Don't Mess With My Food!
Technology has been in full swing for years, but only recently have some of these developments been placed in front of us at the dinner table. The genetic engineering of food is a hot topic; that with each meal, there is the possibility that we are putting genetically modified organisms (GMO) in our mouths. These toys of technology may make the apples look bigger and juicier, but who is to say that these science experiments will not have long-term hazardous effects? There are many advantages to the science of genetic engineering, but the uncertainty of the science outweighs the seemingly safe benefits. Simply, what some of the major arguments boil down to is that genetically modified organisms are potentially harmful to the environment, and most importantly, they are potentially harmful to humans. Are we willing, at this point, to take that risk? I agree with Dr. Suzanne Wuerthelle when she says, "the bottom line, in my personal view, is that we are confronted with the most powerful technology the world has ever known, and it is being rapidly deployed with almost no thought to its consequences" (Grogan 44). We need to think about consequences before we leap into the unknown.
A plant geneticist Alan McHughen says, "We look at genetically modified crops, and we know what the potential hazards MAY be, but we want to know what the hazards really are before they go out into the marketplace"(Spotts). In the U.S, regulators only require a one year trial before any given seed is ready for sale. (Spotts). This simply is not enough. As Congresswoman Kaptur stated , "Because we have never before had these genetically engineered crops, we really do not know their long term effects" (The Campaign). That is the bottom line. There may be numerous seemingly beneficial effects of genetically modifying our crops and foods, but not nearly enough time has been put into researching possible side effects. We do not want to be feeling the repercussions of these so called "miracle-genes" fifty years down the road. Simply, more research must be done before it becomes common practice for us to be putting these "fake foods" into our mouths. In addition to being harmful to many species of plants, this GEO kick may not be the best of news for the animal population either. In the current issue of the journal Science, a pair of British Scientists suggest that starling populations could drop by as much as 90% if farmers adopt a new strain of sugar beets tailored to tolerate herbicides." (Spotts) Another study states that monarch butterflies are threatened by pollen from corn that is engineered to produce a toxin fatal to a particular pest (Spotts). The fact that some foods may be "improved" by having different genes may mean different things to different people. Not only may the genes that are added into the crops be against moral and religious beliefs, but they could be harmful to their health on a short-term and a long-term level. Without proper labeling and precautions, people have no idea what they are eating. For example, muslims have strict religious beliefs against eating pork. If they ate cereal genetically engineered with a pork gene, are they not compromising their religious belief
Some common words found in the essay are:
Lane Genetically, Suzanne Wuerthelle, Lane Risks, Food Technology, Health Services, Medicinal Food, British Scientists, Congresswoman Kaptur, Alan McHughen, Cancer Risk, genetically engineered, genetic engineering, genetically modified, grogan 46, engineered foods, genetically engineered foods, religious beliefs, genetically modified organisms, grogan 44, modified crops, issue journal, modified organisms, genetically modified crops, genes oilseed rape,
Approximate Word count = 1357
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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