Essay on "GMO Food"
Essay 4 pages (1436 words) Sources: 2
[EXCERPT] . . . .
It was later found that Taylor was a former lawyer of Monsanto and under the current Obama administration, he is an adviser to the FDA and a "food safety expert" (U.S. FDA, 2010).Currently, the FDA believes that it is Monsanto's responsibility to ensure that the foods marketed are safe and in compliance with the legal and regulatory procedures while Monsanto believes that its interest is to sell as much as possible and assuring the safety of these foods is the role of the FDA (organicconsumers.org, 2012). In this conflict, it is the consumers who are getting increasingly affected.
Should the FDA require food to be labeled as GM?
The FDA is not mandated by any law to label food as GM. Though mandatory labeling has been proposed by many advocates, there is no law at the state or national level that mandates it. Residents of California have the right to vote on November 6, 2012 to opt for the labeling of genetically modified foods sold in their state. People in favor of labeling believe that it will help customers to make informed choices about the foods they consume while the opponents of labeling think its a long and time-consuming process that has little significance.
Concerns regarding genetically modified foods
In the scientific community, there are three prominent concerns regarding genetically modified foods and they are its impact on the health of humans, environment and on the long-term supply of food. The effect on human health is profound as these genetically modified foods increase allergies ad health problems in people. Reports show that allergies to soy have increased by 50% in a single year and
download full paper ⤓
The second concern is that of the environment. When genetically modified foods are consumed by other organisms, the impact on them is huge. A good example is the killing of monarch butterflies that consumed the pollen from Bt corn (Whitman, 2000). Similar instances are likely to affect the ecology of an area in the long run. Another environmental concern is that pests can become resistant to these GM crops in the long-run, thereby making them ineffective in the future. Also, there is a possibility that the gene transfer can have unintended consequences on weeds as well, thereby making it difficult to eliminate them.
The last concern is the long-term supply of these GM seeds and crops. It is expensive to produce GM crops because of the vast amount of research involved in it. So, companies like Monsanto are looking to patent these seeds so that they can make huge profits from it. Unfortunately, this is going to make it difficult for small farmers to procure them and this can impact the long-term supply.
Everyday foods that contain GMO
Some of the everyday foods that contain GMO are animal foods such as meat, dairy and eggs because the animals are fed GM corn and soy to increase their production. Many fruits and vegetables such as papaya, tomatoes and zucchini are genetically modified while corn is another major GM food. This GM corn is used in a whole lot of baked and processed foods, especially as a sweetener in the form of high fructose corn syrup. Soy foods and cottonseed oils are also made from GM crops.
A list of these products gives us a glimpse of the amount of GM food that we consume today and it is time we take charge of our health and say no to these products.
References
Organic Consumers Organization. (2012). Millions against Monsanto. Retrieved from: http://organicconsumers.org/monsanto/index.cfm
Institute of Responsible Technology. (no date). State-of-the-Science on the health risks of genetically modified foods. Retrieved from: http://www.saynotogmos.org/paper.pdf
US Food and Drug Administration. (01/04/2010). FDA News Release. Retrieved from: http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm170842.htm
Whitman, Deborah. (April 2000). Genetically Modified Foods: Helpful or harmful? Retrieved from: http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php
African Biosafety Network of Expertise. (2010). Process of developing GM crops. Retrieved from: http://www.nepadbiosafety.net/for-regulators/resources/subjects/biotechnology/process-of-developing-genetically-modified-gm-crops READ MORE
Quoted Instructions for "GMO Food" Assignment:
A large portion of the food supply in the United States is from Genetically Modified Organisms. The FDA has determined that no labeling is necessary for GMO products so no one really knows whether they are ingesting a GMO food or not. The only way to know is if the food manufacturer clearly states “NO GMO” foods or products in the ingredients. There are a lot of unanswered questions and concerns about whether this is safe for people and the environment. Because of this, I believe it is important for you to research the pros and cons of GMOs and understand the process completely to be an informed source on the subject.
• Create a research paper on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). The paper needs to be at least 1000 words long with four references and no Wikipedia references. One of the references should be http://www.saynotogmos.org/paper.pdf. One of the other references can include a movie like “The Future of Food.” This movie is available on Hulu for free or even accessed via YouTube or Netflix. Research Monsanto at links like http://www.organicconsumers.org/monlink.cfm. Or the movie “The World According to Monsanto” which is also available via Youtube for free. Look around. There are a lot of resources like this. I expect your report to contain information from these websites so ensure that whatever you choose, it is thorough.
• Explain, in detail, the process of genetic modification of an organism. That is, how do they do it? What are the sources of the genetic material that is used for modification? How do they insert the material into the gene being modified?
• Explain the pros and cons of the process of genetic modification.
• What are the personnel conflicts of interest that have occurred between the FDA and Monsanto? Think of the “fox supervising the hen house” when you research this. The answers are in the sources I recommended above.
• Should the FDA require food to be labeled GMO?
• There are three concerns with GMOs that scientists have. One is to humans, one is to the environment, and one is to the long-term food supply. Please elaborate and explain each these.
• What foods that you eat every day contain GMOs. Did you know this? What resources are there to help you to make more informed choices when shopping?
• Provide a Conclusion of your research.
Format the paper consistent with APA guidelines
How to Reference "GMO Food" Essay in a Bibliography
“GMO Food.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2012, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/gmo-food-process-genetic-modification/4198161. Accessed 27 Sep 2024.
Related Essays:
Genetically Modified Foods Thesis
History Of Genetically Modified Foods
Genetic Processes Used in Making Genetically Modified Foods
Scientific Studies to Date
Positive and Negative Arguments
Genetically Modified Foods
Today, the Earth is home to… read more
Thesis 10 pages (3143 words) Sources: 15 Style: MLA Topic: Agriculture / Food / Culinary
Genetically Modified Food Research Paper
Genetically Modified Food
There has been consistent controversy regarding the safety and labeling of genetically modified foods (GMF) over the past few years. But the corporations that are creating the… read more
Research Paper 7 pages (2281 words) Sources: 7 Style: MLA Topic: Agriculture / Food / Culinary
Genetically Modified Foods Harmful or Helpful Research Paper
Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?
Research proposal for finding out the usefulness and harmfulness of consumption of genetically modified foods
The usefulness and harmfulness of the consumption of genetically… read more
Research Paper 9 pages (3331 words) Sources: 6 Topic: Agriculture / Food / Culinary
Genetically Modified Organisms Article Review
GMO
The United States is the world's largest producer of genetically modified crops, and as many as 70% of processed foods on American grocery store shelves already contain genetically modified… read more
Article Review 4 pages (1150 words) Sources: 3 Topic: Agriculture / Food / Culinary
Agriculture and Genetically Modified Food in the Development of Third World Countries Pros and Cons Term Paper
Agriculture and Genetically Modified Food in the Development of Third World Countries
The term genetically modified foods or GMOs (genetically-modified organisms) is used to describe agricultural crops and plants which… read more
Term Paper 7 pages (1793 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Agriculture / Food / Culinary
Fri, Sep 27, 2024
If you don't see the paper you need, we will write it for you!
We can write a new, 100% unique paper!