advantages-and-disadvantages-of-GM-food.doc

Advantages And Disadvantages of Genetically Modified Foods Genetically modified foods (GM foods) can be defined as organisms in which the genetic codes (DNA) have been altered using non-traditional, laboratory-based methods that do not occur naturally. The technology is known as genetic engineering. It allows selected individual genes to be transferred from one organism into another, also between non-related species. GM foods have had foreign genes (genes from other plants or animals) inserted into their genetic material.Common GM foods include maize, wheat, rice, soybeans, potatoes, pineapples, strawberries, cotton and so on. GM foods are designed for greater resistance to pests and viruses, higher nutritional value and longer shelf life. Regulatory authorities have approved GM foods that are on the market. However, their safety, potential risks and ethical concerns are still being debated. Let me introduce the advantages and disadvantages of GM foods.Advantages: One of the major advantages of GM foods is that they grow faster than the traditional foods. As a result, productivity increases, providing more food to the increasing population all over the world. Another major advantage of such type of foods is that they help to control the occurrence of certain diseases. There are certain foods that can cause allergy to people after eating or contacting. By modifying the DNA system of these foods, they become non-allergic. GM crops, always disease- and insect-resistant crops, require fewer pesticides and insecticides. This reduces the necessity of exposing GM crops to harmful chemicals, making these foods free from pesticides and insecticides and environment friendly as well. Farmers need not bother about any additional costs, such as buying chemicals and the labor to administer the treatments. Another reason for people choosing GM foods is that they have longer shelf life and it is helpful to reduce the speed and quantity of getting rotten of foods.GM food is a sword with two blades.Disadvantages: The safety of GM foods is not verified yet, in fact, in the lab scientists use rats to test the safety of such foods with no thorough research of their potential threats on human health. GM foods can cause cancer. Some studies have suggested a link between engineered food and cancer. GM foods could raise new allergy outbreaks in humans. It was found that a genetically engineered soya bean containing Brazilian nut protein was allergenic to humans and was withdrawn from production. Genetic engineering allows to introduce animal products in plants which could raise issues for those with dietary restrictions, like vegetarian or certain religious and cultural groups. Growing GM crops on a large scale may affect the balance of wildlife, ecosystem and the environment. Adverse effects on the immune system. A study in 2008 showed that feeding mice engineered food for 30 days caused an immune reaction and altered the number of cells that regulated the immune functions in the body. Pesticide resistant food cannot be controlled easily which will create problems in managing their numbers and to crop production in the future. First and last, there are some things to remember: (1) The benefits, risks and ethical concerns regarding GM foods are still being researched and debated. (2) The health risks associated with consuming GM foods or ingredients have not been unequivocally established. (3) No current evidence suggests that GM foods are harmful to health. (4) GM foods or foods containing GM ingredients are required to be labelled. GM food:hope or danger?Inrecentyears, somepeople havebeenconductingasurvey which aimstofindifgenetically modifiedfoodisahopeordanger to us.TheresultisthatGM food owns both support and objection from people.Ontheonehand,somepeoplearelookingforwardtobe benefited from the wide promotion of GM food.The main reason is that GM foods growing is supposed to behealthier than normal food. For one thing, GM food defends themselves against pets anddisease, which means much less pesticide used in growing seasons. For another thing,GM products providebiggerharvests.Overall, supportersofGMfoodarguethatGM food show advantages in quality and quantity.Ontheotherhand,GMfood frightenssomepeople, that whether it s completelysafe stillremainsunknown. There arequestionsinregard to human ourselves.Scientistsadmit that moretestsshouldbedone on GM food. There are also questions on environment. Noonereally knowstheinfluenceof GMfoodasitflowsinto the food chain.Now thattheGM food isnotknownforits safety,in myopinion,we should becautiouswiththis new technologytoavoid seriouscon-sequence. Pros and cons ConclusionGenetically modified (GM) foods are foods produced from genetically modified organisms (GMO) that have had their DNA altered through genetic engineering. GM foods were first put on the market in the early 1990s. The most common modified foods are derived from plants: soybean, corn and cotton seed oil.The first commercially grown genetically modifiedwhole food crop was a tomato, which was modified to ripen without softening. Between 1997 and 2009, the total surface area of land cultivated with GMOs had increased, from 4.2 million acres to 331 million acres.By 2006, in the United States 89% of soybeans, 83% of cotton, and 61% of maize (corn) were genetically modified.Although most GM crops are grown inNorth America, in recent years there has been rapid growth in the area sown indeveloping countries .In 2009 the largest increase in crop area planted to GM crops (soybeans) was in Brazil By 2009 87% of Indian cotton was GM More productive and have a larger yieldOffer more nutritional value and better flavor Eliminate allergy-causing properties in some foods Inbuilt resistance to pests, weeds and disease More capable o