Genetically modified

foods/organisms
Created by: Samantha Williams
What are genetically modified foods?
● According to the World Health Organization, GM’s are
foods derived from organisms whose genetic material has
been modified in a way that does not occur naturally

● The current GM foods stem mostly from plants

● Most existing GM crops have been developed to improve the

amount produced, through the introduction of resistance
to plant diseases or of evolved herbicides
○ More than 85% of the corn and soy grown in the US comes from seeds
whose DNA has been modified to increase yields
How are gmo’s created?
● The article written by the University of California San
Diego describes the process by which GMO’s are created:
○ Selective breeding: organisms with the desired trait are bred to
create more organisms with the desired characteristics
○ Advanced technology: applied in the lab, genes that express the
desired trait is physically moved/added to a new organism to enhance
the trait in that organism
How gmo’s benefit us
● By genetically changing seeds, scientists can alter the
traits they express
○ Improving resistance to insects
○ Generating healthier crops
○ Lower the risk of crop failure
● By modifying some GMO foods in terms of mineral or
vitamin content, companies can supply more necessary
nutrients to help with malnutition
Environmental benefits of gmo’s
● Less chemicals are used to grow the organisms
● It will reduce the time needed
● Not as many machines will be used
● Less land will be used

This can help with:

● Reducing pollution
● Less greenhouse gas edmissions
● Soil erosion
Positive uses for gmo’s
● The use of molecular biology in vaccination development
has been successful according to the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations
● Engineered plants are used to produce
○ Vaccines
○ Proteins
○ And other pharmaceutical goods in a process called “pharming”
The down side to gmo’s
● GMO’s can raise allergy risk, according to Brown
University study
● Can lower resistance to antibiotics
● Genes may migrate
● Increased toxicity; there is concern that by inserting an
exotic gene into a plant could cause it to produce toxins
at higher levels that could be dangerous to humans
Work cited
http://www.who.int/topics/food_genetically_modified/en/

http://www.bt.ucsd.edu/gmo.html

http://www.newsmax.com/Health/Health-Wire/GMO-foods-positive
s-negatives/2015/06/10/id/649812/

http://www.justlabelit.org/press-center/press-items/how-do-g
enetically-modified-foods-affect-your-health/

http://enhs.umn.edu/current/5103/gm/harmful.html