Lachy,+Josh+-+Genetically+Modified+Foods

Lachy and Josh's page

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**//Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are pretty much organisms, which the DNA has been changed in a way that isn't normal. This technology is usually called modern biotechnology or genetic engineering. It allows certain genes to be taken from one organism into another.//** ======

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** //GM foods are made because there might be some advantage to the farmer or the customer who buys these foods. Advantages might be that more food is available for a lower price and this could help to feed starving nations of people. Some GM foods might have better nutritional value. In the beginning, GM seed makers wanted their products to be accepted by farmers and so the advantages were aimed at them like the seeds being extra strong and not needing pesticides or as many fertilisers to grow.// ** ======

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** While there as been many discussions, a main issue that has been debated is if the GM plants are prone to cause allergic reaction, allergenicity. ** ======

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** Allergenicity, the transfer of genes from likely allergenic foods is not encouraged unless it can be shown that the protein product of the new gene is not allergenic. While originally developed foods were not usually tested for allergenic **** ity, tests for GM foods have been looked at by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). No allergic effects have been found in the GM foods currently on the market. ** ======


 * **TRAIT** || **ADVANTAGE** || **SAMPLE PRODUCT** ||
 * Pest-resistance || Less damage by insects, bacteria, etc || Corn ||
 * Herbicide-resistance || Herbicides will only kill weeds, not crops || Cotton ||
 * Delayed Ripening || Can be shipped with less damage || Tomato ||
 * Miniature Size || Improved eating quality || Watermelon ||
 * Improved Sweetness || Better tasting || Sweet Peas ||
 * Cold-Resistance || Withstands Freezing || Strawberries ||
 * High starch || Absorbs Less Oil when Fried || Potato ||
 * Polyester Gene Added || Better Fiber Properties || Cotton ||
 * Growth Hormone Added || Faster Growth || Salmon ||
 * Hepatitis B Protein Added || May Provide Immunity || Banana ||

==**//One issue that has been debated among scientists and the public is GM food. For those who don't know what this is, GM food is considered to be any food product that has had its DNA modified in a lab.// **==

==**//GM foods have their own set of problems, one of these is that farmers who grow non altered crops must ensure that GM crops are not growing in their fields. This can be difficult since seed from GM farms can be blown quite a distance and land other fields. Trucks carrying GM seed can also spread GM crops if a small amount of seed escapes from the truck into fields close to the road. Unfortunately, GM crops are protected due to the fact that they are changed in a lab with specific genes. The effects of this can be devastating. If GM plants are found in the field of a farmer who has not paid for GM seed, the farmer can be forced by the GM Company to destroy their seed plantation to ensure destruction of GM seed that may or may not have accidentally mixed with their original seed.// **==

==**//Currently, only 18% of our land mass is cared for agriculture. To make matters worse, urban development claims 70,000 km2 per year of previously dedicated farmland. And to add to this, the global population is expected to reach 9 billion by 2040 and a serious problem arises. How are we expected to continue feeding ourselves in the future when our population is rising and our farmland is shrinking?// **==

==**//One answer, some say, is through GM foods. These are resistant to more diseases, grow in less space, provide more food and need less pesticide. There are other benefits as well since they can be engineered to carry medicines. For example, bananas can now carry a vaccine for Hepatitis D. Simply doing something as simple as eating these bananas can save adults and children from becoming infected by a disease that is both horrible and incurable. Syngenta, a GM company, is now making rice which contains 23 times more vitamin A than normal rice. Since big lack of vitamin A cause 500,000 deaths per year, the medical quality to this rice is significant. Foods such as these may be genetically modified, but they are positioned to effect the world’s population in positive and most likely life-saving ways.// **==

==**The world population has topped 7 billion people and is predicted to double in the next 50 years. Ensuring an adequate food supply for this booming population is going to be a major challenge in the years to come. GM foods promise to meet this need in a number of ways. **==

==**Experts say 60% to 70% of processed foods on our grocery shelves have genetically modified ingredients. 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, some baby foods and soda drinks; foods made with soybeans and foods made with cottonseed and canola oils could likely have genetically modified ingredients. These ingredients are usually in animal feed as well. **==

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Movie Trailer For food inc

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