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Melissa Woodside
Ms. James
English 1A
May 6, 2013
The Secret Ingredient Revealed
The controversy surrounding the safety of genetically modified food has grown to epic
proportions. The scary thing is, bioengineered foods are still in the experimental stage, and we
have been involuntarily chosen to participate in place of lab rats! The good thing is, most of us
dont even know it so there is no need for panic, the scientists will take care of us. On a more
serious note, this is not far from the truth. Genetically modified foods are present in just about
everything we consume, and there are no guarantees that they are not hazardous to our health. To
make matters worse, our civil liberty of freedom of choice has been stripped away from us
because there are no laws in place forcing companies to label foods that are genetically modified.
Genetically modified foods are created from organisms in which the genetic material, or DNA,
has been altered in an unnatural process called genetic engineering. During this process,
selected individual genes are transferred from one organism and injected into another, usually
between unrelated plant species. The result of this process is a genetically modified plant that
will be used to grow genetically modified food crops (Biotech). The fact that GMOs are
experimentally created in a laboratory as if they were science projects, the government is
refusing to label foods that are genetically altered, and lastly, there are no mandatory tests in
place to prove they are safe are legitimate reasons to believe that GMOs are very dangerous and
the entire human race is at risk.
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Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMOs, have never been conclusively proven safe
for human consumption. According to Judy Carman, PH.D., very little safety testing is done on
GMOs, and when it is done, biotechnology companies conduct minimal testing. More extensive
testing of GM foods is needed to ensure they are safe (Roseboro, Ken. The Organic and Non-
GMO Report). However, the US Food and Drug Administrationthe company responsible for
protecting the public health by assuring that foods are safe, sanitary, and properly labeled
inexcusably has no mandatory safety assessment processes in place ensuring the safety of
GMOs. The only involvement the FDA has in the safety assessment of bioengineered foods is
implemented in the 1992 "Statement of Policy: Foods Derived from New Plant Varieties. In this
policy, the FDA recommended that developers voluntarily consult with FDA about
bioengineered foods under development, and according to the FDA, since issuance of the 1992
policy, developers have routinely done so. In June 1996, the FDA added additional guidance to
the 1992 policy, this addition describes the process in which a developer intending to
commercialize a bioengineered food meets with the agency to identify and discuss relevant
safety, nutritional, or other regulatory issues regarding the bioengineered food and then submits
to FDA a summary of its scientific and regulatory assessment of the food; FDA evaluates the
submission and responds to the developer by letter (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). This
policy basically allows the biotech companies to do their own testing on GMOs for safety. Of
course, Biotech companies are going to approve the safety of GMOs because they are the ones
making the profits. In my opinion, this is not a trusted method of testing the safety of GMOs.
The United States and Canada are currently the only two industrialized countries in the
world that have not passed a bill to label genetically modified foods. The FDA posted this
question on their website under FAQs: Why arent foods from genetically engineered plants
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labeled? This was their answer; We recognize and appreciate the strong interest that many
consumers have in knowing whether a food was produced using genetic engineering. Currently,
food manufacturers may indicate through voluntary labeling whether foods have or have not
been developed through genetic engineering, provided that such labeling is truthful and not
misleading. FDA supports voluntary labeling that provides consumers with this information and
has issued draft guidance to industry 4 regarding such labeling (U.S. Food and Drug
Administration). Their answer gives no indication of why GMOs are not labeled. It simply
states that consumers (we) should trust the food manufacturers, including Biotech, to properly
label GMOs if they choose to. What about our choice? The governments choice to refuse to
pass a bill enforcing the labeling of GMOs has everything to do with money. They know that if
these foods are labeled, the majority of people will not buy them. Why is the government afraid
that people will stop buying them? Because genetically modified foods are NOT safe!
GM foods are developed with the belief that there is an advantage to the producer or
consumer in regards to lower prices, greater benefit in terms of durability or nutritional value, or
both. Improved crop protection was the initial objective for developing genetically modified
plants, which included the introduction of resistance against plant diseases caused by insects or
viruses or through increased tolerance towards herbicides. Insect resistance is achieved by
incorporating into the food plant the gene for toxin production from the bacterium Bacillus
thuringiensis (BT), a toxin that is currently used as a conventional insecticide in agriculture and
is safe for human consumption, according to the Biotech companies. Virus resistance is achieved
through the introduction of a gene from certain viruses, which cause disease in plants, making
plants less susceptible to diseases caused by such viruses, ultimately resulting in higher crop
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yields. Herbicide tolerance is achieved through the introduction of a gene from a bacterium
conveying resistance to some herbicides (Biotech).
How can a plant be safe for us to eat when its DNA consists of a toxin, a virus, and a
bacterium? It cant be. However, the government continues to allow Biotech companies to taint
our food, or genetically modify them, without properly testing them for safety, and without
enforcing these companies to label GMOs. Unfortunately, we are human and we need to eat, so
we allow the government to allow the Biotech companies to continue with the annihilation of the
human race.


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Works Cited
Biotech. "World Health Organization." 2013.
http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/biotech/20questions/en/. 10 May 2013.
Roseboro, Ken. The Organic and Non-GMO Report.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_16236.cfm. January 2009. 6 May 2013.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "Biotechnology." 11 April 2013 . U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services . 12 May 2013.

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