Jeremy Stubbs

MYP English 10
Period 8
April 2, 2013
Genetically Modified Food: Is it Safe?
Have you ever really thought about whats in your food? It is gravely important for us as
consumers to have an understanding of the foods that we are eating and the impact their
production has on the environment. Science and industry have learned how to manipulate our
food chain in phenomenal ways. However mans manipulation of nature often comes with
considerable risks. Some people believe that naturally grown food is better for our bodies;
however, it has been vulnerable throughout history to pestilence, disease and natural disasters.
Considering this, Genetically Modified Food (GM food) has a very important role to play in
sustaining our modern way of life. Genetically altered food produced in factory farms is
sometimes nicknamed, Frankenfood for good reasons (Dunn-Georgiou 24). Similar to the
monster in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein, many people see GM food as an unnatural danger,
which can strike the innocent without warning. The food scientists are similar to Victor
Frankenstein, because they advocate for their creations as benefits to society and not potentially
harmful. In her novel, Frankenstein, Mary Shelley warns that scientific creations and
manipulation of nature have risks that can be potentially devastating. Despite the potential
dangers associated with these new advances, the benefits of GM food far outweigh the risks.
Scientists of industries big and small must continue to practice this innovation.
In order to genetically modify food, scientists take genes from a fruit, vegetable, or some
particular type of organism and insert them into the seeds of other crops or organisms to make
them grow faster producing foods with more nutrients and better taste. In other words, GM
foods are whose genes have been altered to give the foods more desirable characteristics, such as

drought resistance or higher yield. This is different from traditional farming wherein there is no
intentional manipulation of the genetic code by humans. Scientists first demonstrated that genes
can be transferred from one organism to another in 1946 (Lederberg). In 1986 in Belgium, the
first successful field tests of tobacco plants were conducted. The following year these field tests
were conducted on tobacco and tomato plants in the United States. By 1992, the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) had approved the first genetically engineered tomato for commercial
production by the US Department of Agriculture. That same year, the FDA had declared that
GM foods were not inherently dangerous and do not need any special regulation (History). Since
then, GM foods have become more and more a part of the American diet. However, with this
increasing consumption has come increasing controversy. In California, Proposition 37 was an
attempt to mandate labeling of GM foods (Lifsher). Although this legislation did not pass, its
supporters have vowed to continue the fight for consumers rights to know how their foods are
produced. Foods are genetically altered using many different techniques. Tomatoes, corn,
soybeans, squash and potatoes are some of the most common foods to have their genes inserted
into other foods. Additionally, some foods are modified in a science lab and then the seeds from
these changed plants are provided to farmers to raise our food (Green Facts). Lastly, genes from
unrelated species can also be shared to produce improved food products. For instance, the frosttolerant gene from a fish that lives in a very cold climate could be inserted into strawberries
giving them this frost-resistant trait (Better Health).
We can rest assure that agricultural biotechnology holds promise for improving the food
we eat (Egendorf 75). It has been scientifically proven that inserting a gene from a virus into a
plant, makes the plant immune to infections of the virus. Around the year, 2000, scientists
created a virus-resistant squash, reducing the need for chemical treatments. Some foods have

even been modified to release their own insecticides or stay healthy after chemical treatments.
This great innovation has reduced the amount of chemical pesticides and herbicides in use. It
has improved yields (Corny). Roundup-ready corn, for example, was created by St. Louisbased Monsanto Co. It gives corn immunity to Roundup, an herbicide that when tested on
rodents, gave them cancer. Thanks to Roundup-ready corn, farmers can spray weed killer
directly onto their fields; specifically targeting weeds and causing no collateral harm. The Food
and Drug Administration has long ruled that so called Franken foods are safe and no different
from other foods (Whole Foods). Farmers and companies have been sued and fined before
there were GM foods. It will not make a difference in this, but we are more aware.
To support the safety and progression of this innovation, the United States should label
GM foods. Buyers have the right to know whats in their food, especially concerning products
for which health and environmental concerns have been raised (Labeling). Despite the
increasing alarm over antibiotic resistance, producers of poultry and meat do not share with the
public how they raise livestock with antibiotics. Up to 80 percent of the antibiotics that are sold
in the United States are used for meat and poultry production. The United States
Environmental Protection Agency denies that herbicides, rodenticides, pesticides and other
antibiotics used to kill organisms are necessarily non-toxic (Moyer). It is very reasonable for
us as human-beings to wonder if these substances can harm us as well. For religious or ethical
reasons, many Americans want to avoid eating animal products, including animal DNA. It is not
a requirement in the United States, that GM foods are labeled; however, it is a requirement in
fifty countries. Some European countries, for example has banned bovine growth hormones, out
of fear that they might cause endocrine disruptions, such as earlier puberty. Whole Foods
grocery stores label genetically modified foods. There is a question if this move will kick off a

movement that other stores will follow. Suppliers, who advertise the food as GMO free, have
seen sales increase by fifteen percent (Whole Foods). It would do no one any harm to label GM
foods. Labeling GM foods could decrease the incidence of sickness because it allows consumers
to know what is in the product prior to purchase.
Unfortunately, with such a great innovation, there comes a cost. GM foods have created
many dangers. Some GM crops have lost their original nutritional value. Some genetically
altered plants can create new strains of harmful bacteria. When humans ingest this food product,
our bodies resists antibiotics, thus making bacterial diseases harder to control. In 1989, this form
of technology released eosinophilia myalgia syndrome (EMS). This illness caused thirty-seven
deaths and multiple people to become sick. A dietary supplement imported from Japan had been
contaminated during the process of the recombination of its DNA (Dunn-Georgiou 25). Labeling
GM foods would have to imply a warning about health effects, whereas no significant
differences between GE and conventional foods have been detected (Labeling). The current
regulations of the FDA would make labeling a requirement if an allergic or nutritional difference
were found between regular food and genetically modified food. Some food companies fear that
labeling genetically modified food would cause consumer rejection (Biotech). People are dying
from bacteria of which animal manure is the main reservoir (Egendorf 32). Animal feces are
the main source of fertilizer used by farmers, thus making even organic food potentially more
dangerous. Some people would disagree with the use of this modification because of small
errors made during the process which lead to mass contamination. Since disasters like these, the
innovation has been made to improve upon the inspections of genetically modified food.
In science, all we can do is learn from our mistakes. We learn through observation,
experimentation, and trial and error. Often times, our explorations and advances are associated

with varying degrees of risk. Using Frankenstein as an example of technology moving forward,
we see a good reminder that the scientific method has inherent risk that we must weigh against
all the benefits. We should react by first, understanding the risk and then trying to mitigate it.
The best way to way risk is through careful study through the use of observation and statistics.
Then, we can better determine the probability of bad outcomes occurring with our advances. As
we understand the likelihood of adversities associated with a technological advancement, we can
see if the benefits are worth moving forward. We have learned that we should mitigate risk as
much as possible. We cannot simply give up and go back to food being vulnerable to potentially
harmful things. As was mentioned before, if there are no significant differences between GM
food and regular food, there would be no need to label GM food. Since none have been detected,
GM food has already been proven safe. With a faster growing world population, there are more
people to feed. We must continue to genetically modify food because this scientific innovation
has provided value added contributions to society. One researcher describes, Pasteurization
has only been around a hundred years or so; what do they think people did before that? The
answer is simple. They died young (Egendorf 32). We are learning and improving on our
mistakes. Research is constantly being done to find the dangers that genetically modified food
may have created and scientists are continuing efforts to prevent these dangers from reoccurring.
Some small errors have already been corrected, preventing some foods from being recalled. If
genetically engineered foods posed an urgent health threat, America would know it by now
(Corny). If they were so dangerous that they were beyond saving, genetically modified foods
would have been recalled years ago. We, as life-long learners, must allow this innovation to help
us, for the sake that it was first created; to improve the quality of food. We must fix our errors as
we go along. Genetically modified food must continue

Works Cited

Dunn-Georgiou, Elisha. Everything You Need to Know About Organic Foods. New York: The
Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 2002. Print. The Need to Know Library.

Moyer, Ellen. Telling the Truth About Food Ingredients Helps the Consumer, the Economy and
the Environment. The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post, n.d. Web. 4 Mar. 2013.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ellen-moyer-phd/gmo-labeling_b_2619074.html>.

Corny Scare Tactics. SIRS. Ed. Chicago Tribune. Chicago, IL: Chicago Tribune, n.d. N. pag.
SIRS. Web. 19 Mar. 2013. <http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SMD0990-01652&artno=0000346050&type=ART#>.

Egendorf, Laura K., ed. Food Safety. San Diego California: Greenhaven Press Inc., 2000. Print.
At Issue.

Center for Food Safety, ed. "Groups File Legal Petition With FDA Demanding
Labeling of Genetically Engineered Foods." centerforfoodsafety.org

Byrne, P. "Labeling of Genetically Engineered Foods." colostate.edu. N.p., n.d.

<http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09371.html>.

Better Health Channel, ed. "Genetically Modified Foods." vic.gov.au. Ed. Better

Health Channel. Deakin University Australia, Nov. 2011. Web.

<http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Genetically_modified_foods>.

WebMD, LLC, ed. "Are Biotech Foods Safe to Eat?" webmd.com. WebMD, LLC, n.d.
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Whole Foods to Provide Labels on Genetically Modified Products. Prod. ABC News.
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"History of Genetic Engineering." publicradio.org. American Public Media, n.d.

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Lifsher, Marc. "Genetically Engineered Food Labeling Movement Vows to Fight on."
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"Genetically Modified Crops." greenfacts.org. Food and Agriculture Organization

(FAO), n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2013. <http://www.greenfacts.org/en/gmo/index.htm>.