organicconsumers.org,
Genetically modified foods are foods in which their DNA has been altered in a specific way, by humans, in order to reveal a specific trait that changes the growth time, size, shape, yield, and resistance against climate change and disease in a plant or animal. (World Health Organization, 2015) Genetic modification has been around since the beginning of time, but it occurred naturally. Plants and animals both over millions of years have naturally modified themselves by Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection or “survival of the fittest” which means, in reference to food, that the plants and animals with bad or harmful traits die off while the strong ones reproduce, passing good, helpful traits to offspring. This all would happen …show more content…
The world right now is in need of inexpensive food in great volumes. Genetically modified food is helping with that problem. There is higher yields of food produced per acre in GM food as compared to crops that are grown by all organic farmers. There also is a big difference in price because of the abundance of produce. From 1975-2005 the cost of corn per bushel decreased by .31 cents and the time spent caring for and growing crops has been cut in half in the last decade. (choicesmagazine.org, 2009) A lot of genetically modified foods are also resistant to certain things that are normally hazardous to human health like diseases and dangerous molds. The shelf life is longer in stores, resulting in better tasting food for longer amounts of time. The foods that are genetically modified have a resistance to insects and viruses that would normally kill crops. With less plants dying and more crops per acre, the profit for farmers and especially large corporations is much higher. There is also a difference in size and taste because of the fact that flavor and size are genetically modified to be enhanced. It is also said that foods that are genetically modified have a higher concentration of nutrients because they can be added during the modification process. (iuns.org, 2012) An example of this is the golden rice project of 2001. Beta Carotene was added to rice …show more content…
One of the downfalls is that the use of genetically modified foods has not been around long enough to see long term effects it might have on humans. Many tests have been done on rats in the past and many of the results found are negative. (Environmental Science Europe, 2015) When the lab rats were fed potatoes that were genetically modified to produce their own insecticide, they had a tendency to develop abnormal cell growth in their intestines. They also found that it inhibited the growth of reproductive organs and immune health. When rats were fed the “Flavr Savr” tomato puree for thirty days, many developed stomach bleeds and others died. More than twenty farmers in North America have noticed that their cows and pigs have been having problems with fertilization. This has been noticed in both males and females. (responsibletechnology.org, 2014) With these studies, many have come to the conclusion that the health risks that arose are due to genetically modifying the foods that the animals were eating. Another problem is that now, most of the world’s crops come from major corporations rather than small farmers. It has put many small farms out of business. Forty percent of the world’s genetically modified food is produced in the United States and Monsanto alone provides 80% of the corn and 93% of the soy. (organicconsumers.org,