Genetically Modified Food and Health Issues Of Today Free Essay Example

There GMOs in almost everything that we eat. GMO stands for genetically modified organism. “Genetic modification occurs when genes from one organism are transferred to another in ways that do not occur without human intervention. The result is a GMO, or a genetically modified organism. ” (Farrell 1) Soybeans are one of the largest GMO crops being produced. With the modification of the soybean by Monsanto, it is now possible for the crop to survive when herbicides are sprayed over it.

The herbicide that the soybeans are resistant to is Roundup, so farmers do not have to worry about their soybeans dying to the herbicide.

I believe that the negative effects of modified soybeans so not outweigh the benefits because genetically modified soybeans so not increase the production but increase the businesses’ profit, and there are health problems that can arise. Having GM soybeans does not mean that more would be produced; it only means that businesses would raise their profits.

Many European countries do not buy any GMO products from the U.

S. because they are afraid of any problems that may arise in the future, so I believe that since other countries are not buying any GM food, they do not want to change back into growing food naturally with no modifications or pesticides, because they want to make a bigger profit. They prevent any change that could stop them from making more profit. They do not care if they are damaging the environment; they only care about making more money.

For example, people use Roundup (an herbicide) to kill weeds in their backyards or on the sidewalk. Farmers use the same product on the food that we want; they use it to kill the weeds that are growing around the soybeans. To prevent the soybeans from also dying, they have been modified to withstand the weed killer. Scientists have modified it by adding three different genes to the plant: a gene from bacterium, from a virus, and from a petunia. (McMillen )When combine with the original gene, it looks the same but it is now resistant to the Roundup herbicide.

Even with soybeans modified, farmers do not benefit from it. The modification has not helped the production go up, the only thing that has gone up is the price. “[Costs] about $6 an acre to plant the usual seeds, companies charge over $40 per acre for the genetically modified seeds [and the companies gain $34 per acre of seeds sold]. (McMillen 1) Because the seeds are seeds are patented, (which means that the one who invented it, is the only one who has the right to use or sell the product to anyone,) farmers cannot save any eeds from the ones that they have grown. Therefore; each year they have to buy more from the same business. If the farmers save the seeds, they will be fined or even taken to jail. Genetically modified soybeans can also cause health problems. Soy beans can cause food allergies. Since we don’t really know if the bacteria gene in the soybeans will cause a reaction, scientists have compared the proteins in the soy with other proteins that are known to cause allergies.

If the GM protein has sequences that cause allergies, then according to the World Health Association, the GM crop should not be sold or there should be more testing done on it. However, there are sections of proteins produced in GM soybeans that are identical to allergens, but there was no more testing done to it. (Smith 1) If there are proteins in the soy that are causing allergies, “then the situation may be made much worse by something called horizontal gene transfer (HGT).

That’s when genes spontaneously transfer from one species’ DNA to another. ” (Smith 1) Plants should naturally have barriers that keeps genes from transferring to other species, but since there are foreign genes in the soy, it is losing its ability to stop this from happening. Even though it is most common in bacteria and rare in plants and mammals, genes transfer from one species to another, and a study found that parts of the genes from the soy were found in the DNA of human gut bacteria.

So even after we stop eating GM soy, we could still be exposed to this transfer of genes because it will still be produced in our intestines. (Smith 1)I believe that there should be more testing because we do not know if there are any other risks involved with eating GM soybeans. Genetically modified soybeans are not beneficial because there is no gain in product only the gain in profit of businesses, and it also causes allergies.

With soybeans being resistant to weed killers, weeds are becoming resistant to Roundup, so farmers actually have to use more money to buy more herbicides because they may not be working well anymore. Also it costs more to buy GM soy that soy that has not been tampered with. Not only do businesses profit, but we the consumers can suffer from the product. There are proteins in the soy gene that are identical to genes that cause allergies. We the consumers should be able to decide what we want eat, and also decide how we want the food to be produced.

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