Genetically Modified Foods : An Overview By Alex K. Rich And Tom Warhol

GMO’s or Genetically Modified Food is one of the most controversial topics that have been studied and debated for over 40 years. Scientists on both sides of the spectrum claim that these modified foods are safe for consumption, but also some argue that these foods are toxic and very harmful to human life. GMO’s are genetically modified organisms that are created and added in a lab experiment where DNA are extracted from one gene and added to another plant or animal. This allows the genes to mix with the DNA to create a desired product. For example, bigger apples, larger oranges, taller animals, and plants that can survive the changing climate. GMOs are different from organic food and products because chemicals and DNA modification is not needed for these natural stuff.

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.

“Sixty to seventy percent of all processed foods available on store shelves contain genetically modified ingredients”, according to George Erdosh and Marcia Amidon Lusted in “To GMO or not to GMO? Genetically engineered food has strong advocates and harsh critics.” Genetically modified organisms can be found in most conventional foods processed in the United States, and genetic modification of crops is extremely common on classic Minnesota farms. Crops such as corn and soybeans or even papaya and zucchini are viable for genetic modification. In fact, the definition of (GMO) as reported by Alex K. Rich and Tom Warhol, authors of “Genetically Modified Foods: An Overview,” is, “food in which, at some point during the production process molecules and proteins are chemically altered to give the food more nutrients, a better appearance, and a longer shelf life.” As a matter of fact, a majority of all the foods found at the grocery store are genetically altered. However, many people do not know what genetic modification really is, or that the idea has been around for many years. GMOs are used to control pests and weeds. Therefore, through changing the genetic makeup of the plant, modifications allow for advancements of new technologies that account for the applicability of specific chemicals, as opposed to dated Non-GMO farming techniques.

GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism. GMOs usually have been altered from another organism such as bacterium, plant, virus, or animals. They are also referred to as “transgenic organisms.” GM seeds are engineered in laboratories to have certain traits such as resistance to herbicides. 75-85% of foods contain GM ingredients. The majority of the country’s corn and soybean crop is now genetically modified. Corn and soybeans are also made into popular processed food ingredients like high fructose corn syrup. Not enough is known about the risks of GMOs. Consumers should have the right to know what’s in their foods and if it is genetically modified (“Genetically Modified”).

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

Genetically Modified Organism or GMO is an organism that has been altered genetically. There are many possibilities for altering an organism such as growing conditions, quantity, or even scientific breakthroughs. Many choose a side over this heated debate, whether GMOs are safe or if they are harmful to humans. Currently about two-thirds of all items in the supermarket is GMO(Corn The Miracle Crop). GMO promise increase crop yields, lower costs, and less herbicides and pesticides. Altering the organisms genetics could negatively affect the organism resulting in an unstable product. Researchers have found that an unstable product can result in poor crop production, decrease in nutritional value, toxic and

Genetically modified crops are an incredibly important issue that everyone should be aware of since it is something we are exposed to at a daily basis. Genetically modified crops also known as GM crops or Biotech crops has been one of the most heated debates of issues within our society. The debate about the safety, concerns and disadvantages of GM crops have raged since the mid 1990 's but this is due to the lack of knowledge of the general public. Many people are unaware of what the GM crops actually are and what they offer. Genetically modified crops are plants that are used in the agriculture and have been modified to initiate a new trait to plants that does not happen naturally in the species. These plants are modified using genetic engineering techniques to enhance desired traits. GM crops are made when genes of commercial interest are transferred from one organism to another.() There are many methods used for the production of GM crops but the two primary used for plant insertion are gene guns and agrobacterium tumefaciens. There are also three types of modifications which are transgenic, cisgenic, and subgenic plants. However, there are a number of issues that surround this controversial topic such as environmental, health, and economic concerns. Even though there are some worrying facts about GM crops people don 't realize the advantages or the ways it has helped humans as well as animals. There are many reasons why GM crops are proven

This is where the word genetically modified food comes into place. Genetically modified food or more commonly known as GMOs, is where small amounts of hereditary material (DNA) from different organisms have been added to the original crop or plant which is to be modified through the new addition. The overall topic of GMOs is very hot, there are many individuals who believe in them and there are those who do not support the idea and believe that ramifications are a great risk for the future and should be put a stop to immediately. As of now, the GMOs that are available today have been given hereditary qualities to aim to preserve from bugs, resilience to pesticides, or enhance the crops quality. Practically every food item that can be found in our local grocery store, such as apples, corn and tomatoes are all

As human civilization has evolved over the centuries, the way we produce our food has changed. There are many terms for describing this process such as food biotechnology or genetic engineering, but the most common one is genetically modified organisms or GMO. GMOs are used on plant life to enhance certain qualities before consumption or extraction. There have been many concerns about this subject, but despite this it should continue to be used in the future out of necessity.

Genetic modified organisms, or GMOs, are living organisms that, through the genetic engineering process, have been altered to withstand certain chemicals and increase the nutritional value of the product. In fact, the majority of the foods found at the grocery store are genetically altered. Genetic modification is becoming increasingly popular on farms throughout the United States and moving into other parts of the world due to their increasing yield capabilities and pest and weed control. However, this has been, and continues to be, an extremely controversial topic of discussion in the world of agriculture and biotechnology, as well as health food critics, because of potential environmental and health risks.

To a scientist or a farmer trying to sell his produce faster, genetically modified food, also known as GM food, may be viewed as a fine gem. It is an easy shortcut to take to make the shelf life of their product longer and more durable to storms and harmful weeds. While they see it as yet another helpful tool, it can wreck havoc in unintended places. Genetically modified food raises concerns about health, environmental hazards, and the right to choose to consume them.

In 1982, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first genetically modified organism. Since then, genetically modified foods have made a huge impact in the food industry all over the world, and today they make up the majority of products Americans consume on a daily basis. Most Americans are unaware what foods are genetically modified, much less know when they are consuming a genetically modified product. Genetically modified foods are plants or animal products that have been genetically enhanced in order to obtain a desired quality such as a resistance to pesticides or disease, size, production and many more. Since the approval of GMOs, foods and crops such as soya beans, corn, sugar cane and several

“70 percent of our corn farmland and 93 percent of soy farmland are planted with crops genetically engineered to resist pests and herbicides and increase crop yields. 60% of all the processed foods in the United States are genetically modified; a shocking statistic has the concern of many Americans. However, most people are uninformed about the beneficial impact that genetically modified food has on their diet. GM is the use of molecular biology technology to modify the inherited structure of organisms. Genetically engineered crops increase nutrients, drought tolerance, provide more food for growing populations, and resists diseases and pesticides. Genetically engineered foods are crucial to the improvement of economy, agriculture, society, and health choices. The creation of GM foods was one of the most significant breakthroughs in food industry. Genetically modifying foods is a key component that is harmless for the enrichment of our foods.

Genetically modified foods (GM foods) are derived from organisms that have been artificially altered in labs in order to achieve specific attractive characteristics that the organism would have not naturally had (AbbyMediaRoots, 2009; Griffins, 2009). A gene is inserted into the organism that would make it more productive, for example, in the agriculture setting. Highly harmful products that are normally used in farming (such as pesticides) may originally have killed the organism in its natural state. Through the genetic modification, the organism

According to the World Health Organization (2014. 1), "Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be defined as organisms (i.e. plants, animals or microorganisms) in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination. The technology is often called 'modern biotechnology ' or 'gene technology ', sometimes also 'recombinant DNA technology ' or 'genetic engineering '. Foods produced from or using GM organisms are often referred to as GM foods.” Many organic crops farming farmers are against cultivating of GM crops because of the threat to farm land and environment however, biotechnology companies and GM crops growing famer desire to have profit and consumer look for low price. Thus, the debate over the environmental impact of genetically modified GM crops is growing. Although GM crops negatively affects on some organism in environment, they reduce the use of pesticides and increase crop yield.