Genetically Modified Foods Essay

Genetically modified foods have recently been in the new headlines for both their positive attributes and the negatives of genetic modification, this essay will look at the effects Genetically Modified foods have on the economy, environment and you. Genetically modified (GM) foods refer to crop plants which have been created for human or animal consumption, these foods have had their genetic material modified in a way that would not occur naturally within the food. Desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content are some ways food can and have been genetically modified. Traditionally, modifying plant to have a desired trait has been undertaken through breeding, conventional plant breeding methods are time consuming and are often inaccurate. (Better Health Channel, 2013) Genetic modification can create crops with the specific traits rapidly and accuracy. For example, the gene responsible for drought tolerance can be inserted into a different plant species, the GM plant will become drought tolerance as well as the host plant previously was. Experts say 60% to 70% of processed foods on Australian shelves have genetically modified ingredients. The most common genetically modified foods are soybeans, maize, cotton, and rapeseed oil. That means many foods made in Australia containing corn or high-fructose corn syrup, such as breakfast cereals, and snack foods, these ingredients appear frequently in animal feed as well. Today’s techniques of genetic modification provide innovative and infinite of improving specific traits in different crops. For example, physical means of removing weeds is time and cost consuming for farmers, they will often spray their crops with a variety of herbicides to destroy the weeds, this process takes great care to ensure the crop isn’t affected by the herbicide, GM plants modified to be resistant to a variety of herbicides could prevent damage to the environment by reducing the amount of herbicides required. Monsanto has created a strain of soybeans genetically modified to be not affected by their herbicide product Roundup. A farmer grows these soybeans which then only require one application of weed-killer instead of multiple applications, reducing production cost and limiting the dangers of agricultural waste run-off. (Kartha, 2013) Third world counties where malnutrition is major issue, could benefit greatly from GM crops. Impoverished people in Africa and Asia rely on a single staple crop such as rice for the majority of their diet. Rice, however is not an adequate staple with the correct amount of vitamins and nutrients to fully nourish a human. If rice where to be genetically modified with additional vitamins and minerals, malnutrition wouldn’t be an issue for third world countries. (Csa. com, 2013) As this issue grew it became a concern for Professor Ingo Potrykus and Peter Beyerin who created The Golden Rice project, Potrykus and Beyerin in a collaborative effort were able to show that production of ? -carotene could be turned on in rice grains using Genetic Modification, Potrykus enabled golden rice to be distributed free to subsistence farmers. Free licenses for developing countries were granted quickly due to the positive publicity that golden rice received. Golden rice was said to be the first Genetically Modified crop that was unarguably beneficial. (Mayer, 2013) Environmental activists, professional associations and other officials have all raised concerns about Genetically Modified foods, and criticized laboratories for pursuing profit without concern for potential hazards to humans and the environment. Genetically Modified foods have a long list of benefits, but along with the positive comes the negative, one concern for Genetically Modified foods is increased toxicity, most of the flora that is consumed by humans produce low level toxins, low enough that they don’t cause any adverse health effects. The concern is that inserting an exotic gene into a crop plant may cause its toxicity levels to rise significantly due to the new gene casing the host plant to stress and produce toxins as a defense or altering the plants toxin producing cells completely causing it to produce toxins at a rate dangerous to human health. Although these effects have not been observed in Genetically Modified crop plants, they have been observed through conventional breeding methods, causing scientist to become concerned with the safety of Genetically Modified plants. (Enhs. umn. edu, 2013) Another health concern for Genetically Modified foods is an increase is food allergies. Food Allergy affects approximately 6% of children and 3% of adults in Australia and lately has become a major public health issue (Bakshi, 2003). Allergic reactions occur when a usually harmless proteins enter the body and causes an immune response (Bernstein et al., 2003). If the protein in a Genetically Modified food originates from a source that is known to cause allergic reactions in humans or a source that has never been consumed by humans as food, the protein could evoke the immune response in humans increases. No allergic reactions to Genetically Modified foods by the public have been confirmed, evidence suggesting that some Genetically Modified food products could cause an allergic reaction has motivated a number of biotechnology companies to discontinue their development (Bakshi, 2003). Another serious concern for Genetically Modified foods is the production of â€Å"super bugs†, scientists are finding that Genetically Modified crops are a breeding ground for bacteria and virus’s and that they are extremely resilient to antibiotics and able to overrun the â€Å"good† bacteria in a healthy humans digestive system causing severe and irreversible damage after they have been consumed through Genetically Modified foods, there is documented proof that the digestive system of lab controlled mice fed these â€Å"super bugs† become enlarged and caused the mice to die after it’s digestive track was over run by the bacteria in turn causing its immune system to weaken. Government authorities across the world have strict regulations in place on genetically modified foods. In the U. S, agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration supervise projects that involve Genetically Modified crops. Although the U. S government doesn’t require farmers and retailers to label Genetically Modified foods, each product must go through a strict regulation test in order to be sold to the public. (Curiosity, 2013) Genetically Modified foods are new to the Australian food supply, a cautious and in depth approach is taken when assessing the safety of Genetically Modified foods for consumption by humans. FSANZ (Food Standard Australia and New Zealand) carry out safety checks on a CBC (case by case) basis, this means each new Genetic Modification is assessed individually for any potential impact on the foods safety, â€Å"We compare the Genetically Modified food with a similar, commonly eaten conventional food from a molecular, toxicological, nutritional and compositional point of view. The aim is to find out if there are any differences between the GM food and its conventional counterpart, which we already know to be safe to eat. † -FSANZ official (Foodstandards. gov. au, 2013) Although there are many health issues concerning Genetically Modified foods, rigorous and in-depth research has been done to ensure Genetically Modified foods that are available to the public are totally safe and healthy to be consumed, as more and more foods are becoming Genetically Modified more safe and sustainable procedures are being put in place to ensure that the public and the environment benefit from Genetically Modified Foods.