In light recent technological advancements, the agricultural field has seen a huge shift in the way food is produced, manufactured and regulated. Standing on the frontier of molecular biology is the introduction of Genetically Modified Organisms or GMO’s into the food industry as a means of creating better crops. Since the initial merging of GMO and the food industry there has been a growing use of genetically modified crops, an increase in the creation of new strains, and expansion in the use, manufacturing and distribution of these products. In the past 20 years alone Canada has seen a visible rise of GMO foods available in grocery stores, specifically as a part of basic ingredients that make up a diversity of food products (David …show more content…
The genetic information of one organism is introduced to another with the purpose of acquiring a desirable trait. This process of crossbreeding and engineering results in a plethora of new and altered organisms that would have not happened otherwise in a natural setting. The scientific study of genes gained popularity in the late 1800’s as Gregory Mandel first began studying the way genetics function in garden pea varieties. More specifically the concept of gene splicing came to fruition in 1974 when Stanley Cohen and Herbert Boyer constructed techniques that abled them to splice segments of DNA protein and attach it to other. In 1994, the Flavr Savr tomato, the first GMO crop to be approved by the FDA, entered USA markets which initiated the rampant use of this biotechnology.
Regardless of genetic innovation, farmers have been actively selective in choosing the seeds and plants that will produce a more fruitful crop for up to 10,000 years (livinghisory farms). Genetic modification has only magnified this process “ Recently what has changed is that scientists began selecting productive traits at the individual gene level and controlling the placement of genes in new crops” (Livinghistoryfarms). Thus, making it easier to manipulate the crop characteristic to better suit the needs and demands of agriculture. In its most humble beginnings, GMO was proclaimed a possible solution
Genetic modified organisms, or GMOs, are living organisms that, through the genetic engineering process, have been altered to withstand certain chemicals and increase the nutritional value of the product. In fact, the majority of the foods found at the grocery store are genetically altered. Genetic modification is becoming increasingly popular on farms throughout the United States and moving into other parts of the world due to their increasing yield capabilities and pest and weed control. However, this has been, and continues to be, an extremely controversial topic of discussion in the world of agriculture and biotechnology, as well as health food critics, because of potential environmental and health risks.
The origin of GMOs started in 1982 by an experiment done by the United States Department of Agriculture, in which they changed the genes of a tomato plant. Commercial use of Genetically Engineered crops began in 1996 (Fernandez-Cornejo et al. pg 7). While developing Genetically Modified Organisms, scientists and researchers characterized the types of Genetically Engineered crop traits into
GMOs had largely been out of the public view for most of their brief history as the concept of genetically altered life forms stayed in laboratories. There was no concern over the release of edited genomes or the consumption of unnatural foods. In the article “History of GMOs” by Annette McDermott, the Food and Drug Administration is recorded as having approved the first GMO for human use, specifically a diabetic medicine called Humulin in 1987. This opened a floodgate for pharmaceutical and later agricultural companies to develop genetically modified products and seek their approval from the government. The fact that the US government would allow these modified products into the marketplace was a temptation that many companies utilized. The year 1994 would see the introduction of the first approved GMO vegetable to arrive on supermarket shelves: the Flavr Savr tomato was genetically engineered to last longer on store shelves and stay ripe longer, as explained in “History of GMOs” by Annette McDermott. With the transgenic tomato came the age of widespread GMO food use. Corn, soybeans, cotton, and tomatoes are among the most heavily modified crops. In the book “Genetically Engineered Food: A Self-Defense Guide for Consumers” by Ronnie Cummins and Ben Lilliston, it states an estimated “81% of U.S. soybeans, 40 of U.S. corn, 73% of U.S. cotton, [and] over 50% of the U.S. and Canadian canola crop” (pg. 5) is genetically modified. While most of this
The genetic engineering of foods has, in one sense, been in existence for hundreds of years. The first time Gregor Mendel bred different varieties of pea plants to observe the various traits present in their offspring, the concept was born. Today, genetic engineering has developed into one of the most complex and advanced fields of scientific thinking, all the while provoking many questions and acquiring many opponents along the way. While there are compelling arguments presented for each side of the issue, the simple fact is that genetically modified (GM) foods are a reality, especially in the United States, as they are already present in many products that are consumed on a daily
“The history of GMOs started in the 1840s in Czechoslovakia with the study of pea plants once it was discovered that plants could be altered to take on the characteristics of one another experiments were performed to see if a better pea plant could be produced with the dominant characteristics of other pea plants and this gave way to the idea of heredity” (Pitman 2002). Working from these first discovery molecular biologists has produced GMOs that have proven to be both useful and dangerous.
Producers have been manipulating DNA in the reproduction of their products before Gregor Mendel founded the modern understanding of genetics. Thus, genetically modified organisms -GMOs- are simply more advanced hybrids. The World Health organization defines GMOs as organisms in which their genetic information has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally (Blair, 2015). The controversy regarding genetically modified organisms has been prevalent not only in the agricultural community, but academic conversation as well. Although many organizations and individuals claim genetically modified organisms are malicious to human health as well as the environment, they are indeed the basis for healthy, sustainable agriculture that not only provide a quality product for the consumer, but a safe and nutritious product as well.
Genetic engineering has played an increasingly important part in the business of agriculture, resulting in the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) which have been created by altering genetic materials by way of genetic engineering. While GMOs have a multitude of applications, I will focus primarily on GMO technology used to grow and develop food crops and the growing controversy surrounding the practice.
Moreover, it is not a mystery that the human population continues to increase. The world population was estimated in 2050 to be 9.3 billion, 400 million more than previously estimated. It would seem that GMOs would be seen as a light at the end of the tunnel for 3rd world counties, and the health risks of pesticides, and for the years to come. Nonetheless, many people see GMOs as a major danger to the nation. Genetic engineering and biotechnology is creating new methods to help scientists with the issue of feeding the world. Some people argue that GM technology will replace traditional breeding and this is not the case. The importance of solving the problem of food production for a growing population like ours needs to be without harming the environment and will require traditional breeding and organic farming, plus GM crop technology, used to solve the problem at hand. Our human civilization will have the greatest challenge to ensure sufficient food production in the next few years unless all the methods are used accurately and as necessary. (Herrera-Estrella and Alvarez-Morlaes, 256-257).
Farmers, gardeners, and scientists have been genetically modifying crops since the beginning of civilization. Early societies learned how to manipulate crops and food for predetermined growth in their harvest. The practice of genetic modification has ranged from fermentation-the breakdown of sugar to produce alcohol- to hybridization, the process of interbreeding between individuals of different species.
Ever since GMO’s were first introduced in the mid 1990’s, there has always been a controversy as to whether or not consuming them is safe and healthy. As concerned American consumers who do not agree in the use of them, the effects GMO’s have on our health is a real issue and concern. One of the reasons we don’t want GMO’s used in our food or anywhere in general is because the risk of health issues they can cause. Since GMO’s were introduced into society, little research has been done on the effects they can have on people so no one knows if they are or aren’t harmful. GMO’s have multiple different effects on human health, such as; decrease in nutritional value and increased toxicity (Gertsburg, 2010). The
For millennia, humans have implemented the process of selective breeding to produce desired traits in their crops and livestock. The process was simple: if a larger crop was preferred, larger plants were selected to be bred. Despite their limited knowledge of genetics, early humans possessed the ability to shape the genetic makeup of the plants and animals around them to precisely fit their nutritional needs. Most modern fruits and vegetables such as corn, bananas, wheat, and rice were developed through generations of selective breeding of their much smaller, mostly unrecognizable, predecessors. Twelve thousand years after the dawn of agriculture, modern technology has enabled a new way of improving such
Genetically modified organisms, or GMO’s, include plants and animals that have had their DNA sequence altered to impart new qualities such as drought resistance, enhanced growth rate, and pest resistance (Feeding the World). In recent years, the genetic modification of raw food products has risen as a new alternative to traditional breeding since it provides faster results, is more efficient, and is more precise in targeting specific traits. “There are some problems that conventional methods can not solve” says Francisco Aragao, who is a researcher at EMBRAPA. Genetic modification is becoming increasingly more important due to the rise in population and the recent increase in urbanization around the world, from rural communities to city
In light recent technological advancements, the agricultural field has seen a huge shift in the way food is produced, manufactured and regulated. Standing on the frontier of molecular biology is the introduction of Genetically Modified Organisms or GMO’s into the food industry as a means of creating better crops. Since the initial merging of GMO and the food industry there has been a growing use of genetically modified crops, an increase in the creation of new strains, and expansion in the use, manufacturing and distribution of these products. In the past 20 years alone Canada has seen a visible rise of GMO foods available in grocery stores, specifically as a part of basic ingredients that make up a diversity of food products (David Suziki). Thus, the GMO revolution has unapologetically established itself in the food industry and has become a large feature of food production today. Nevertheless, the creation and implementation of these practices is not without its share of concern and controversy. Despite its steady expansion, there is still much to be said about the safety of these products and the procedures by which they are formed under, the potential health risks they pose, the damage it causes to the agricultural business and the effect it has on the environment. Altogether, evidence points to several issues associated with GMO and its integration with food safety, health, the industry and the environment.
In 1935, there was a major discovery made in the scientific community. A Russian scientist by the name Andrei Nikolaevitch Belozersky isolated the Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) strand. From that point on, leaps and bounds have been made to manipulate the DNA of different organisms, including the food we eat. During the early 1990s Genetically Modified Foods (GMFs) and Organisms (GMOs) were introduced to the public. At first, GMOs were not successful, but that changed quickly, when scientists genetically modified cash crops.
Genetically modified foods (or GM foods) will be foods delivered from organisms that have had particular progressions brought into their DNA utilizing the systems for hereditary engineering. These strategies have taken into consideration the presentation of new traits and in addition a far more prominent control over a food 's hereditary structure than formerly managed by routines, for example, selective breeding and change breeding. Business offer of genetically modified crops started in 1994, when Calgene initially marketed its Flavr Savr deferred ripening tomato. GM livestock have additionally been tentatively created, despite the fact that as of November 2013 none are as of now on the market