Ana de Freitas

01/14/2014
U of U Writing
Be Aware of GMOs
Millions of Americans are unaware of the dangers and risks GMFS (genetically
modified foods) uphold. In fact Many arent even aware that 70 to 90 percent of packaged foods
in the U.S. contain GMOs. (GMOs-Buddhaful). Why are people so unaware of this? Well first
of all, lets talk about what a GMO actually is. GMO stands for Genetically Modified
Organism(Worlds Healthiest Foods). Basically it is food made in a laboratory to meet precise
specifications. It is done by altering an organisms genetic material using genetic engineering
techniques (Wikipedia definition). This is pretty new, and has only been going on for the past
20 years. It sounds like a great way to cultivate our food stock and may even be a better choice.
These GM foods are not required to be labeled and studies have found them to be dangerous.
Genetically Modified Foods are a danger to our Health and people should be aware of the health
risks GMOs can produce and what other options may be better for them.
GMOs werent around in the past so why should we have them now? Many people were
healthy before. For the past 200 years humankind lived on farm crops and nature friendly food.
Sure there were diseases but the food was fresh, it wasnt messed with in a laboratory. That
doesnt mean technological advances such as the microwave or refrigerator are harmful because
products like that are beneficial to us and have kept food fresh. But with genetically modified
food, we are inserting chemicals. And these chemicals dont just warm up our food or keep it
cold. The chemicals change the food (also change our reaction to the food), and have shown in
studies to be a health hazard. Many people want chemical free food because of that reason. Max
Goldberg, an organic health commentator states, GMOs were designed to sell more
chemicals. Some chemicals may lead to nutritional benefits (usually protein is inserted in food)
but other could lead to health issues (protein is a big factor for causing allergic reactions) - (Food
Allergies). GMOs are chemically enhanced. Their genetic makeup is altered and changed in a
way to get specific results."(Wikipedia, Genetic Engineering). Some of these chemicals include
the application of protein, pesticides, bacteria, artificial flavoring, etc. (CSA Advantages).
Another astonishing fact is that GMOs are not required by law to be labeled by law. We have
no idea if we are eating Gentically modified food! Over 60 countries around the world require
GMOs to be labeled. The United States does not. According to the Food and Water Watch the
Ag-Biotech industry which owns all these GMOs has spent about 570 million dollars to make
sure they dont get labeled. (video, StoryLeak) Why would they spend so much money to make
sure we dont know whats genetically modified? It sounds sketchy and leads to suspicion. We
the people should be aware and have the choice to eat these foods, how do we have that choice if
we dont even know if something is modified.
There have been no long-term studies on the effects of GMOs with humans, but there are
many labs done on rats and animals. The main focus is on rats. What was found was pretty eye
opening. Rats were becoming obese, developing kidney and liver failure, and began to show
signs of Toxicity in the liver and kidneys. (StoryLeak Monsanto). This lab was done by the
Monsanto Company in Europe. Their conclusion from this lab was, Longer experiments are
essential in order to indicate the real nature and extent of the possible pathology; with the present
data it cannot be concluded that GM corn MON863 is a safe product.(Archives of
Environmental Contamination and Toxicology Volume 52, issue 4) Its very scary to know that
this could be a contribution for the development of health issues. Its also really depressing that
GMOs are in baby formula (Nation of Change). We dont even know what we are feeding our
children.
Most people fail to consider the link between food allergies and GMOs. These
unlabeled genetically modified foods carry a risk of triggering life-threatening allergic reactions,
and evidence collected over the past decade now suggests that they are contributing to higher
allergy rates(Organic Consumers, Food allergies). Scientists know that there is a link between
GM crops and food allergies, But there are no tests to prove in advance that a GM crop is
safe.(Organic Consumers). The United Kingdom is one of the very few countries who have
annual evaluations regarding food allergies. (Organic Consumers) More countries should be
testing these products and their contribution to food allergies.
In March of 1999, researchers at the York Laboratory were alarmed to discover that
reactions to soy had skyrocketed by 50% over the previous year. Genetically modified
soy had recently entered the UK from US imports and the soy used in the study was
largely genetically modified. (Organic Consumers)
York Laboratory spokesmen John G states,.. This raises serious new questions about the safety
of GM foods.(Organic Consumers Association, Food allergies) The main concern is that no one
is for sure about the health hazards on this. Its just shown to have negative effects.
Other than food allergies, Kidney failure, liver damage, obesity, and tumors, there is also
another negative health risk, misconception (Storyleak). In a hamster experiment, he third
generation of hamsters were unable to reproduce.
In 2010, Russian biologist Alexey V. Surov released the results of a study testing the
effects of Monsantos genetically modified soy on hamsters. After monitoring three
generations over a two year period, third generation hamsters not only lost the ability to
reproduce, but even began growing hair inside their mouths.(Surov Experiment,
storyleak).
There are many petitions for the labeling and removal of GMOs but one of the biggest ones is
against GMOs in baby products (Baby formula, Nation of change). The hamster experiment
showed negative effects and the hamsters lost the ability to reproduce. Its scary stuff.
GM crops have shown to produce herbicides in our intestines (Organic Consumers). If it
regenerated inside our gut, since it is an antibiotic, it would kill gut bacteria. Gut bacteria is
essential for the break down and absorption of food.(Disturbing Gut bacteria) Not having the
correct balance of gut bacteria could lead to many health problems (Toxicity of the Herbicide).
One being conversion, the bacteria would be retoxicated and become a herbicide. It would then
stay in our bodies for a long time. The effects have not been tested but, the misbalance would
create digestive issues.
Many claim that this process of chemically enhancing food is a great thing. That with it,
we can solve starvation, lose the fear of running out of food supply, and even inserting vitamins
into non-nutritional foods (CSA). First of all, food will not run down, what will run down is
farmers who work hard to make, plant, and sell fresh crops. This Biotech business would be
decreasing farmers work. There are many resources for food, so running out should not be a
problem. With our knowledge we have captivated food and reused materials. There is no need to
regenerate or mess with food in a laboratory. And of course, why wouldnt it be okay if food
could be extra healthier? The answer is that, the chemicals scientists use arent exactly safe,
its a health hazard and its better to keep things fresh and get the vitamins we need from other
sources. "You can summarize it in three words: [Genetically modified foods] are unpredictable,
they are untested, and they are unlabeled."(Genetically Engineered Food: A Self-Defense Guide
for Consumers).
There are many campaigns and protests against GMOs. One being the World March (No
Monsanto!). Thousands participated in the march all over the country. It was specifically
targeting the Monsanto Company, who is one of the biggest BioTech companies in the world. It
was taken to Congress and the fight is still going. A wide range of people attend these events
because the world needs to know what we are eating. It ranged from little kids, organic farmers,
veterans, and normal people. It is outrageous that these products are not being labled. There are
protests for the Labeling of Genetically modified food to be a law. They will continue their fight
until change takes place.
There are better choices out there. There are ways to avoid GM foods. Although they
may not be labeled, there are places, brands, companies, markets, etc. that are anti-GMO. Places
such as Whole Foods Market, Wild Oats, Harvest Moon Health Foods, etc. are Non-GMO
supporters (Non-GMO project). And there are many more. There is online shopping as well,
which expands the range of produce. Organic products are good, go for those. Organic and Fresh
is key and many individuals tend to go for these products. Many who dont should. The most
common genetically modified foods are soybeans, maize, cotton, and rapeseed oil. That means
many foods made in the U.S. containing field corn or high-fructose corn syrup, such as
many breakfast cereals, snack foods, and the last soda you drank could likely have genetically
modified ingredients. (WebMD) Be aware of these products.
Many arent aware that these foods contain such ingredients, and I dont blame them. We
dont even know if we are eating Genetically modified food because the products arent required
to be labeled. But people should be aware are the Health risks GMOs uphold. It could make a
significant difference in food choices and possibly save lives. People should have the right to
choose whether or not they should eat GM food. The risk of genetically modified food to health
outweigh the benefits.
















CITATIONS
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n. page. Web. 6 Dec. 2013. Rat Feeding.<http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00244-006-
0149-5>.
n. page. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. Scientific Evidence. <http://www.ibtimes.com/gmo-health-risks-
what-scientific-evidence-says-1161099>.
n. page. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. Promote
diseases.<http://www.responsibletechnology.org/posts/breaking_news_viral_gen/>.
n.page.Web.01
Dec.2013.Overview/Advantages.<http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php>.
n. page. Web. 28 November. 2013. Bad for our Health. <http://www.storyleak.com/shock-fox-
news-airs-bombshell-report-gmo-food/>.
n. page. Web. 28 November. 2013. Toxicity of the herbicide.
<http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_637.cfm>.
n. page. Web. 5 December. 2013. Alexey-Surov
<http://veganskeptic.blogspot.com/2011/10/alexey-surov-and-gm-soy-recurrent-tale.html>.
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packaged-foods/>.
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115/>.
N.p., n. d. Web. 29 Dec. 2013. <http://www.nongmoproject.org/find-non-gmo/search-retailer-
endorsers/>.
"World's Healthiest Foods ." N.p., n. d. Web. 17 Jan. 2014.
<http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=dailytip&dbid=345>.
"3 Companies using GMO's in baby formula." n.d. n. page. Web. 17 Jan. 2014.
<http://www.nationofchange.org/3-companies-using-gmos-baby-formula-1381762135>.
"Web MD." . N.p.. Web. 18 Jan 2014. <http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/are-
biotech-foods-safe-to-eat?page=1>.