Genetically Modified FoodsA slideshow by Rowan Hill

What?Genetically modified foods (GMs) are foods derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) which have had their DNA changed through genetic engineering.

Deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA is the building block of all life on earth and is not dissimilar to computer code, that is it can be programed, this programed food has been genetically modified therefore it is a GMO. So briefly, genetically modifying an organism and ultimately a food is done by the insertion and deletion of genes.

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Why?Organisms are generally modified to make them more resistant, to make them more nutritious or to make them larger or more space efficient.

Here are a couple of examples;

Name of Food Why? What?

Cotton Pest resistant cotton

Crystal protein gene added

Sweet peppers Resistant to virus Vaccinated with a small amount of virus

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When and WhoGenetically modified foods were first put on the market in

1994 with the tomato which could ripen without softening, this tomato called Flavrsavr was created by Calgene. Although Flavrsavr was the first official GM food using the removal or input of genes, hundreds of years earlier farmers were taking their tallest crops or their biggest crops and separating them from the smaller ones so that the crops produced will then be increased.

So as you can see foods are genetically modified so they can be more efficient to grow or would keep longer, generally to make foods easier to eat, use, store and grow.

Cons

Pros

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Pros To develop food that can deliver vaccines – i.e.

bananas that produce the hepatitis B vaccine. More nutritious foods – rice with increased iron

and vitamins. Faster growing fish, fruit and nut trees. Plants producing new plastics. Prevents wasted crops. If pests cannot eat the crops,

nothing goes to waste. Therefore, farmers make more money.

Cons

Gallery

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Cons Domination of world food production by a few

companies. More likely to provoke an allergic reaction than its

natural counterpart. Many religious and cultural communities are against

genetically modified foods because they see it as an unnatural way of producing foods.

There are many rumours that are spread through the world, the Agrarian Party of Russia states that “slowly but surely you will turn into a mutant if you eat imported potatoes.”

Danger of cross pollination (explained on page 10)

Pros

Gallery

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Gallery

Image depicting the changes and exaggerating these changes by showing an evil looking mutated apple.

Image of mutated lemon not necessarily for or against GM foods.

Image showing Greenpeace (an environmental protection campaign) demonstrating against GM foods.

GM foods – is it the answer?

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Further Research

“Consumer acceptance of genetically modified foods”, by Robert Eugene Evenson.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11631254

“inside the contoversy over genetically modified food”, by Lisa H. Weasel.

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GM foods song

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Cross Pollination

A big worry with GM foods is cross – pollination between GM crops and ‘normal crops’.

Cross – pollination is when pollen from a GM crop fertilises a ‘normal’ crop and vice versa so that the farmer of the ‘normal’ crop cannot claim his crops are GM free.

Research is being done into the production of GMOs that cannot pollinate a non – GMO crop.

There is now a type of GM mize which cannot pollinate other strains and scientists hope this could be done to all GM crops to stop cross – pollination.

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SourcesBBC news website YoutubeGoogle imageshttp://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/b

hcarticles.nsf/pages/genetically_modified_foods?open

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/oct/19/gm-foods-a-biotech-revolution

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ConclusionAs GM foods are in their infancy, time and scientific tests in the future will probably reveal more good and bad points about GM foods.

So you have seen the Pros, the cons, images, theories and who, what ,where, why and when and also sources for further information if you would like to take your knowledge of Genetic modification further.

But is for you to make up your own mind.

What do you think?

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