What do you think of gene-modified foods?

Question

please talk about the advantages and disadvantages!
Thank you!

Answer 1

I think genetically modified foods are extremely harmful to all people especially our children. Most of these foods are pumped full of hormones and preservatives which allow them to stay on the shelves far longer than we could imagine. I recommend people try to shop with local farmers using free range and organically grown foods. This not only helps our communities and local farmers but says a big screw you to our government. It's time to end pumping our children full of hormones, 11 year old girls shouldn't have DD size chests.

Answer 2

I have no problems with GMO's in most cases.

I would first like to direct a comment to CherryBomb. I question your knowledge of GMOs, in particular the treatment that they recieve in the feild. For the most part the GMOs that have been released for cultivation in North America are designed to reduce the level of pesticides and herbicides used (BT Corn, RoundupReady). I think you are confusing GMO with pharmacological alteration, particularly that involved in meat production. Injecting animals (or plants) with hormones does not make them GMOs.

Unfortunately this type of misinformation is rampant in the general populace. I should ask how many people here actually understand what goes into making a GMO? What is your understanding of the molecular biology behind their creation? I have debated GMOs several times with members from the ierra Club, and all that I can say is that it was a wasted effort. You cannot debate when one side does not understand anything that you do. When I went into the specifics of how the plants were created (I study plant-pathogen interactions) all I got was blank looks. They were screaming about how bad something was when they did not have the faintest idea how that thing came into being.

To answer the initial question.

Advantages:
-Higher nutritional content (golden rice (Science, 2005 (6?))
-Resistance to predation (BT technology)
-Salt and drought Tolerence (Griffith et al., 2002)
-Enhanced shelf life (Thompson et al., 2004)
-Herbicide resistance (RoundupReady)

Disadvantages
-cost
-cross pollination
-allergens (not proven)
-public ignorance
-horizontal gene transfer

Answer 3

I think genetically modified foods are great. They want to genetically modify a vegetable so that it naturally lasts longer and repels insects without need for chemicals? Awesome. They want to engineer plants to make twice as many fruits as normal plants do? Great. When we eat those foods, we absorb their nutritional value, not their DNA. Eating genetically modified food does not modify our genes. Chemical additives and hormones do affect us, so those I'd avoid. But like I said, if we can achieve those same results by altering a plant's genetic code, then I fully support it.

Answer 4

Most of what we eat in the U.S. is genetically altered to one degree or another. Genetically altering food is simply a way to do in a shorter period of time what would take centuries to do otherwise. Case in point, wheat, it has taken four hundred years to alter the grass to what it is today.

Answer 5

Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?
the advantages of GM foods:

1.Produces environmentally friendlier crops
crops that will be resistant to plants virus diseases and pests, through a vaccine & resistant to insects on their own. New varieties are able to produce natural substances (bacillus thuringiensis/Bt) to ward off destructive insects. Eg. Lettuce, cucumbers and bananas.
Thereby, reducing the use of fertilizers and their threat to health & environmental. Eg. Cotton and potatoes.
N.B.
For othrs they become Herbicide tolerant.
GM crop plants that are genetically-engineered to be resistant to one very powerful herbicide could help prevent environmental damage by reducing the amount of herbicides needed.
For example, Monsanto has created a strain of soybeans genetically modified to be not affected by their herbicide product Roundup ®6. A farmer grows these soybeans which then only require one application of weed-killer instead of multiple applications, reducing production cost and limiting the dangers of agricultural waste run-off.
2..Produces nutritionally healthier foods
This reason i dont particularly like but its viable,it reduces the number of chronic diseases; since foods will contain higher levels of nutrients.
But GM crops will be an aid 2 d Developing world ...considering malnutrition is common in such countries, where the impoverished peoples rely on a single crop such as rice (usu refined) for the main staple of their diet. but as we know rice does not contain adequate amounts of all necessary nutrients to prevent malnutrition. therforeIf rice could be genetically engineered to contain additional vitamins and minerals, nutrient deficiencies could be alleviated.For example, blindness due to vitamin A deficiency is a common problem in third world countries
3.Increases the crop yield and its ability to withstand natural climatic conditions.
Creating plants that can withstand long periods of drought or high salt content in soil and groundwater will help people to grow crops in formerly inhospitable places.This is useful esp, with d growing populations throughout the world, where d majority of green lands are used 4 housing and less land being utilize 4 agri-purposes. Resulting in farmers needing to grow crops in locations previously unsuited for plant cultivation. So in this way Gm crops actually viable.

4.Phytoremediation.
I found this interesting, not all Gm plants are meant 4 consumption and thus are not cultivated as crops. Some Gm plants are use as a remedial method against pollution: land and air and watr (groundwatr reservoirs) actually.Plants such as poplar trees have been genetically engineered to clean up heavy metal pollution from contaminated soil.

Disadvantages of GM foods:
1.Environmental concerns
a)Disruption of natural ecosystems
The new genetically modified organisms created usu have no assigned place in the food chain or evolutionary biological systems .
b) Introduction of new or strengthen existing diseases (causing unintended harm to other organisms )
Newly created viruses may mutate and pose a deadly risk to plants, animals and or humans. Some may develop resistance to antibiotics, making the drugs useless in fighting infections.
Ex; Last year a laboratory study was published in Nature21 showing that pollen from B.t. corn caused high mortality rates in monarch butterfly caterpillars. Monarch caterpillars consume milkweed plants, not corn, but the fear is that if pollen from B.t. corn is blown by the wind onto milkweed plants in neighboring fields, the caterpillars could eat the pollen and perish

c) Introduction of allergens & toxins
GM crops may contain new substances that cause allergies or concentrate toxins that cause poisoning. Ex 95% of DNA is junk & scientist have not yet determine their function or role
since gene transfer to non-target species could have devastating effects on d human sys as well as ecological damage.

2.Human health risks
a) Possibility of decreased nutrients
a cosmetically good looking Gm crop may be nutritionally deficient.

b)They could be used as biological weapons~bioterrorism

c)Unknown allergic reactions
There is a possibility that introducing a gene into a plant may create a new allergen or cause an allergic reaction in susceptible individuals. Ex A proposal to incorporate a gene from Brazil nuts into soybeans was abandoned because of the fear of causing unexpected allergic reactions
d)Unknown effects on human health aprt frm d above
There is a growing concern that introducing foreign genes into food plants may have an unexpected and negative impact on human health.

3.Economic concerns
investing in Gm foods are Time consuming, and also Costly 2 many govts. Due 2 the 3 of research and test trials that is manditory b4 GM crops could be released 4 public consumption.
Many new plant genetic engineering technologies and GM plants have been patented, and patent infringement is a big concern of agribusiness.
Patenting these new plant varieties will raise the price of seeds so high that small farmers and third world countries will not be able to afford seeds for GM crops, thus widening the gap between the wealthy and the poor. However, this would be financially disastrous for farmers in third world countries who cannot afford to buy seed each year and traditionally set aside a portion of their harvest to plant in the next growing season.

i know its long but hey i hope this thoroughly answers ur question.

Answer 6

Yummy.

Answer 7

I think I don't want to be eating any mutant vegetables.