Genetic Engineering In Food example essay topic

421 words
Genetically Engineered crops have been around more than a decade, but account for more than two-thirds of all crops produce in the United States. Are genetically engineered foods really safe? There are just as many experts who say they are safe as there are experts who say they are unsafe. And Labeling does it matter or not whether they are labeled one way or the other? As a consumer would you be inclined not to purchase a genetically engineered product? More than likely you have already purchase one and don't already know it.

Some of the advantages to producing GE foods produce their own insecticides, resist disease, are modified for better nutritional value and withstand direct applications of popular weed killers. This is a 9 page paper discussing genetic engineering in food. Genetic engineering (GE) or biotechnology in food involves the process of inserting genetic material into plant or animal breeds in the hopes to develop certain positive characteristics within that breed; characteristics which may have previously taken generations to propagate in the breed. In addition to accelerating the breeding of certain characteristics in plants and animals, GE also involves the introduction of new genetic material within breeds in the hopes for developing new characteristics in breeds. Genetic engineering in food mainly involves the processes of disease and pest resistance in addition to increasing yield. While GE in food may appear to be a positive step toward increasing food yield and decreasing loss of breeds to disease which perhaps could be extended to decreasing world hunger and increasing farmers' productivity, the manufacturing of genetically engineered food has come under a great deal of controversy.

One of the major areas of concern is the "release" of new crops into the environment which have not been tested and little is known of the long term effects of any of the GE crops. Another area of concern is that larger corporations retain the patents on the GE processes which does not allow for the introduction of these processes on a global basis. GE foods have become very expensive and their manufacturing is restricted to a relatively few large corporations and countries in which profit seems to have become the major incentive for the production of GE foods. Lastly, many of the same companies which produce GE pesticide resistant crops are the same companies which also produce pesticides bringing into question the motivation and type of development of GE foods.