Genetic Modified Food

Introduction Food is any material consumed to provide nutritional support for the body which it is probably from plant or animal that holds important nutrients, such as carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, or minerals (Shah, 2006). Despite the importance of the food but it will be harmful in human health if it was genetically modified. So, genetically modified Food, is food that has been well genetically altered.
Furthermore, they are foods products from genetically modified organisms that have had their DNA changed through genetic engineering which the DNA is the chemical inside the nucleus of a cell that transmits the genetic orders for making living organisms. So, Genetic engineering can be completed with plants and animals like for example, the most mutual modified food that resulting from plants are soybean, canola, cotton seed oil and corn (Shah, 2006).
In addition, the benefits of genetically engineered food such as food will be tastier, more nutritious food, the plants and animals grow faster, some medicinal foods that could be used as vaccines and decreased use of pesticides (Shah, 2006). This assignment will shed the light on the history of GMF, the advantages and disadvantages, discussing the role of the food industry in the marketing of the GMF and perform the opinions of government and food companies about GMF. To define more genetically modified food, which it is food that produced by changing the DNA of an organism, which probably done with a plant that make food.

It begins by inserting a gene in organism’s genome to create new characteristics (Organization, 2012). Moreover, these characteristics contain a confrontation to wildflowers, pests or herbicides, growth rate will increase faster and improved nutrients. Moreover, people can produce hereditarily modified food by altering the amount of the genes in an organism by simply adjusting the genes. Furthermore, the history of genetically modified food started since scientists discovered that DNA can transmit between organisms in 1946.
The first product of genetically modified food crop was a tomato created by California Company in the early1990s which they called it Flavr Savr tomato that it have been submitted to the US food and drug administration in 1992 (Organization, 2012). However the aspect of GM food has received much criticism after marketable introduction of these in the form of making them accessible to the general public. The food industry has grown and stabilized strongly, because of the increasing demand of the population for food resources (Nataliya Moglina, 2010).
To keep up with it, the food providing companies or farmers had to adjust in their production plans, one of the methods besides good marketing, was to genetically modify the crops of plants and the meat sources (Nataliya Moglina, 2010). Over the past decade, consumers have showed a high level of anxiety about the safety of the food source, which consumers asked for assurances that food is free from materials such as pesticides, hormones and antibiotics. Moreover, some consumers accepted on the benefits of chemicals in the food production that resulted in cosmetically perfect fruits and vegetables at low price.
It has been seen in the previous researches that the worldwide consumers respond negatively towards food products made from genetically modified food which they try to avoid taking and consuming GMF because of the risks and negative effects on the human health. Some studies in US showed a higher acceptance from consumers on biotechnology and genetically modified food than other countries. Furthermore, China, India, Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia are the main countries are working on modified crops in Asia.
Nevertheless, in developing countries only little acceptance have been showed toward genetically modified food. In my opinion, most of the consumers they mostly refuse using genetically modified food because of the risks on their health such as liver cancer, allergies, heart diseases, and colon cancer and it may damage nerves system. However, the marketing is promoting the product and attract people to buy these products even if they are harmful on their health also it help them to achieve more sales.
Recently, genetic modified food is being consumed in a big amount to provide people’s needs of food according to the increasing numbers of the population, which it produces cheap, safe and nutritious foods. The advantages and disadvantages of GMF caused diverse opinions and arguments in different countries (Amin, 2011). So the advantages of GM foods such as, good quality of food, offer inexpensive and nutritious food like carrots with more antioxidants, provide food with a greater shelf life like tomatoes hat taste better and last longer, produce food with medicinal benefits for instance bananas with bacterial or rotavirus antigens, and produce crops that require less chemical application, such as herbicide resistant canola. Despite the many advantages to genetically modified food there are also several disadvantages. The main impact is that genetically modified foods are original and it is difficult to know all the coming effects it might be on human health and environment (Amin, 2011).
Another disadvantage is the possible impact it could have to human health, like for example some of new genes that are inserted into food can be resilient to specific antibiotics, so when we eat these products the effectiveness of antibiotics might be reduced. Also new allergens could be suddenly created and well-known allergens might be transmitted to new foods, for instance when the genetic factor of the peanuts was taken and put in a tomato so people that are allergic to peanuts could be allergic also to tomato (Amin, 2011).
Genetically modified food endures a debatable subject which some experts trust that the future of GM crops is at a crossroad (Biggs, 2007). Some genetic modification of food has helped producers more than consumers because it gives more products faster which can be sold to the consumers and most of the consumers cannot accept to get specific nutrients from genetically modified food (Biggs, 2007). So, the future of GM foods seems to depend on purpose of issues linked to cross-pollination and change of existing crops, the viability of small farms, consumer benefits, and other worries (Biggs, 2007).
After the appearance of genetically modified food, some people were against of using these products according to the risks on their health which the other side of people was with using these products because of the advantages (Biggs, 2007). This issue leaded to debates and different arguments such as, the government was against of using these products so it has decided to introduce classification of genetically modified food to protect consumers from misuses of producers and providers of biotechnology products ( council, 2007) .
Also it will allow for the consumers to choose between genetically modified or non-Genetically modified food. So the labeling polices depend on the supposition that the industry is incapable or unwilling to recognize the risks that inherited in their GMF products (council, 2007). Thus, the government gets involved in the market with obligatory labeling policies to ensure consumer protection from possible health and safety risks related with depletion of GM food.
Moreover, environmental activities, religious administrations, professional associations and other scientists have worries about GM food so it seems that everybody has a strong view which most worries of GM food separated into environmental dangers, human health risks and economic concerns (Herbert, 2005). From my side am impartial, I command and approve with some of the advantages that GMF have, like feeding the hungry mass of people and enriching the world economy by constantly providing the food supply to sell and buy.
On the other hand I find the cons are more harmful and despicable, the gene engineering of an organisms is harmful to the human body in an indirect way, no proven studies but some rare cases brings the big question. Conclusion In conclusion, hereditarily modified food they are food that provided by crops and their genetic has been changed to develop their agricultural qualities. As I have mentioned about the positive and negative impact such as the grow rate of the plants will be faster some medicinal foods that could be used as vaccines and decreased use of pesticides.
However, the disadvantages mostly effects on people’s health and cause disease due to misusing of herbicides on the crops. So in my opinion GMF has the potential to solve several of the world’s hunger and starvation problems and to protect the environment from the over using of chemical pesticides and herbicides and GMF should be a good solution for the world’s increasing population because it reached six billion and it might double in the coming 50 years and according to growing population many people will die and mare children will be suffer starvation because of food shortage.
References Amin, L. (2011, September 29). Risks and benefits of genetically modified food. pp. 1-3. Association, N. S. (2007, March 6). Genetically Modified Crops . pp. 4-5. Biggs, A. (2007). Biology . New York: National Geographic . Chapman, J. (2006, December 2). History of genetically modified food. Retrieved November 24, 2012, from