GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

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• GMO'S: genetically modified organisms.
• During the process of development of genetically modified organisms the gene for desired traits is transferred from one organism to another organism under laboratory conditions.
• The process is also called transgenic as there is transfer of genes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQEIat1I-VU

GOAL OF PREPARING GMF's

• GM foods are produced because there are some perceived advantages to either the producer or consumer.
• lower price=greater benefit.
• Improve crop protection.
• Provide nutritional diet(south africa).

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• Increased crop yields.
• reduced cost for food and drug prodution.
• reduced need for pesticides.
• enhanced nutrient composition and food quality.
• resistance against disease causing agents.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw0bkRq8_aM

Which foods are Gmo's

THE TOP TEN!!!!

• Corn,soy,sugar,aspartame, papayas,canola,cotton,dairy,zucchini and yellow squash.
• salmon,enviropig,goat,less flatulent cows.

How are they produced??

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• Once the desired gene is identified in the native organism's genome, it can be cut out, transferred to the target plant, and pasted into its genome.
• Once the new gene has been introduced, the plant can be bred to create a new strain that passes the gene from generation to generation.

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GENE GUN

THE PROCESS

General process that most follow is:

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• Finding a new trait
• Grabbing genes
• "Trait insertion"
• growth chamber gauntlet
• Planting
• Using nature as a guide to feed the world

Tomatoes are one of the first GMO. Although they are a simple organism, they still consist of a very complex process to be genetically modified:

CREATION OF AN INSECT RESISTANCE TOMATO PLANT

GENERAL PROS & CONS

Pros:

• More food, which is higher in yield, for cheap.
• It’s a faster process, and gives organisms the ability to withstand regular lashings of herbicides – protects the organism.
• Gives products a long shelf life.

Cons:

• The loss of nature by experimenting on the plants.
• Food scandals, about how people are allergic to some of the products that is sprayed upon the organisms.
• Animals are being killed for research purposes, causing diversity to decrease.

The Issues

Increased Herbicide use

• GMO's are engineered to be herbicide intolerant
• This may encourage farmers to use more chemicals on the fields

Pesticide Resistance

• Suppose, GM plants crossbreeds with other wild plants and produce 'superweeds' that are resistant to weed killers.
• New harsher chemicals will be needed to kill these weeds

Internal Toxins

• GM crops also manufacture their own pesticides, which puts further poisons into humans and soil and may cause unforeseen changes in the environment.
• These toxins can also harm other organisms around the crops

Health Risks

• Studies by The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM)
• Organ damage, gastrointestinal and immune system disorders, accelerated aging, and infertility

Allergies

• Despite all the tests, scientists can not guarantee that a new protein in the food will not cause an allergic reaction.

Antibiotic resistance

• Some GM foods have a marker gene for antibiotic resistance
• What if this marker gene makes it way into someones intestinal bacteria?

They're Unpredictable

• By mixing genes from totally unrelated species, genetic engineering unleashes a host of unpredictable side effects.
• The process of creating a GM plant can result in massive collateral damage that produces new toxins, allergens, carcinogens, and nutritional deficiencies.
• Can not be "Cleaned up"

Rogue Proteins

• Any gene can code for more than one protien, and inserting a gene anywhere in a plant eventually creates rogue protiens.
• Some of these can be allergenic or toxic

Less nutritious

• GE foods may be less nutritious; for example, containing fewer phytoestrogens, which offer protection against heart disease and cancer.

Our Opinion?

Labelling and Awareness!

What do YOU think?

Works Cited- 1

• "'Superweeds' Sprout Farmland Controversy Over GMOs - NBC News." NBC News. 30 Sept. 2014. Web. May 2016.
• "Herbicide Tolerant Crops." Beyond Pesticides. Web. May 2016.
• "Herbicide Tolerant Crops." Beyond Pesticides. Web. May 2016.

Works Cited- 2

• Smith, Melissa Diane. Going against GMOs: The Fast-growing Movement to Avoid Unnatural Genetically Modified "foods" to Take Back Our Food and Health. Melissa Diane Smith, 2014. Print.
• Kowalski, Kathiann M. The Debate over Genetically Engineered Food: Healthy or Harmful? Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow, 2002. Print.