РефератыИностранный языкGeGenetically Altered Food Essay Research Paper Genetic

Genetically Altered Food Essay Research Paper Genetic

Genetically Altered Food Essay, Research Paper


Genetic Modified FoodGenetic modification of organisms in general is a


biotechnological process that forces genes to


behave according to certain characteristics.


Changing characteristics of organisms is based on


changing their DNA (tech deoxyribonucleic acid;


the acid which carries genetic information in a


cell). It is being used for modifying genes in plants,


animals or micro-organisms. It is being also used


especially with food in order to improve the


nutritious quality, make less use of chemicals such


as pesticides, which proved to be extremely


harmful, and sometimes to add flavour. Genetically


modified food (GMF) is considered one of the


modern production improvements and the largest


food experiments in the world?s history. However,


it is very vital to dispel misconception about the


nature of food. GMF is a mixed blessing which


has a lot of benefits but at the same time may


arouse problems. It has many good aspects, such


as making plants ripen faster, improving the


specie?s taste and look, and providing Third


World countries with healthier and cheaper food.


Genetic modification of food has won the


admiration of a lot of people, including myself,


because of its new and attractive


accomplishments, but at the same time we should


take into consideration its disadvantages and try to


find ways to avoid them. Genetically modified


foodstuffs have several disadvantages which I


believe are possibly avoidable through research


and experiments. Most of the time, the sale of


GMFs is being permitted without posing the risks


and without informing the public with the possible


danger. This of course is a violation of human


rights which can Nagi2 easily be avoided by


simply informing consumers of the characteristics


of the product. When genetic engineers insert new


genes into any organism, it can lead to disruption


and unpredictable changes in the pattern and


structure of the new genetic function. “In fact, the


process of inserting genes is quite random and can


damage normal genes ” (Genetic Engineered Food


- A Serious Health Risk 3). Therefore, harmful


substances may appear unexpectedly and can


possibly create viruses and new dangerous


diseases. Therefore, it is the obligation of experts


to examine GM products before making them


available to the public in order to avoid


undesirable diseases. A common example is, when


some people who are allergic to certain kinds of


food such as fish eat genetically modified products


such as tomatoes which were injected with genes


similar to these fish, they get easily affected by


allergens. Also, GMFs might contain toxins, which


may negatively affect human beings. An


experiment run on rats by feeding them with GM


potatoes affected their digestive tracks caused


changes in some of their organ weights and caused


adverse effects on their immune system(south


pacific consumer protection programme1). Such


experiments show the importance of thoroughly


examining GM products and making sure of their


safety on humans. In addition to that, there are


long-term effects with reasons not yet identified.


That could also be avoided by further research


and continued experiments. GMF is now entering


the market with an increasing rate. Products


include tomatoes, corn, potatoes and soybeans. A


main problem is that the issue of labelling these


products is not yet widely used. Most developed


countries have adopted laws Nagi 3 that require


product labelling of ingredients, fats, vitamin,


protein and carbohydrate. These nutrition


information provides consumers with a level of


awareness and choice. Similarly, GMF producers


are obliged to label their products. They have to


provide their customers with all necessary


information about the produce. This is the least


that could be done to preserve the rights of


consumers to know and decide for themselves.


Labelling is then one possible choice that could


help in avoiding some of the GMFs dangers.


People have the right to know if the food they are


consuming is genetically modified whether it is a


matter of health, preference or just a matter of


taste” Surveys consistently find that 85-90 % of


consumers want clear labelling of all genetically


engineered foods”(Genetic Engineered Food- A


Serious Health Risk 2). Moreover, it is necessary


to label food if the nutritional content is changed.


Take tomatoes for example; they are a source of


Vitamin C, but if through modification they lose


this characteristic (Vitamin C ), consumers


definitely have the right to know. The wrong


treatment of GM crops may cause several


environmental risks. It was proved that GM crops


are easy to grow in most kinds of soils. They can


grow in land that is prone to drought or erosion in


addition to soils with highly salt acid conditions.


They are also capable of growing in changing


climates( Genetically Modified food 4). This of


course makes it easier to grow GM crops than


growing natural crops. Unfortunately, this


advantage is widely misused. Usually, farmers are


aware of the tolerance of GM crops to herbicides


(a chemical substance used to kill herbs), so they


overuse herbicides. This of course harms the soil


an

d greatly affects its performance later on. This


can also pollute groundwater and can cause


various other Nagi 4 forms of ecological damages.


Such situations are misinterpreted by some


people, as they think that such damages to the soil


are caused by the growth of GM crops on it. I


believe, that the main reason for such damages is


the ignorance of the farmers themselves. This


problem is very common and its only solution, in


my opinion, is improving the level of knowledge of


the farmers. They need to be aware of the right


agricultural techniques of GM crops. Another


problem with growing GM crops, is that some are


insect-resistant which means that they may be


toxic to beneficial or harmless insects.


Furthermore, there are several way through which


the genes of GM crops may move to other plants.


That is to say, GM crops could pollute nearby


natural crops. As an example, through insects,


birds and wind it can carry genetically altered


seeds into neighbouring fields by mistake which


will influence other natural food. “In February


thousands of bags of corn chips that had been


imported from US had to be destroyed in the UK


when tests revealed that they contained genetically


engineered corn”. This was because of being


polluted by genetically engineered corn from


neighbours? crop. A major theme is that genetic


engineering of food is necessary to help solve


world hunger. Many people in the world are


suffering from malnutrition and hunger. Hunger in


the world is caused by war, drought and poverty.


But this is not the point. Scientists and


technologists are looking forward to developing


new inventions to face the continues increase in the


world population and get over the problems of


food shortages and hunger especially for Third


World countries. In fact, many people in different


places suffer from hunger and malnutrition simply


because they cannot afford to buy food; in


addition to that, it is unavailable. Hence, we have


two main Nagi 5 problems which are the expenses


of food and the lack of it. GMF could be the only


solution to solve this problem, in the meantime, it


can provide the world with much and cheap food.


Today, GMF hold out promise for consumers


seeking quality, safety and taste in their food


choices. Companies are doing their best to


improve the production, profits and quality. Many


foodstuffs in grocery shelves all over the world


contain genetically engineered components.


Tomatoes, for instance, have been genetically


modified to taste like home-grown ones or even


better. In the past, they were put in ethylene gas in


order to ripen faster which affected its taste and


look (squashy). A large amount of it was currently


lost by damage or degradation during transport


and shortage. Recently, genetic engineered


tomatoes can ripen faster and have fresher flavour


and a better look. In farms, tomatoes can be left


longer and picked when riper and thus become


tastier. As a result, they will be more available and


sold and will encourage people to buy them as


they are cheap. Likely future offerings include


potatoes that will absorb less oil when fried, corn


and soybeans with an increased protein content


and strawberries that retain their natural sweetness


(Genetically Modified food1). This all shows the


importance of GMF. People claim that transferring


animal genes into plant raises problems for


vegetarians. This might seem confusing, but a


deeper explanation will show that GMF is far


away from this idea. Vegetarians fear eating


genetically modified vegetables because of being


injected by animal genes. They do not realise that


scientists add new genes from animals intending


only to give plants several proteins. These plants


do not get affected by such pieces of genes, they


will grow just like any other plant. In other Nagi 6


words, we will not have pieces of animals in


vegetables. ” One of the things people probably


don?t realise is that there are genes in humans and


animals that are in plants. There is a gene that


occurs in rice that also occurs in the human brain.


Vegetarians would not avoid rice because of that.”


(Maryanski 3). So, vegetarians should feel safe


when eating GMF. The conclusion to be drawn


from the above is that GMF in one of the modern


production improvements and the largest food


experiment in the history of the world. Its


appearance has been very sudden. Now, a very


rapidly growing number of it is being introduced.


Maybe in a few years it may be almost impossible


to find natural food. No doubt, any dangerous


food production through genetic engineering


should be banned until scientifically shown that it is


safe for everyone. In the meantime, labelling is


required foe any foodstuff that contains genetically


engineered ingredients, and any risk that could


harm the environment should be banned. It has to


be acknowledged that GMF is one of the best


production that have emerged in our century.


Hopefully, in the future, it will not have any side


effects, and be healthier than the current natural


food. Containing all the Vitamins and nutrition that


we need. We have to put in mind that if people


knew all it advantages, they will surely get


convinced with the idea of producing GMF.

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