IMPACT ON ENVIRONMENT – RISK OF CONTAMINATION Risk management is another impact of GMOs on ecology. GMOs which are introduced whether for deliberate release or for contained use should be managed sufficiently the same way as the invasive species being treated for management purposes. Environmental contamination is one of the significant problems of GMOs. GMOs contamination is not GM risk per se, but it is a risk management issue depends on the involving crops. Some GM crops are improbable of spreading beyond their areas of planting. However, some GM species are likely to spread far more (IUCN, The World Conservation Union, 2007). For instance, plants that producing pollens have higher potential to spread far and contaminate nearby plants whereas bright-resistant GM potatoes have minimum risk of contamination because they reproduce via tubers. Besides that, recent study on creeping bent grass which has been developed to be resistant against RoundUp, a glyphosate shown that it can be easily spread to the …show more content…
However, removal or inactivation of this caffeine synthesis gene may produce undesirable side effects. This is because caffeine able to inhibit the synthesis of aflatoxin, a potent toxin produced in certain mold. Therefore, coffee beans which are lack of caffeine gene may develop greater contamination by aflatoxin-producing mold, thus the toxin remain active throughout the food preparation processes. Unfortunately, there is no experimental data rove that decaffeinated coffee contains aflatoxin (IUCN, The World Conservation Union, 2007). Therefore, it is important that each transgenic foods either as a single protein or as whole should be tested for toxicity in animals due to the presence of any unidentified compounds in the GM foods (Dora & Arvanitoyannis,
However, GMO's are controversial because chemicals are used to alter the genetic information of a crop. Those chemicals can increase the risk for certain illnesses, such as diabetes and cancer. GMO's are meant to be the perfect organism, however many factors can go wrong with so much genetic modification since its going against nature (Food Policy Institute 2003). The process of how GMO's are created is through the help of gene transfer technology. The desired gene from another organism is placed in the other organisms genome
Meosha Robinson ISBL 10/22/2015 Monarch Butterfly Decline The monarch butterfly, scientifically referred to as danaus plexippus, is an extremely popular insect among North America. This insect is highly popular, not because it is beneficial to human existence but because it has the most distinctive migration pattern on top of its physical attributes that catch the human eye. The monarch butterfly has been recorded to travel over 2000 miles in order to get to their summer breeding ground (Oberhauser, 2004).
Nevertheless, I hold a opposite view, I think GM food is worsening our world rather than improving it. GM food has negative effects on both nature and human while producing and using. Negative Effects on Nature Reduce biodiversity Although through genetic modification, food can contain various kinds of nutrition we need, but in long-term, GM food can threaten the biodiversity of our planet. GM food is
From 2000 to 2013, a 71% increase was seen in the adoption of GM corn seeds known as stacked seeds because they contain multiple GE traits. (Cornrjo et al. para 8). These seeds are resistant to pesticides and have the ability to grow in harsh conditions, which is why they have their use has increased. More and more plants are becoming genetically modified and soon all plants may have some trace of genetic modification.
Invasive species are causing harm and killing the rest of the native plants and animals. The insect,the ash borer, deadly to trees, has threatened millions of ash in the Midwest in recent years. This bug is originally native to Asia. Invasive species are plants, animals, or pathogens that are non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration and whose introduction causes or is likely to cause harm.
Sometimes we are aware of the fact that we are consuming GMO products (it says on the label), but in many cases, for instance in restaurants we are not sure of the quality and origin of the ingredients which are in our plate. Even though the development of herbicide and pesticide meant lower costs at the beginning, this wasn`t the case by all means. Bugs have become prone to this spray and manufacturers had to increase the amount of the content, meaning more poison for the consumer. This spray cannot be easily washed away or it doesn`t affect just the surface of the ingredient, it enters deep below the surface and therefore causes loss of quality. GMOs affect our health, destroys the quality of our food and pollutes the environment.
For years, the health and safety of genetically modified foods have been debated and researched by scientists, but the question still stands: should genetically modified foods be allowed for consumption? The process of genetic modification involves inserting a gene from bacteria or a virus into an organism where it would normally not be found. The purpose is to alter the genetic code in plants and animals to make them more productive or resistant to pests or farming techniques. Genetically modified organisms, more commonly known as GMOs, have been a controversial topic of debate for a number of reasons. The ethics behind genetically modified foods come into question due to an abundance of short and long-term effects from the process, many of which are still unknown today.
Before one dives into the battle of good versus evil, one must first fully understand the concept of genetically modified foods. Genetically modified (GM) or genetically engineered (GE) foods have been modified in order to develop favourable characteristics. Genes are transferred from various organisms to fruit and vegetable plants and are responsible for generating favourable characteristics, such as resistance to pests and insecticides (Milano and Carol, 2007: 8-11). Many people are pro GM foods due to their positive effects such as larger yields and decreased pesticide use, but not everyone is convinced. GM foods are a relatively new phenomenon and
Genetically modified foods could produce new toxic substances, and/or allergens. A gene was inserted into the DNA of a soybean plant to increase the nutritional value of the soybean. However, this particular gene in the genetically modified soybean also produced an allergen. Fortunately, the plant was not put into production.
The labelling of genetically modified foods is seen as wholesome common sense, and it should be required to have the information on the back of every product. People have been manipulating the genetic makeup of plants for numerous generations using the process of traditional cross breeding. Genetically modified crops have been traded, grown and consumed around the world, including Australia since 1996. The progress and advancement in this field has impacted the way we view the deeper issues of this technology. While genetic engineering crop property has been gradually increasing, so have concerns, in that producing and eating genetically modified foods may pose unexpected environmental and health hazards.
This is just one example of how GMO’s can harm the human body. If you think about it all of our food genetically modified, think about how they are harming our body and we have no understanding about what problems it may cause. Consequently, people are oblivious to what they are eating, as a result of, it is ordinary for our food to look like it does, when genetically modified to look and taste differently. Ordinarily, people eat their food without even knowing what is in it and how it can harm their
Genetically modified foods, also known as genetically modified organisms are biologically altered foods. Scientists put a desired gene from one plant, animal, or organism into another plant, in the hope that more crops are grown and have resistance to disease, drought, and pesticides. You likely have several items in your kitchen that are genetically modified that you don’t even know about. According to Livestrong.com, more than 88% of all soy, corn, squash, and cotton plants grown in the U.S. are genetically modified. Animal products like eggs, meat, and milk contain genetically modified foods, because the food fed to livestock is usually genetically modified.
1. If you were Monsanto’s CEO, how would you best balance the conflicting needs of the variety of stakeholder groups that Monsanto must successfully engage? Monsanto has improved in terms of its corporate responsibility; however it does not maintain the most ethical culture possible. Monsanto is in a difficult position, as it produces products that many people do not understand or trust. The corporation also does much business in very poor countries where it is very easy for critics to accuse Monsanto of taking advantage of people who do not know any better.
Though it is claimed by many experts that genetically modified foods are safe for the environment, they actually still contain several kinds of substances that are not yet proven to be such. And what’s worse? These substances are remained hidden to the
This is because the better trait is produced by engineering genes which results in favoring one organism. Genetically modified organism can interrupt the natural process of the gene flow. A possible issue with the modified crop genes ending up in the soil which can produce new strands that can eventually attack the plant species and producing a new strand. Genes from the GM crops can spread to organic farm crops threating the diversity in agriculture. Due to cross pollination to non-gm plants, new hybrid strains are created.