GMOs or GM“NO”s? How many times have you seen it- a package that has the label “non-GMO project certified”? How many times have you wondered what GMOs actually are, and what is so bad about them? Chances are the latter has happened many times less than the previous. As Americans, we are constantly being bombarded about what we should and should not be eating, but how do we know what to believe? Genetically modified foods are protested in America, but the real truth behind what they are, what they can do for our economy, their impact on our environment, and how they can affect our health shows that they should be openly accepted. So what in the world are GMOs and why should citizens be open to them? Usually, when Americans hear the phrase
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This is understandable, but when people are constantly being fed false information, it is hard to know what to believe. One of the biggest lies circulating the country is that GMOs are bad for your body in general. This isn’t true. GMOs are modified to be more nutritious through gene transfer. Scientists have begun adding vitamins and other characteristics to the plant to make it healthier for the consumer. These added traits would not necessarily have a huge impact on the United States, but this technology is useful in poorer nations where micronutrient malnutrition reigns king. These needy countries make up over half of the world. Genetic modification improves the qualities and quantities of these micronutrients in nearly any plant on the face of the earth (Statement on Benefits and Risks of Genetically Modified Foods). For example, in Asia, vitamin A deficiency has grown to become a real issue. Decreased levels of this crucial nutrient has caused blindness in 250,000 to 500,000 malnourished children. What can be done to fix this? GMOs are the answer. Golden rice is genetically modified to provide higher levels of beta-carotene: a nutrient that helps with vitamin A absorption (Windhorst). Genetic modification of plants can produce nutrients in plants that can improve millions of …show more content…
795 million people on this earth do not have enough food to live a healthy lifestyle. This means nearly 1 in 9 people can’t meet their nutrient needs. Poor nutrition causes 45% of the deaths in children under 5 every year. That 's 3.1 million children killed from malnutrition every single year. To completely end world hunger, it would cost $30 billion per year (Hunger Statistics). One key can solve all these issues, and that key is genetic modification. Plants can be given higher yields, better traits for plant growth, and more nutrients for people that need them. It might sound crazy to say that world hunger can all be ended in a lab, but with genetic modification, it truly
This is understandable, but when people are constantly being fed false information, it is hard to know what to believe. One of the biggest lies circulating the country is that GMOs are bad for your body in general. This isn’t true. GMOs are modified to be more nutritious through gene transfer. Scientists have begun adding vitamins and other characteristics to the plant to make it healthier for the consumer. These added traits would not necessarily have a huge impact on the United States, but this technology is useful in poorer nations where micronutrient malnutrition reigns king. These needy countries make up over half of the world. Genetic modification improves the qualities and quantities of these micronutrients in nearly any plant on the face of the earth (Statement on Benefits and Risks of Genetically Modified Foods). For example, in Asia, vitamin A deficiency has grown to become a real issue. Decreased levels of this crucial nutrient has caused blindness in 250,000 to 500,000 malnourished children. What can be done to fix this? GMOs are the answer. Golden rice is genetically modified to provide higher levels of beta-carotene: a nutrient that helps with vitamin A absorption (Windhorst). Genetic modification of plants can produce nutrients in plants that can improve millions of …show more content…
795 million people on this earth do not have enough food to live a healthy lifestyle. This means nearly 1 in 9 people can’t meet their nutrient needs. Poor nutrition causes 45% of the deaths in children under 5 every year. That 's 3.1 million children killed from malnutrition every single year. To completely end world hunger, it would cost $30 billion per year (Hunger Statistics). One key can solve all these issues, and that key is genetic modification. Plants can be given higher yields, better traits for plant growth, and more nutrients for people that need them. It might sound crazy to say that world hunger can all be ended in a lab, but with genetic modification, it truly