Dahir Sheikh

English 1102
Instructor: Campbell
Fast Draft


Is your Food What Mother Nature intended?

What does a tomato, corn, and McDonalds French fry have in common? They
are all some of the most commonly genetically modified foods sold on our market
today. So what is exactly genetically modified food? According to expert, GM foods
or genetically engineered can be referred to as well, are foods derived from
organisms whose genetic material (DNA) has been modified in a way that does not
occur naturally. In other words, it is the process of inserting one or more new traits
that are not already found in that organism. Genetically modified food has been
around for almost two decades and the amount of food that contains DNA
modifications is increasing day by day. Approximately 75% of the food in the United
States has been altered in a certain way (FDA 2012).
GMOs was first introduced in the United States in the early 1990s. The first
commercially grown GM crop to be granted a license for human consumption by the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration was a tomato called Flavr Savr. Produced by
California Company Calgene but changed its name to Monsanto. The leading
producer of biotech seeds in the United States as of today. The tomato was
genetically altered so that it took longer to decompose after being picked. The Flavr
Savr tomato resulted in scientific success but temporary sales. It was first sold in
1994, and was only available for a few years before production ceased in 1997
because mounting costs prevented the company from becoming profitable (Bocco).
Many issues surround the modification of the food we eat today. Some
people question the safety of altered foods, whether it is human consumption or
potential effects on the environment. Others argue that genetically modified foods
have been consumed for years with no negative effects. After nearly 20 years in the
market, GM foods continue to spark controversy debate. There are many people
who support GMOs and on the opposite side there are many against it.
According to many experts on this topic, there are many advantages and
disadvantages. First I will touch on the benefits. In the article GMOs Pros and Cons
written by Dr. Keith Kantor, CEO of Service Food Inc., and advocate of natural food
states that better food quality, higher yields of crops, and pesticides resistance are
the most common benefits farmers and scientists claim about GMOs. Farmers also
can grow crops in any climatic conditions compare to traditional, which only grow
in season and also allows farmer to skip steps in the production process, like
spraying herbicides and pesticides, because the crops are already resistant (Kantor).
Another benefit of GM Foods is their ability to provide a nutritious source of
food; particularly ability to produce large amounts of nutritious food that can feed
populations of people who do not otherwise have a reliable access to food. Also
since fewer pesticides are used, it is good for the environment. The most important
claim is that GMOs are safe for human consumption but it has not been proven
(Walsh).

Using genetically modified foods has a number of benefits, but with those
benefits also comes a number of disadvantages that creates the question of whether
genetically modified foods should actually be modified. The belief its unnecessary,
harmful, unethical and mostly benefits big businesses. The biggest concern most
people have about GMOs is the safety aspect of it. Whether it can harm the human
body. According to well-known anti-GMOs activist, self-published author and
politician Jeffery Smith states GMOS are tremendously dangerous for the human
body in his documentary, Genetic Roulette-The Gample of Our Lives. In fact, the side
effects are unknown, but it has been demonstrated that it could lead to major health
risk by causing cancer and other human diseases.
In 2007, a study was conducted by French biologists at Caen University,
France to see the effects of genetically modified soybeans on the livers of mice. The
study involved 200 mice in a two-year period so that the researchers could examine
and analyze the long-term effects. They particularly did the study on the liver
because the liver has so many functions. Everything and anything that a mammal
consumes goes through the liver, for this reason, it was great ideal for them to look
more closely at the long-term side effects of genetically modified soybeans on
mice. After the results came in, it showed that GM fed mice eventually developed
massive tumors, kidney, and liver damage after seven to a year and ended up dying
earlier than animals fed a regular non-GMO (Castillo). If humans respond in the
same way as the mice, it could potentially lead to life threatening diseases for
humans such as cancer, heart disease, and etc. And those GMO products are
approved by the AFDA for human consumption.
Also genetically modified food could cause food allergies. These allergic
reactions usually occur when human immune system interprets those compounds
as invasive and offensive, thus react accordingly. Even though it does not happen
frequently, allergy might be dangerous, or even fatal, to some people. Several
studies have shown that genetically modified food does provoke immunological
reactions. Such as the rats fed with Monsanto's genetically engineered soybeans, for
example, have a significant increase in the amount of blood cells involved in immune
system, which means that their immune system has been abnormally activated
(Smith, 2005). In addition to this experiment, it has been scientifically has proved
that genetically modified soy has new or more allergens as compared to wild
species. The problem becomes severe when people do not know their allergic
responses are actually caused by genetically modified food they have eaten, and it is
not an easy task for doctors or physicians to diagnose the actual cause since the
allergens are subtle to detect in genetically engineered food.






Works Cited
"GM Crop Link to Liver Failure." New Zealand Herald (Auckland, New Zealand). N.p.,
12 Sept. 2012. Web. 5 May 2014

Walsh, Bryan. "Can GM Crops Bust the Drought?" Science Space Can GM Crops Bust
the Drought Comments. N.p., 10 Sept. 2012. Web. 05 May 2014.

Castillo, Michelle. "Study Says Genetically Modified Corn Causes Tumors, but Other
Scientists Skeptical about Research." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 21 Sept. 2012. Web. 05
May 2014.


Medical Documentary on Genetically Modified Food Genetic Roulette The Gamble of
Our Lives. 2013. Film.

65 Health Risks of GM Foods. Institute for Responsible Technology. N.p.. Web.
20 Apr 2014.

Clark, Brian. More weed resistance means more pesticide used. WSU News. N.p., 02
Oct 2012. Web. 20 Apr 2014


Genetically Engineered Food Safety Problems.PSRAST. N.p.. Web. 30 Apr 2014.


Herbicides Resistant Crops. GMO Compass. N.p., 11 December 2006. Web. 30 Apr
2014.

Smith, J. M. (2005). Genetically modified corn study reveals health damage and cover-
up. Retrieved from

What do scientists say about the dangers of genetic engineering. (2001). Retrieved from
http://www.safe-food.org/-issue/scientists.html





Bocco, Diana. "Top 10 Genetically Modified Food Products : Discovery
Channel." Discovery Channel. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 May 2014