A lot of food that we eat today contains genetically modified ingredients and usually without our knowledge. By being able to take the genetic material from one organism and insert it into the permanent genetic code of another, biotechnologists have engineered numerous novel creations, such as potatoes with bacteria genes, "super" pigs with human growth genes, fish with cattle growth genes, tomatoes with flounder genes, and thousands of other plants, animals and insects. At an alarming rate, these creations are now being patented and released into the environment.
Genetically engineered food no doubt is a big advantage because it increases food productivity in general but the big concern is that whether this food is healthy or not, and the way it is handled by big-profit companies.
Currently up to 45 percent of the U.S. corn is genetically engineered as is 84 percent of soybeans. It has been estimated that 70 percent of the processed food on the supermarket shelves from soda to soup, cracker – to chocolates contain genetically engineered ingredients.
The recent studies done by scientists have shown that Genetically Engineered food have a dangerous effect in human health such as: risks of toxicity, allergenicity, antibiotic resistance, immune-suppression and cancer.
U.S. Government should act quickly to set up some limits in this “new field of food modifications”, because the impact of the genetically modified food in the humankind is going to be enormously big in the next decade.
Despite these long-term and wide-ranging risks, Congress has yet to pass a single law intended to manage them responsibly. On the federal level, eight agencies attempt to regulate biotechnology using 12 different statutes or laws that were written long before genetically engineered food, animals and insects became a reality. The result has been a regulatory tangle, where any regulation even exists, as existing laws are grossly manipulated to manage threats they were never intended to regulate.
I strongly believe that Genetically Engineered foods should be labeled because we have the right to know what we are eating.
Drini,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you one hundred percent. We the consumer, need to start taking control over the companies that produce this type of food. We have the right to know how the food is being made and also any new genetically altered ingredients they use. Companies know the product will taste good, but nobody knows what will happen in the long run, to people that consumes their “lab food”. We should have the Food and Drug Administration do their job and make sure the public becomes aware of the dealings of these companies. We shouldn’t mess with nature and sometimes playing GOD can have a bad effect on people.
If scientist can genetically alter the composition of food what is stopping them for trying to change the genetic composition of people? This is one topic can branch out to the debate of cloning, steroids, and other scientific discoveries. Who tells the scientist “Yes, your mind is in the right place, but do the means justify the end?” We need to be able to do great things, but do it the right way. These companies just don’t care what happens to their consumers and all they care about are profits. They just want to speed up everything and make the best product, but don’t want to put the love and care farmers did 30 years ago. These companies want to speed it up and have it working like clock work. Pretty soon theses companies are going to grow crops without the usage of sunlight. The consumer has to be more aware of what they eat and how that product is made. Good post Drini.
Dear Drini,
ReplyDeleteI liked your blog about Genetically Modified Food because what you have posted is true. I am against these foods and oppose these kind of man-made foods. The US government should stop the biotechnologist from creating such things. It clearly shows the greediness of the big companies to make rich profit in short time from creating such unnatural foods.
The world itself produces different kinds of delicious fruits, vegetables, etc., and why again these techs do it - pure profit. Where are we going from this? Have our systems gone wrong?
The effects of these genetically modified foods will show up in a decade. Any unnatural things are not good for the whole of mankind. I recently read an article about the King salmon where they modified the fish to grow it big and in short time - now that is greedy and this is going to have a great impact on us later in life.
Greediness has its own falls. Let us all stand together against this and show the government. Let us not buy GMF things, and, yes, all the food products that are genetically modified should be labeled for the people to know what they are eating. It is their right too.
- Tony Alapatt