The labeling of genetically modified (GM) food is an extremely contentious issue. The way the law deals with it is of the utmost importance for future research and public acceptance. In this paper I will argue that the benefits of biotechnology outweigh the risks, and that the FoodFile Size: KB of what a genetically modified food is and how it affects human beings. This review paper includes various controversies regarding genetically modified food, positive and negative impacts of GM food towards mankind and environment, consumer attitudes to genetically modified food and its future prospects. exposed that food produced by It was Jun 17, · Genetically Modified Food There Has. Words: Length: 7 Pages Document Type: Research Paper Paper #: Read Full Paper. On a biological level, consumption of genetically modified foods means the potential for "pleiotropic
Genetically Modified Foods and Social Concerns
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The topic of genetic modification of food has raised various ethical concerns among the consumers, environmentalist, farmers, scientists, and common citizens. The camps for and against the use of the genetically modified foods research paper technology in our food productions tend to base their arguments either on strict deontological moral principles or on the utilitarian calculation of overall harms and benefits.
In this research paper the different ethical viewpoints are introduced and their feasibility analyzed. This research paper discusses genetic modification of food. As the topic has raised many ethical concerns and points of view, genetically modified foods research paper, it will examine different ethical issues as well as frameworks related to genetically modified organisms GMOs locally, regionally, and globally.
The paper will introduce the methods of genetic modification and their history and current situation, genetically modified foods research paper.
Then it will discuss the various ethical approaches for and against genetic modification — including a discussion on known and potential benefits and harms of the genetic modification of organisms meant for human and animal consumption.
Genetic modification GM of food involves deliberate altering of the genetic material of plants and animals. It is an old agricultural practice carried on by farmers since early historical times. Recently, however, it has been improved by technology, i. The term genetically modified foods Genetically modified foods research paper or genetically modified organisms is currently most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using these latest technologies.
Genetic modification in general describes the process by which scientists are able to pinpoint the individual gene which produces desired outcome, extract it, copy it, and insert it into another organism. Genetically engineered plants or animals are then generated by altering their genetic makeup. Usually genetically modified plants are tested in the laboratories for desired qualities. Most direct genetic modification is done either by gene addition cloning or gene subtraction genes are removed or inactivated.
An example would be to isolate a gene responsible for drought tolerance and insert that gene into a different plant. To some extent, humans have been involved in genetic modification for centuries. For example, larger cattle which produce more milk were bred to produce even larger offspring. Seeds from cereals and other crops that were more resilient and grew better were selected for planting the following year to produce better yields.
This traditional process, however, has been slow and somewhat unreliable and inaccurate. The new technology that allows the scientists to take a gene from one living thing and put it directly into another plant or animal makes the desired changes more precise and happen in a much shorter time period.
Currently the new technologies have created crops that are pest proof; disease, fungal, viral, and herbicide resistant; and weather drought, cold, or hot tolerant. It is also used to improve the nutritional content of crops and expand their storage. Also genetic modification has been used to improve taste, size, and color of food products.
For example, so-called Golden Rice has been modified so that it gets an extra boost of vitamin A from a daffodil gene so that it produces almost 20 times the beta-carotene of previous varieties. This rice was intended for Asia, and the justification for this modification is that in this way, people who might have poor or restricted diet and cannot get enough vitamin A otherwise genetically modified foods research paper get it directly from rice FDAFridovich-Kiel and Diaz The discovery in that DNA can be transferred between organisms brought new elements to food production.
The first genetically modified plant was produced in by using an antibiotic resistant tobacco plant. In the transgenic Flavr Savr tomato was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration FDA for marketing and commercial use in the USA. This genetic modification allowed the tomato to delay ripening after picking.
Commercial sale of genetically modified crops began when Calgene first marketed its Flavr Savr tomato in Fridovich-Kieh and Diaz To date, most genetic modifications of foods have primarily focused on cash crops in high demand by farmers — such as soybean, corn, canola, and cottonseed oil.
These have been engineered for resistance pathogens and herbicides as well as better nutrient profiles, as noted above. The most genetically modified food organisms are currently corn and soya. Corn genetically modified foods research paper is used for food has been genetically modified to be resistant to various herbicides and to express a protein from Bacillus thuringiensis that kills certain insects.
Nevertheless, it should be noted that since corn is used in various ways and processed into grits, meal and flour which for their part can be used in breakfast cereals, snack foods, baking mixes, etc.
Similarly soybeans are processed to different products that genetically modified foods research paper used in a variety of foods, such as salad dressings soups, meat analogues, cheeses, genetically modified foods research paper, nondairy creamer, desserts, infant formulas, breads, genetically modified foods research paper, pasta, pet foods, etc.
The percentage is lower in Europe, genetically modified foods research paper, in Asia, and in Africa, but in reality it is very difficult to know exactly how far the genetic modification has spread across the globe. GM livestock have also been experimentally developed. However, as of Septembergenetically modified foods research paper, there were no genetically modified animals approved for use as food, though GM salmon was still awaiting regulatory approval.
In general according to FDA in the USA, many kinds of GE animals are currently in development. The largest class of GE animals is being developed for biopharm purposes — that is, genetically modified foods research paper, they are intended to produce substances e.
Another group of GE animals are under development for use as sources of scarce cells, tissues, or organs for transplantation into humans xenotransplant sources. Yet, others are intended for use as food and may be disease resistant or have improved nutritional or growth characteristics. Other developments include animals that produce high-value industrial or consumer products, such as highly specific antimicrobials against human and animal pathogens e.
coli or Salmonella, genetically modified foods research paper. In general animals e. For details see FDA ; FridovichKiehl and Diaz Other Latin American countries are pushing away from the plants. In Africa there are test farms in some countries but not wide production. For example, Mauritius, South Africa, and Egypt are developing virus and pest-resistant transgenic sugarcane technologies. Other crops are tested also elsewhere in Africa Freedman From the point of view of global bioethics, genetic modification of food is an issue of central interest.
After all, GM food has various transnational worldwide ethical dimensions. Firstly, GM has a global context, genetically modified foods research paper, and many debates on its benefits and risks, whether health or environment related or economic, reach beyond national borders. Secondly, the responses to the use of genetic engineering in food production reach beyond borders as the movements for or against the GMF are not only national but also regional and international.
Thirdly, many regulations that are set to control and test GMOs need to be based on international agreements. In the philosophical ethics, the arguments for and against GM food vary often depending on the theoretical ethical starting point. Some deontological arguments may see the act of genetic modification to be wrong per se, genetically modified foods research paper.
This view is usually based on ideological or religious commitments. Genetic engineering may be seen, for example, as unnatural and, thus, immoral. These positions could be easily defeated by counter argumentation that points out that has God created human beings and gave them the ability to find scientific ways to improve and change nature.
Consequently, the development of genetic engineering is in tandem with the God-given mandate to humankind to have dominion over other lesser creatures.
Indeed, without fundamental theological assumptions, there do not seem to be strong categorical arguments against genetic modification. On the other hand, reasoning along the lines of utilitarian ethics yields quite opposite conclusions on the rightness or wrongness of the overall consequences of genetic modification.
Depending on whose utility we focus on and whether we calculate economic aspects, risks, or benefits genetically modified foods research paper based on what information, we may get very different views on the moral desirability of GMF. Thus, while risks and benefits are at the core of the GMO debates, utilitarianism cannot currently provide very solid ethical argumentation either for or against genetic engineering — especially before all risks and benefits could be scientifically more accurately proven.
Finally the tradition of Aristotelian virtue ethics may again see that human beings are changing the intrinsic telos of living organisms in a manner that prevents these organisms from flourishing naturally. Lastly, virtue ethics may also be interpreted to promote human beings realizing their full rational potential as inventors of these new technologies that merely enhance evolutionary tendencies of the nature On philosophical ethical theories see for example Singer As noted above, traditional moral theories do not necessarily provide a particularly solid or feasible framework for ethical argumentation for or against genetic modification of food.
Thus, it is productive also to consider the actual benefits and risks that concern people in relation to genetically modified foods research paper GMF.
The promoters of genetic modification of food appeal to the advantages that are achieved: better taste, genetically modified foods research paper, larger sizes, better nutritional value, as well as economic benefits when the crops become resistant to pests, weeds, extreme weather conditions, etc.
The overall benefit is mentioned to be the improved food production that would help to feed the genetically modified foods research paper across the world by providing more resistant crops with better nutritional values in places where the traditional farming techniques have not produced the needed results WHO Genetically modified foods research paper these benefits, there is still much opposition toward GMF. These vary from general concerns on environmental pollution, unintentional gene transfer to wild plants, possible creation of new viruses and toxins, etc.
Below these risks are listed in more detail. Firstly, there is a fear that genetic modification can lead to a loss of biodiversity if genetically modified organisms could have the potential to do unexpected harm to other plants and animals. The concern is that plants with new genes imported to them will accidentally crossbreed with wild plants and create harmful and unnatural effects in nontarget organisms e. At worst, this could even lead to certain animal and wild plant species effectively being rendered extinct.
This is not a fully unfounded concern as some laboratory tests have shown that pollen from GM maize in the USA damaged the caterpillars of the monarch butterfly. The studies on this case, however, are still highly controversial see for details Winston ; Pewtrust Secondly, where test crops have been planted in a country, there can be a definite danger of cross contamination with wild or non-GM plant strains.
Many people are afraid that genetically modified foods may end up harming not only individual human beings but the environment at large. Even with very strict controls in place, it is impossible to prevent pollen from traveling on the wind from GM crops to other possible organic version of the same crop being grown nearby. Pollen could also be carried by insects. This could mean that in the end, all our food crops could contain a proportion of genetically modified elements.
As consumers we would then lose our rights to choose GM food or not as it would be impossible to tell whether our food has been genetically modified at one stage or the other. Thirdly, while the countries that are most affected by harsh weather conditions, arid lands, genetically modified foods research paper famine could potentially be the greatest beneficiaries of GM foods, many regions with poverty and famine have not shown great enthusiasm for the newly developed crops.
In Africa there has been continuing resistance against adopting genetic modification in farming as many African governments warn that gene technologies will not help the local farmers. Instead they may destroy the diversity, the local knowledge, and the traditionally more sustainable agricultural systems, genetically modified foods research paper.
If these countries become dependent on the multinational companies who provide the seeds and related fertilizers and pesticides, the capacity to feed people genetically modified foods research paper developing countries will diminish rather than increase. This feat may not be unfounded as multinational companies are there to make profits rather than feed the world and, thus, tend to have conditions for the commercial use of their seeds and crops.
Multinational Monsanto that produces genetically modified crops, for example, is said to have had a terminator gene build in to them to prevent farmers from keeping seeds produced by their crops for the following year.
The GMO Debate
, time: 45:57Research Paper on GMOs – Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
Dec 19, · Safety tests on commercial GM crops. GM maize. Two lines of Chardon LL herbicide-resistant GM maize expressing the gene of phosphinothricin acetyltransferase before and after ensiling GM soybeans. GM potatoes. GM rice. GM cotton. Cited by: Apr 23, · Research Paper on GMOs. By Raymond Wu in Papers on December 10, The Controversy of Genetically Modified Foods on Human Health. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are creatures in which their genetic make-up has been altered through genetic engineering or biotechnology in hopes of either obtaining favorable traits, eliminating unfavorable traits, or simply May 11, · Genetically Modified Food (GMF) means any food containing or derived from a genetically engineered organism. Describing biotechnology methods is beyond the scope of this paper however, it is informative to only name some of the vastly used techniques in creating GM crops: Agrobacterium has been used as an intermediate organism for transferring a desirable gene into Cited by:
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