¶ … Genetically Modified Foods
With the emphasis lately on stem-cell research and cloning, consumer interest seems to have waned about genetically altered fruits and vegetables. Or has it? The answer to this question is of interest to a wide range of consumer businesses and organizations and R& D. agricultural firms due to the socio-economic impact. According to a peer-reviewed article in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, "Who do consumers trust for information: the case for genetically modified foods?," by agriculture and economics professors at several U.S. universities, the United States Department of Agriculture and Monsanto company, determining the answer to this query not relatively easy. As the article states, "the introduction of new goods, however, creates a disequlibrium (Hausman, 1996), which in turn creates a demand by economic agents for objective information to assist in making decisions on adoption and use (Schultz, 1975). The consumer's challenge is to sort through the various, competing and sometimes conflicting, sources of information."
Over the past several years, consumers read contrasting information regarding the positive and negative aspects of genetically modified (GM) foods. Agricultural biotechnology companies such as Monsanto and Syngenta as well as industry organizations lauded the use of biotechnology to create new products, claiming that this reduces food costs worldwide and improves environmental...
On a biological level, consumption of genetically modified foods means the potential for "pleiotropic and insertional effects," Dona explains on page 165. Pleiotropic refers to the possibility that a gene may have more than one affect on the food. The above-mentioned effects could result from an increase of "anti-nutrients"; and moreover human health could be impacted due to the use of "viral DNA," Dona continues (165). The pleiotropic affect could
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
Section 2: Genetically modified (GM) foods have been a hot topic of conversation over the last decade. Environmental groups, public interest groups and governmental agencies have all voiced their opinions over the increasing development and use of genetically modified foods. Genetic engineering involves transferring genes from one species of living organism to another, to provide some sort of benefit. Although the genetic modifications are typically performed on crops, such as corn
These ideological views are bolstered by the numerous views propounded against GM products. Others see the GM products in a religious and philosophical light as a misguided attempt to control nature. "The central problem underlying all of this technology is not just its short-term benefits and long-term drawbacks, but the overall attempt to "control" living nature based on an erroneous mechanistic view. " (Batalion, J.) In conclusion, the above discussion
Genetic Engineering Genetically Modified Food Genetic engineering is one of the breakthroughs in the agricultural sector introduced in the last four decades. Traditionally, agricultural production relied on natural methods such as crossbreeding to achieve the desired plant species. Such methods were associated with disadvantages such as its slow nature and inability to produce the desired plant traits in the desired period. However, the introduction of genetic modification led to the elimination of
Biology The Arguments for and Against GMO's GMO's Arguments in Favor of GMO's Arguments against GMO's Strengths and Weaknesses of the Arguments Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are controversial. There are many proponents that argue GMO's provide significant social and economic benefits, while those against the technology argue there are potential disadvantages, including risks to health and the environment. The aim of this paper is to explore the issue of GMOs, looking first at what they are,
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