Research Paper on Gmo

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Research On Genetically Modified Foods |

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Research On Genetically Modified Foods

The United States is the world leader in GE (genetically engineered) crop production, with 170 million acres, or nearly half of global production. U.S. GE cultivation grew rapidly from only 7 percent of soybean acres and 1 percent of corn acres in 1996, to 94 percent of soybean and 88 percent of corn acres in 2011 (food and water watch, 2012, p. 4). Although genetically modified foods have been around for approximately twenty years they are being produced at a rapid rate. There are many foods that are genetically modified the most common being corn, soybeans, zucchini and sugar beets etc. Society should know what is going into their food and how it can affect their bodies. Genetically modified foods could be harmful to consumers because they require harmful chemicals and the FDA does not have independent testing on these foods; labeling them would benefit society by taking the guessing out of what foods have been genetically modified and which have not and having required regulated testing would ensure safety.

Problems

Genetically modified foods could be harmful for consumers because they require harmful chemicals. Two main purposes of genetically engineered foods are to make crops more tolerable against pests as well as withstand herbicides. The problem is that by modifying these crops it is putting the consumer at risk. The entire process starts with a seed and a bacterium. The seed is made vulnerable to the acceptance of the bacterium into its DNA, typically by warming up the seed. Once the seed is ready the bacterium is married into the seed and under watchful scientists’ eyes the seed is turned into a plant and a plant into a crop. The crops can now be sprayed with Round Up, a weed killer, and the crop is not killed off but instead can thrive while the weeds around it are killed off. Although the weed killer is doing...