Arguments for and Against Genetically Modified Food Essay Example for Free

Arguments for and A actualizest genetic each(prenominal)y Modified Food EssayBiotechnology involves any technique that uses musical accompaniment organisms or parts there of to make or modify products, to purify plants or animals or to develop small organisms for specific uses (Dr Sriwatanapongse, www. afic. org) In the past century weve give been lucky enough to stumble upon angiotensin converting enzyme of the sanctioned building blocks of organisms, deoxyribonucleic acid. In recent years scientists have been able to develop ways in which they stomach manipulate, alter, and transfer DNA in forms that can process improve our lives. cardinal way in which DNA research has been used to improve our lifestyle, is by engineering the deoxyribonucleic acid into ways which can alter forage supplies to make them bigger, taste better, jibeant to pests and even make them have a greater concentration of nutrients. Of scarper this is great news to the human population, in terms o f economic and life-saving values for third world countries, even so there argon still disadvantages. With all the good news that comes from these altered ranges, concerns are still among people.These concerns acknowledge whether or not these alterations bequeath affect humans in a negative way, or how they will impact the environment. hereditaryally engineering crops might play a significant role in increase crop effect therefore allowing the world to feed much people while using less(prenominal) land. A recent study on bioengineered crops concluded that these crops are good and can improve yield dramatically. To date, total acres of biotech crops harvested exceed much than 1 billion with a proven 10-year history of safe use.Over the next decade, expanded adoption combined with current research on 57 crops in 63 countries will broaden the advantages of genetically modified nourishments for growers, consumers and the environment. (www. monsanto. com) Those opposing the g enetically altered crops state that One major detriment to genetically engineered food is that there has been no adequate testing to ensure that extracting genes from helpful functions will yield the same results in different applications and species (www. govhs. org).Predictions of future are that, consumers are able to push back foods that last longer, taste better and are more nutritious than the current foods. There will overly an even greater variety of foods all year round. These products will be made possible through and through genetic engineering, and some of them are already available. For centuries, farmers grew plants to produce special foods with unique characteristics better taste, higher yield or greater resistance to drought or frosts. History shows, that five thousand years past in Peru, potatoes were grown selectively.Plants, which produced potatoes with attractive characteristics, such(prenominal) as higher yields, were used to produce future plants. more tha n than two thousand years ago, tree grafting was used by the Greeks to Gain a more fruit in orchards. Now, we have genetically engineered food that has been discovered and now offers a faster and more reliable method of establishing new traits in plants to provide foods that are better tasting, more nutritious or more in amount. Although all of this may bet futuristic, such crops do already exist. Not yet have these crops been in laboratories for decades, but they have been in the market for years.Humans have precisely fair(a) begun to realize the benefits of these genetically altered foods. contagiousally altered foods allow a wide selection of things to improve upon. Some altered abilities already exists in our fruits and vegetables, these include pest, disease and herbicide. By using genetic engineering, plants that resist disease, pests or insects can be developed. This means that less chemicals, such as pesticides, are required. In the confining future scientists hopefull y will be able to improve the drought resistance of most crop species and could have major implications for crops grown in dry areas (www.abc. net. au/news).Weather resistance Plants could and can be developed to better withstand extreme weather conditions such as drought or frosts. genetically engineering foods make crops easier to maintain and lower the cost in maintenance. One benefit of altered foods which is oftentimes overlooked is the Improved processing characteristics of these foods, leading to reduced waste and lower food costs to the consumer. Foods are being developed to contain more vitamins, minerals, protein and less saturated fat.For example, fruits and vegetables with higher levels of antioxidant vitamins may reduce cardiovascular disease risk and help reduce the risk of certain cancers (www. americanheart. org). The world population is expected to recapitulate to more than 10 billion people by the year 2050. Food biotechnology can help meet the increasing demand for food. By increasing a crops index to withstand environmental factors, growers will be able to farm in parts of the world currently unsuitable for crop production. on with additional food, this could too provide economies of developing nations with much-needed jobs and greater productivity.Genetically engineered foods seem to have solved all the problems farmers and growers have had for years. Unfortunately all the positive effects of altered foods seem to mask the reality posterior these perfect crops. Some of the disadvantages of altered crops include the possibility of mutations. Plant breeders have induced mutations in selected plants by treating them with chemicals or radiation however this is costly and unpredictable (Microorganisms, biotechnology and Disease). Genetic engineering changes the nature of the food eaten.It can cause unexpected mutations in an organism, which can create new and higher levels of toxins in foods. Genetic engineering can produce unknown allerg ens in foods. Some foods may be implanted with the ability to produce antibiotics. This may help the plant, but if these plants that are infected with bacteria emerge new strands of bacteria that may become resistant to the most advanced antibiotics, there will be a problem. With herbicide-resistant crops, weeds may evolve to also become herbicide resistant. The spread of diseases across specific species may also become a factor because of a loss of ? bio-diversity in crops.When crops are altered for specific abilities, they are then mass produced. They are the only type of species grown in field of thousands. Because of this, the species will only be able to pass on to all generations the same DNA. Once started, they may not be easily controlled or contained. It makes the crops hard to calculate. Unfortunately the biggest problem raised from new modified foods is the fact that the reality is unaware of how it works and the results behind the genetically modified food. Deoxyribonuc leic acid (DNA) is the genetic code in living organisms. About twenty five years ago, scientists began to understand how DNA worked.From this ways for speeding up reproductive memory processes were understood to a degree. Agricultural scientists today can identify the genes that carry specific traits they want, such as ? disease resistance or ? nutrient content and transfer those genes to a plant, therefore creating a transgenic organism. Genetic engineering is the process of artificially modifying these ? blueprints. By cutting and splicing DNA, engineers can transfer genes specific to one type of organism into any other organism. Some organisms have been enhanced through biotechnology such as tomatoes, that go ? soft more slowly and so remain on the vine for longer.This gives them more garble and flavour. Also, virus resistant papyrus and squash, that make the crop more dependable. Genetically modified food seems to have already changed the world today. Many countries are alread y considering making more of their crops with genetically engineered properties. Scientists have gained a broad knowledge of genetic engineering and are now able to make many possibilities. Genetically engineered food has brought a lot of commercial benefits increased crops quality, harvesting quantity, pest resistance, herbicide resistance, nutrient supplementation and more.Not only have the crops improved, but more crops are produced in less space. Although the benefits of bioengineering seem fantastic, there are still many mysteries left to understand in such a vast field of understanding. Genetic engineering might cause serious consequences to our future life as swell up next generations to come. Deeper insight into genetic engineering may be all that is needed for us to gain truly unlimited advantage from such a vast scientific field.