Genetically Engineered Foods

In the change of times, we have gone from a primarily agricultural society to an industrial nation. Everything has been changing with the advancement of technology, making today a very new and different world. Now, a large percent of the foods on grocery store shelves are not in their original state, but have been genetically engineered. Genetically modified (GM) foods or Frankenfoods have had a huge affect on the way we live and what we eat. In the past we have changed the genetic makeup of plants and animals by crossbreeding, which took generations and generations of tedious work to get desired traits and to eliminate unwanted ones. Today, we are able to remove a gene or trait from any living organism and splice it into the DNA of another, in this case, plants.

By modifying the genetics of foods, we are now able to change the functions and properties of these foods. This can make them resistant to diseases or pesticides, it can change the growth and strength of plants, it can create more nutrition in the crop, and it can produce a larger yield of the crop, therefore feeding more people and keeping many third world countries from illness and death caused by malnutrition or poverty. Although this seems like a great advancement and that it is perfect for modern society, there are actually many people who are against genetically engineered food that have very persuasive views. Changing the genes or DNA of a plant has been called a battle against nature and can even hurt the environment by introducing new genes and possibly contaminating other plant species, which can create super-weeds. Also, when creating new nutrients in plants, or changing genes, scientists are changing proteins. This may elicit an unexpected protein or allergen that can be harmful to people who eat it and can have detrimental effects.