Genetically Modified Food I Chose

Genetically Modified Food

I chose to write about genetically modified food because I personally believe that our food and our environment should not be treated as an experiment. The biodiversity and environmental integrity of the world's food supply is too important to endanger. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) allow scientists to create plants and animals as well as microorganisms by manipulating genes in ways that do not happen naturally.

I came across Shannon Brennan's article, "Speaker tackles genetically modified food," when I was looking for research. In the article, Brennan states that Karin Warren, an assistant professor of environmental studies at Randolph-Macon Women's College, asked this question to an auditorium full of freshmen: "If you've eaten today, chances are good you've consumed genetically modified food. Should you be worried about it?" She said that many countries in Europe will not import it, saying that in the UK they call it "Frankenfood." The fact that labeling is required in the U.S. like in a lot of other countries is very troubling. Little is known about the long-term (or even short-term) consequences of genetically modified food, which is one of the main concerns. Warren asks, "Could we be sure the genes are going to stay put?" The bottom line is that we can't. Pollen blows from one field to another field, is carried by insects, and it could very likely transfer the gene to other species. The worst part of it all, perhaps, is that there are people endangering our world's food supply simply to make a profit -- a huge profit.

After viewing a documentary about Monsanto's GMO-corn, I wanted to research more. I found an article by Dr. Alberta Velimirov who shares that "mice fed GM insecticide-producing maize over four generations showed a buildup of abnormal structural changes in various organs (liver, spleen, pancreas), major changes in the pattern of gene function in the gut, reflecting disturbances in the chemistry of the organ system, and, most significantly, reduced fertility.

One of the most interesting articles, "Genetic Engineering Risks," really described the issue with GMOs: the difference between genetically engineered organisms and their non-engineered counterparts is usually just one gene or a handful of genes and genetically engineered organisms have new genes that are put into their DNA using molecular technology; they would not have been able to do this with traditional breeding methods. "Because such a small fraction of genes is typically altered by genetic engineering, the possible risks or ecological effects of this new technology lie with the particular effects these novel genes have on physical and physiological characteristics (the phenotypes) of the newly transgenic carriers."

The fact that there is still genetically modified food happening is outrageous. I really think that it is one of the most important topics that the world faces today. So many studies have shown that genetically modified foods may cause negative health effects. In the article "Doctors Warn of Genetically Modified Food," studies with rats showed infertility problems as well as drastically higher infant death rates; when the infants survived, they were much smaller than normal.