GMOs: Myth or Fact?
People have been intentionally genetically modifying plants for over ten thousand years (Hoegler). Ever since modified plants have been around, so have skeptics. Naturally, many misconceptions and false assumptions have been made by people who either don 't understand or don 't agree with genetic engineering. This essay will serve to educate and explain misconstrued presumptions about genetically modified organisms being used in agriculture.
Biotech crops were first officially integrated into agriculture in 1996. Since they were introduced, they have been the most rapid and widely adopted ag-innovation in history (Monsanto). Genetic modification allows researchers to insert genes from other unrelated organisms into crops. …show more content…
Alan Mchughen, an University of California, Riverside researcher has concluded, “if the United States banned GMOs outright, it probably would not cause a huge impact, apart from driving up the price of food.” He also talked about U.S. farmers getting upset because 90% who have the ability to grow modified crops do so. The largest impact of banning genetically modified organisms would be seen in countries such as sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. They would not get by without GMOs because it is the products of drought resistant seed that allow prime growth. These facts show that it may not change our food system drastically to ban them, just make buying groceries harder for some families. However it does show that modified crops are the lifeline to people in other parts of the world.
Many people believe activists, by pushing to outlaw or put stricter laws on modified foods, are trying to protect consumers. That may be the sole reason driving some people to protest. However, the underlying reason some object to genetic engineering is because the technology used to create these organisms is managed by a small number of companies. They are afraid of something so transparent as the food supply being controlled by a trickle of companies. Alan Mchughen of U.C. Riverside noted ¨ït is appropriate in our multicultural, democratic society to have the food supply controlled by a handful of …show more content…
He published a book called “Undeniable” that contained a chapter about genetically modified organisms. In that chapter he claimed that there is something ¨fundamentally problematic¨ with consumers eating foods containing modified crops. Though he was a non-GMO supporter, that fact does not ring true today. Nye recently visited Monsanto, a leading company that produces GMO seed. After his visit he did a one eighty and is showing support for modified crops. In an impromptu interview backstage of Bill Mahers ¨Real Time” Nye was quoted saying “I went to Monsanto, and I spent a lot of time with the scientists there, and I have revised my outlook, and I’m very excited about telling the world.¨ This revelation seemed suspicious to some onlookers. He made a statement explaining that he changed his mind after he learned more about the science behind it
People have been intentionally genetically modifying plants for over ten thousand years (Hoegler). Ever since modified plants have been around, so have skeptics. Naturally, many misconceptions and false assumptions have been made by people who either don 't understand or don 't agree with genetic engineering. This essay will serve to educate and explain misconstrued presumptions about genetically modified organisms being used in agriculture.
Biotech crops were first officially integrated into agriculture in 1996. Since they were introduced, they have been the most rapid and widely adopted ag-innovation in history (Monsanto). Genetic modification allows researchers to insert genes from other unrelated organisms into crops. …show more content…
Alan Mchughen, an University of California, Riverside researcher has concluded, “if the United States banned GMOs outright, it probably would not cause a huge impact, apart from driving up the price of food.” He also talked about U.S. farmers getting upset because 90% who have the ability to grow modified crops do so. The largest impact of banning genetically modified organisms would be seen in countries such as sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. They would not get by without GMOs because it is the products of drought resistant seed that allow prime growth. These facts show that it may not change our food system drastically to ban them, just make buying groceries harder for some families. However it does show that modified crops are the lifeline to people in other parts of the world.
Many people believe activists, by pushing to outlaw or put stricter laws on modified foods, are trying to protect consumers. That may be the sole reason driving some people to protest. However, the underlying reason some object to genetic engineering is because the technology used to create these organisms is managed by a small number of companies. They are afraid of something so transparent as the food supply being controlled by a trickle of companies. Alan Mchughen of U.C. Riverside noted ¨ït is appropriate in our multicultural, democratic society to have the food supply controlled by a handful of …show more content…
He published a book called “Undeniable” that contained a chapter about genetically modified organisms. In that chapter he claimed that there is something ¨fundamentally problematic¨ with consumers eating foods containing modified crops. Though he was a non-GMO supporter, that fact does not ring true today. Nye recently visited Monsanto, a leading company that produces GMO seed. After his visit he did a one eighty and is showing support for modified crops. In an impromptu interview backstage of Bill Mahers ¨Real Time” Nye was quoted saying “I went to Monsanto, and I spent a lot of time with the scientists there, and I have revised my outlook, and I’m very excited about telling the world.¨ This revelation seemed suspicious to some onlookers. He made a statement explaining that he changed his mind after he learned more about the science behind it