Gm Food
Genetically Modified Food
Introduction
Advancements in the understanding of genomics in the past century has allowed scientists to make use of their findings to improve lives of human beings. Yet, more and more drawbacks of such applications have been discovered, in addition to ethical issues that have been raised, many governments are urged to put a ban on the use of such technology. Genetically modified food is a good example of such case.
In the recent years, the production of genetically modified food have been on the rise. Almost everything we eat contain traces of GMOs- genetically modified organisms. According to the World Health Organization, GMOs are defined as “organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally”. Take corn as an example, majority of the food we find in supermarkets turn out to be 1 “clever rearrangements of corn” - chewing gums, canned soups, condensed milk, instant coffee, ice cream, frozen seafood and many more are all corn and corn by-product. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 288% of corn sold in the market have been genetically modified, this already tells us how deep-rooted GM foods are in our lives and how reliant we are on them.
It has been 15 years since the first genetically modified crop was sold on the market, and endless controversy has been aroused ever since. Certainly this technology of modifying the genes of an existing crop with genetic engineering was created and introduced because of a good intention, which is to raise overall crop yield; nonetheless, its drawbacks are seemingly non-negligible.
Origin of Research
Though the first GM crop that was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration- “Flavr Savr” tomatoes were introduced to the public in 1994, GM crop trials have begun in many places around the world as early as 1985. In fact, due to popular demands, in 1983, scientists have already applied their knowledge
Introduction
Advancements in the understanding of genomics in the past century has allowed scientists to make use of their findings to improve lives of human beings. Yet, more and more drawbacks of such applications have been discovered, in addition to ethical issues that have been raised, many governments are urged to put a ban on the use of such technology. Genetically modified food is a good example of such case.
In the recent years, the production of genetically modified food have been on the rise. Almost everything we eat contain traces of GMOs- genetically modified organisms. According to the World Health Organization, GMOs are defined as “organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally”. Take corn as an example, majority of the food we find in supermarkets turn out to be 1 “clever rearrangements of corn” - chewing gums, canned soups, condensed milk, instant coffee, ice cream, frozen seafood and many more are all corn and corn by-product. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 288% of corn sold in the market have been genetically modified, this already tells us how deep-rooted GM foods are in our lives and how reliant we are on them.
It has been 15 years since the first genetically modified crop was sold on the market, and endless controversy has been aroused ever since. Certainly this technology of modifying the genes of an existing crop with genetic engineering was created and introduced because of a good intention, which is to raise overall crop yield; nonetheless, its drawbacks are seemingly non-negligible.
Origin of Research
Though the first GM crop that was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration- “Flavr Savr” tomatoes were introduced to the public in 1994, GM crop trials have begun in many places around the world as early as 1985. In fact, due to popular demands, in 1983, scientists have already applied their knowledge