What Advantages & Disadvantages Are There About Genetically Modified Food?
We eat fruits and vegetables every single day. But what do we really know about them? Tomatoes as big as a bicycle, wheat resisting insects and strawberry withstanding freezing temperatures. Did you know that many companies around the world start altering food in order for it to taste better, increase nutrients and last longer? We are manipulating DNA 's of animals and plants together to form unnatural living forms. This makes new, unpredictable health and environmental risks. Once a crop is genetically altered, this might have an effect on the next generation.
Many debates have been done regarding whether GMF should be used for our daily food products. Although scientists have failed to show any negative affects within humans, when they experimented on rats, the results were that the rats ended up with organ damage, thickening of small intestines and poor brain development. Still, no death or harmful effect have been shown within humans, thus GMF is still continued.
affects towards our environment. For example, unintended organisms are killed when they are not meant to be harmed. While organisms that are meant to be killed may sooner evolve to withstand our science. The use of herbicides are increasing substantially and the slogan "spraying too much" has been forgotten.
On the other hand, GMF 's have shown some positive effect. GMF 's have much potential in helping people who suffer from starvation around the world. However, countries such as Zambia who have a high percent of population suffering from starvation, have decided to cut off the imported foods of GMF 's to Zambia with the UN, even though people are starving to death. Venezuela and Hungary have also cut off the trade of (or some countries even ban). GMF 's affect a nation economically, as well as health in the population.
Still, as a community we need to ask ourselves where are we leading our future? Some are already thinking of inserting drugs into foods! Making bananas that produce vaccines that
Many debates have been done regarding whether GMF should be used for our daily food products. Although scientists have failed to show any negative affects within humans, when they experimented on rats, the results were that the rats ended up with organ damage, thickening of small intestines and poor brain development. Still, no death or harmful effect have been shown within humans, thus GMF is still continued.
affects towards our environment. For example, unintended organisms are killed when they are not meant to be harmed. While organisms that are meant to be killed may sooner evolve to withstand our science. The use of herbicides are increasing substantially and the slogan "spraying too much" has been forgotten.
On the other hand, GMF 's have shown some positive effect. GMF 's have much potential in helping people who suffer from starvation around the world. However, countries such as Zambia who have a high percent of population suffering from starvation, have decided to cut off the imported foods of GMF 's to Zambia with the UN, even though people are starving to death. Venezuela and Hungary have also cut off the trade of (or some countries even ban). GMF 's affect a nation economically, as well as health in the population.
Still, as a community we need to ask ourselves where are we leading our future? Some are already thinking of inserting drugs into foods! Making bananas that produce vaccines that
Bibliography: Center of Food Safety. "What is Genetically Modified Food?" [Online] Available http://truefoodnow.org/home_whatis.html, November 7, 2006. Human Genome Project Information. "What are GM Foods?" [Online] Available http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/gmfood.shtml, September 6, 2006. Jama, Faduma. "GMF: Genetically Modified Food or Greatly Misguided Farmers?" [Online] Available http://www.pirweb.org/docs/GMF.pdf, November 7, 2006. NewScientist.com. "New 'golden rice ' carries more vitamin" [Online] Available http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/gm-food/dn7196, November 7, 2006. Wikipedia. "Genetically Modified Food" [Online] Available http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_food, November 7, 2006.