Isobel Nairn 11/14/13 Period 4/8

Genetically Modified Foods Are Harmful

Genetically Modified foods are in grocery stores all across the nation. They are in at least 70% of processed foods (Jones, 1). But are they what people should be eating? No. Genetically modified foods are harmful. They are harmful to peoples health, the environment, and the economy. Genetically modified foods, or GMOs, are organisms in which the genetic material, DNA, has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally (Britt, 1). To genetically alter an organism, the DNA of the organism with the desired trait is isolated. Enzymes are then used to cut out that gene, or segment of DNA. That gene is inserted into the cassette, which is additional DNA surrounding the gene. The cassette is inserted into a plasmid, or a ring of DNA that is copied in bacteria which allows it to multiply many times until there are millions of copies. It is then introduced into the host cell and used to generate new plants (Chaudry, 2). GMOs are harmful to our health. They can introduce allergens into food. Seeds from the biotechnology company Starlink were approved for animal seed, but not for human consumption due to the possibility of causing serious allergic reactions. Some Kraft products were contaminated with the Starlink seed, and people reported allergic reactions, proving genetically modified food can cause an allergic reaction (Jones, 3). This also proves that

genetically modified foods cannot be contained, and if this kind of product is allowed in one place, it can certainly find its way to where humans do not want it. Another key point is GM foods can increase our risk of getting certain diseases, such as diabetes, Alzheimers, cancer, tumors, and obesity. In fact, in a study of genetically modified foods in rats, 50-80% of females exposed to genetically modified foods and the herbicides associated with them developed tumors compared with 30% in the control group (Philpott, 1). And while Monsanto, the leading GM food producer, says that genetically modified foods are the most tested foods to date, these foods are a relatively new occurrence in relation to, for example, wheat, and have not been tested very much over long periods of time. Who is to say people will not get sick twenty or forty years for now because of GMOs? And a more important question, should humans want to be part of the experiment? These foods can make people sick, or have harmful allergens, and could also contain high levels of harmful toxins. And while not every genetically modified food is horrible, almost all traditionally grown foods are safe. They will not cause people harm, and are much less likely to be problematic than GM foods. A second reason genetically modified foods are harmful is they are harmful to the environment. GMOs can crossbreed and put traits in other plants that are not wanted or create weeds that have traits that make them more likely to make them more likely to survive and prosper ,for example a weed that creates a natural pesticide (Britt, 1). And if these genetically modified plants naturally create pesticides, and may pass that trait on to other plants, then there will be more organisms with that ability. If this happens, pesticide resistant insects could result. If an insect is resistant to a particular pesticide, the insect will have more foods as others have less, and may eventually become the majority of that insect population. If that did occur,

even the GM plants would not be protected and there may be a food shortage or shortage of that particular crop. Genetically modified crops could also be harmful to other organism, because they could prosper when others die and when more favorable conditions return there will not be a place left for non-GMOs to regrow. As Ronnie Cummings, director of the Organic Consumers Association says, You can summarize it in three words: * Genetically modified foods+ are unpredictable, they are untested, and they are unlabeled (Jones, 3). In this specific contention, unpredictable is the key word. People cannot control the weather and wind, and because of that they cannot control whether GM foods affect the rest of the environment. And as a very small percentage of Americans today claim farming as a profession, not all consumers of GM foods, can be there to stop it when it does. Genetically modified foods are also harmful to the economy and traditional farmers. At this rate, the biotechnology companies will soon have control over nearly all of the production of certain crops, and traditional farmers may be edged out because of how much easier and more reliable to grow GM crops can be. And while it is true that genetically modified foods may lower the cost of certain foods because it can take less money and time to grow them, this will only benefit the biotechnology companies because all other farmers will be paid less, and that may create a cycle of lower incomes. When there is a higher supply of a crop, people get paid less money to grow it, and if there is an excess of a certain crop, the farmers, especially traditional farmers who have to put more money into growing crops, will have a lower income. Finally, GM crops can crossbreed with traditional crops and make them have traits not wanted in those plants, and GM crops can do the same to weeds, making it harder for traditional crops

to grow, and reducing further the number of crops produced. GMOs are harmful to the economy and traditional farmers. In conclusion, genetically modified foods are harmful because they are harmful to our health, the environment, and traditional farmers and the economy. In the past, people have been fine consuming only traditionally grown foods and there is no need to add foods that can cause problems. These unpredictable foods are not good, and people should not be consuming anything but the best.