1. Genetically Modified Food
Innovation? Or Danger?
Michael

3. History and Purpose
• The first genetically engineered food fit for consumption was the “Flavr
Savr” tomato developed in 1994 by the Monsanto corporation.
• The tomato was engineered to be more resistant to over-ripening and rot,
thus giving a longer shelf life.
• Since then, numerous fruits and vegetables have been modified to
increase resistance to disease, crop yield, and nutrition.
• Livestock animals such as salmon and cattle are being researched in their
potential as genetically modified foods.

4. Process
• When specified and isolated, a certain gene that yields one trait in one
organism, can be implanted in another organism to produce that same
trait.
• For example, a gene is isolated in flounder which gives the fish resistance
to cold, that gene can then be fused with a tomato’s DNA to produce a
tomato that is resistant to cold. Different genes can fused with totally
different organisms.
• Bottom Line: Desirable genes from one species can
be implanted in a same or different species to
produce an organism with more desirable and
beneficial traits.

5. Modifying our Food
Benefits Risks
• Higher crop yields and less loss of • Such efficient production of foods could
produce create lower food prices for create near monopolies of agriculture
businesses, and dominate the
the consumer. That coupled with the agricultural market, causing great
fact that many GM foods are unbalance. Domestic and foreign food
engineered to be more nutritious and consumption could also become
healthy, allows easier access to a dependent on only several companies.
more beneficial food. Such high demand could cause a
greater rise in massive factory farms .
• A very resilient organism could cause
• Bioengineering in food is another other organisms to die off and trigger a
step forward in science; it can only chain reaction and imbalance in an
lead to greater discoveries for the ecosystem. The different genes in a
modified organism could also have
world. It creates a more, productive, unknown effects on organism in or
organized, and above all, smarter around it, such as producing bacteria
agriculture industry. resistant to antibiotics.

6. Labeling our Food
• Labeling genetically modified foods is a service to the consumer. Shoppers
deserve to know what they are eating, and what has been done to what
they are eating.
• If consumers are concerned about any health risks from GM foods, it
would be dangerous to not specify which foods are modified and which
are not.
• It’s a safe choice for companies, because if any
problems occurred due to their food, the
customer at least knew what they may have been
risking.

7. Not Labeling our Food
• Labeling GM foods could cause people to abstain from
the larger companies that supply them, and lead to
difficult shifts in food production and the agriculture
industry, for example, major losses in large companies.
• GM foods do not pose any real threat, so there is simply
no need to specify.
• Labeling could cause a large loss in support of
bioengineering, and hinder any new advances in the
field.

8. My Opinion
• Genetically modifying our foods, I think, is an extreme benefit to modern
society.
• GMOs produce more food, cheaper, which all goes back to the consumer.
• There is no clear evidence that GM foods are dangerous to human health
in any way.
• GM foods are, technically, the same food, just improved.
• Labeling our foods for GMO would most likely cause a loss in support of
genetic modification, which is moving backward. Different advances in one
field of science can lead to advances in another, and letting something as
revolutionary as bioengineering die, would pose a great loss to society.

9. Works Cited
• Breuning, G., and JM Lyons. "California Agriculture
Online." California Agriculture Online. University of
California, n.d. Web. 09 Jan. 2013.
• "Genetically Modified Foods and Organisms --HGP
Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues."Genetically Modified
Foods and Organisms --HGP Ethical, Legal, and Social
Issues. United States Department of Energy Office of
Science, n.d. Web. 09 Jan. 2013.
• United States. Food and Drug Administration. Center
for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.Bioengineered
Foods. By Robert E. Brackett, Ph.D. Food and Drug
Administration, n.d. Web. 09 Jan. 2013.