Pros and Cons of Genetically Modified Foods Essay

Our ancestors first cultivated builds some(prenominal) ten meter courses ago. They domesticated puppets later and then selectively bred both deedss and animals to sports meeting various requirements for human food. Humans discovered natural biological processes such(prenominal) as fermentation of fruits and grains to start out wine and beer, and yeast for baking bread. economic consumption of foods is non a untriedfound story, therefore. The latest agricultural discovery uses transmitted engineering technology to modify foods.Farmers and plant breeders relieve whizself been changing rove plants to im raise characteristics such as size, resistance to disease and taste. Plants which grow well, confuse a higher yield or taste better atomic number 18 selected and bred from. This is quiet down the most widely used technique for overhauling new varieties of a operate, and is limited by natural barriers which stop different species of beingnesss from breed with each f ormer(a). Genetic modification is very different to these traditional plant breeding techniques. Genetic modification is the insertion of DNA from champion organism to other, usually by molecular technologies. inheritedally special Foods (GMF) argon animals or plants that boast had genetic modification. This changes the characteristics of the organism, or the way it grows and develops.Jim Maryanski from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, had the adjacent to say in an interview published on the FDAs website. in that location argon hundreds of new plant varieties introduced every year in the get together States, and all have been genetically modify through traditional plant breeding techniquessuch as cross-fertilization of selected plantsto buzz off desired traits. (Robin)Current and future(a) GM mathematical products includea)Food that tolerate deliver vaccines bananas that produce hepatitis B vaccineb)More wholesome foods rice with increased iron and vitaminsc)Fas ter growing fish, fruit and junky treesd)Plants producing new plasticsIn so many another(prenominal) another(prenominal) respects, genetic modification is perfect for todays society. It would function agriculturalists overcome all headaches associated with growing large tramps, and basically orientate the food fruit industry to mass consumption by the planetary population. The famous frost-resistant tomato plant example is perfect in illustrating this point.With a tomato thatresists frost, the season for growing them would be longer and therefore a husbandman would be qualified to produce more than than tomatoes in one year than they were able to do in the past. Gene technology not simply gives us the potential to select the exact characteristics we require in an organism, nevertheless when it also enables us to cross species barriers. For example, we can take an biting louseicide-producing gene from a bacterium and insert it into a plant, making the plant resistan t to insect attack. This new-found ability to cross species barriers is what makes gene technology such a almighty tool. Producing enough food for the humankinds population with give away using up all the available land is an enormous challenge. One solution is to develop crops that yield more with fewer inputs that argon more resistant to diseases that indulge less during storage and transport that contain more useful nutrients and that can grow in agricultural land that has been degraded. Gene technology gives us the potential to do this.Genetically change foods have been available since the 1990s. The adept ingredients of GM foods currently available are derived from genetically modified soybean, clavus and canola. The first commercially giving genetically modified food crop was a tomato created by Calgene called the FlavrSavr. Calgene submitted it to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for assessment in 1992 next the FDAs determination that the FlavrSavr was, i n fact, a tomato, did not constitute a health hazard, and did not need to be tagged to indicate it was genetically modified, Calgene released it into the commercialize in 1994, where it met with little public comment. Considered to have a poor flavor, it never sold well and was off the market by 1997. However, it had improved solids table of contents which made it an attractive new pastiche for canned tomatoes.Transgenic crops are grown commercially or in sector trials in over 40 countries and on 6 continents. In 2000, closely 109.2 million acres (442,000 km) were planted with transgenic crops, the principal ones being herbicide- and insecticide-resistant soybeans, corn, cotton, and canola. early(a) crops grown commercially or field-tested are a sweet potato resistant to a US strain of a virus that affects one out of the more than 89 different varieties of sweet potato grown in Africa, rice with increased iron andvitamins such as halcyon rice, and a variety of plants able t o survive extreme weather.Between 1996 and 2001, the marrow surface area of land cultivated with GMOs had increased by a factor of 30, from 17,000 km (4.2 million acres) to 520,000 km (128 million acres). The value for 2002 was cxlv million acres (587,000 km) and for 2003 was 167 million acres (676,000 km). soja crop represented 63% of total surface in 2001, stinker 19%, cotton 13% and canola 5%. In 2004, the value was about 200 million acres (809,000 km) of which 2/3 were in the United States.In typeicular, Bt corn is widely grown, as are soybeans genetically designed to tolerate glyphosate herbicides. Future applications of GMOs include bananas that produce human vaccines against infected diseases such as Hepatitis B, fish that mature more quickly, fruit and nut trees that yield years earlier, and plants that produce new plastics with unique properties. The next ten-spot will see exponential progress in GM product development as look intoers gain increasing and unprecedent ed access to genomic resources that are applicable to organisms beyond the scope of individual projects.Biologist Stephen Nottingham explains the jeopardizes of GMFExperimental trials with transgenic organisms are usually conducted strict regulations to minimize the potential spread of genetic naturalEven given these regulations, however, no field trial can be said to be 100% secure. This was illustrated when flooding struck the American middle west in July 1993 and an entire field of experimental insect-resistant maize was swept away(predicate) in Iowa. once released accidentally into the environment, plant material whitethorn prove difficult to recover. (Bragi)Unique ecological risks have been associated with virus-resistant transgenic crop plantsleaving crops more undefended to virus attack and risking the spread of virus susceptibility to other plants.Genetically modified foods are unlikely to present direct risks to human health. on that point are two main areas of concer na)The possibility of allergic reactions to genetically modified foods, andb)The possibility that bacteria living in the human wild sweet pea may acquire resistance to antibiotics from markergenes present in transgenic plants.Proponents shout that a genetically-modified potato is as safe as one modified the old-fashioned way, through generations of selective breeding biotechnology just gets the muse done more quickly. Critics are concerned that mixing together genetic material from different species might produce unexpected allergic reactions in the person who take or drinks it. For instance, if an individual consumer who is allergic to broccoli eats a banana that just happens to have a little broccoli DNA under the peel, that person might get sick. Some studies on animals indicate that consuming genetically-modified foods may cause allergic responses, compromise insubordinate systems and inhibit organ growth, although no proven cases of widespread reactions have been definitiv ely documented.Opponents of biotech foods want other questions answered, as well. Will re-engineering a plant or animal to serve a particular proposition end, such as improving taste, falling off its nutritional value? Will consuming genetically-modified food products make a person more resistant to antibiotics, which are widely used to get by bacterial infections? Does consuming milk or meat from livestock that has been injected with growth hormones (a form of biotechnology that is different from genetic modification) subject consumers to early puberty, cancer, and other ailments?Since neither side has been able to provide definitive answers, the jury is still out on food safety after all, genetic technology itself is barely decades old.So one can condense the issue into a single question should we move forward with new technologies that might help provide higher crop yields, new and interesting types of food products, and more profits for the companies that own the technology or play it safe and calculate until we better understand the health and environmental consequences of manipulating life forms that took generations to develop? international Corporations gather because GMF can be very profitable. GMF have taken put up quickly because multinational corporations with the resources to make large financial investments in research and development can profit directly. Multinational companies can spread out the benefit and profit to many branches of their businesses. Many such corporations combine the following an agrochemical company, a seedcompany, a pharmaceutical company, a food process company and sometimes businesses involved with veterinary products. Developments in one part of the corporation can be used to shell out products in another branch.Farmers benefit in the short term because they can grow and sell more crops with fewer problems due to weeds, pests, fungi or frost. The genetically modified seed is designed to resist these traditional ene mies.Food processing companies benefit from a ready supply of raw food ingredients designed for specific processing needs. Genetically modified tomatoes and potatoes, for instance, have higher solid contents and yield more sauces and French fries. These foods take longer to ripen and rot. hence less food is spoiled and more gets processed.Supermarkets benefit for the same reasons. The voguish produce lasts longer on the shelves and is more profitable. Consumers, to date, havent benefited. GMF have been developed for the convenience of the producer and processor. Yet they cost more to produce and the costs get passed along to the consumer. Eventually there will be some kind of designer novelty foods for shoppers to try.Nottingham adds that there are many other concerns including ethical questions involving animal welfare, whether DNA is actual life, and intellectual prop rights and genetic resources from the Third World. (Bragi)The worlds poorest nations account for around 95.7% of the worlds genetic resources. Traditional farming practices involve farmers retaining seeds, from the harvest of one years crop, for planting in the following year. This practice saves cash on buying seed and in itself represents a continuous pick for yield and resistance to pests and diseases. However, with genetically modified seed, royalties are payable to the companies retention the patent for the seed. Under world trade agreement rulings, farmers have to make substantial royalty payments to multinational companies if they reinforcement seed for replanting, even if the crop happens to be native to their particular country.Genetic engineering is a of import new technology that can develop more plentiful and nutritious foods, with great potential benefits for humanity and the environment, and this new scientific discovery needs to be implemented as quickly as possible for improver reasons. As with every new scientific technology, harmful side personal effects of genetic engineering are inevitable and great care should be taken in its implementation, including carefully controlled long-term tests on human health and environmental impacts.All genetically engineered foods have been thoroughly tested and exhibit to be safe before they are released into the marketplace. However, this exam is typically conducted alone on rats and other animals, by the companies involved. Very little of this research has been reviewed by independent scientists and then published in scientific journals.Genetically engineered foods are usually substantially equivalent to other foods, with no increased risk to human health, and no need for the lengthy and expensive human testing demanded of, for example, new food additives. However, the unpredictable disruptions in normal DNA mental process caused by genetic engineering can produce unanticipated and unfamiliar side effects for human health, including unknown and unpredictable toxins and allergens, and these possibilitie s can only be definitively assessed through human testing.Genetic engineering is a scientific and technological process, and its evaluation and governmental regulation should be based on purely scientific and objective criteria. To have a purely scientific evaluation of genetically engineered foods, we need more science, especially human studies and environmental studies. Moreover, purely scientific assessment of genetic engineering ignores the fact that, for many people, food has cultural, ethical and religious dimensions that must also be considered.Alan McHughen, write of Pandoras Picnic Basket The Potential and Hazards of Genetically Modified Foods, in the introduction he statesMake no mistake I am in favor of an orderly and appropriately regulated introduction of some GMOs into the environment and marketplace, and Iadamantly oppose others. There are nice reasons to ban certain products of genetic technology, and good reasons to allow, with management, certain others some may require no extraordinary regulation at all. If your opinion differs from exploit after reading this book, I hope you will be able to justify, if only to yourself, why we disagree.My philosophy is to be skeptical, be critical, even distrustful of claims by business interests, government agencies, and activist groups. But also keep an open mind and then decide for yourself. (Internet 7)Theres no question that the GM food supply should be closely monitored and regulated, but that doesnt mean it should all be banned. I believe that genetic engineering of plants, animals, and humans has much to offer as long as we are aware of potential benefits and side effects. And thats true even for more traditional methods of farming, animal husbandry, and medicine.Work Sited1.Cummings, Michael R., and Williams S. Klug. Concepts of Genetics. in the buff Delhi Pearson Education, 2004.2.Dubey, R.C. A Textbook of Biotechnology. New Delhi S. Chand, 20063.Kumar, H.D. Modern Concepts of Biotechnology. New Delhi Vikash Publishing House, 20034.Purohit, S. Agricultural Biotechnology. India Agrobios, 20055.Purohit, S. Biotechnology Fundamental and Applications. India Agrobios, 2004Internet bring up1.Bragi, David. Food Savior Or Frankenfood? The Debate Over Genetically Modified Foods. http//www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/gate/archive/2001/06/25/healthwatch.DTL2.Robbin, Adria. What Are We Eating? http//serendip.brynmawr.edu/ biological science/b103/f00/web1/robbin.html3.Schultz, Norman. http//www.beyondintractability.org/essay/fact_finding_limits/4.Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia. http//www.wikipedia.org/wiki/genetic_engineering5.Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia. http//www.wikipedia.org/wiki/genetically_modified_food6.Genetic Engineering The Controversy. http//www.genetic-id.com/prosncons/index.htm7.http//www.foodmuseum.com/issues.html