"IS OUR FOOD SAFE?"

Hello and good evening, this is the science news daily, and I’m Maedeh Dehnadi. I want to take your attention to the very interesting breaking news. Have you ever noticed that most of the food you eat daily is genetically modified? What do you think about these kinds of food? Do you think it’s beneficial to the human race and our environment, or is it dangerous? Well, it is really controversial that whether the genetically engineered foods have more pros or cons towards human well being and the environment. Most people do not have sufficient information about these kinds of food and so they cannot determine whether eating them is a good habit or not. Here I am, and I will give you some information about the advantages and disadvantages of this newly developed technology.

Well, genetically engineered food is a kind of food which has a foreign gene from other plants and animals that is injected into theirs. In the 1970s scientists exchanged DNA between different strains of bacteria, producing the first genetically engineered organisms. Since that time, scientists have moved into the more complex field of genetically engineered plants and animals. Genes have been transferred between animal species, between plant species, and from animal species to plant species. Some genes can make an animal or plant grow faster or larger, or both. In the area of plant crops, agricultural biotechnology can accelerate the process of transforming crops. Cotton, for example, was redesigned with a bacterial gene that allows the plant to produce its own pesticide, thus reducing the cost of spraying crops. Biotechnology has modified other plants to resist common diseases or to tolerate weed-killing herbicide sprays.
http://www.biology.iupui.edu/biocourses/n100/2k4agbio.html
http://www.enotes.com/genetically-engineered-article

Genetically modified foods digest regularly like the other group of foods. When the food goes in to the digestive tract, the digestive system breaks it down to the different groups which include: Proteins, Carbohydrates, Fats and Nucleotides. Genetically modified foods have potential benefits to the human health and environment. For instance, in the humans’ well being, genetically engineered foods could be used for developing pharmaceuticals and vaccines in plants, decreasing the risk of adverse reactions and enabling faster vaccination of large populations. Other than that, genetic modification could be used to produce healthier foods, by eliminating Tran’s fats or caffeine. And ultimately, the insertion of genes into crops such as rice and wheat can enhance their nutritional value. In industry, GM plants are important, as opposed, consumers do not wish to eat food containing pesticides due to potential health hazards, and run-off of agricultural wastes from excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers can further poison water supplies. Another issue which makes genetically modified foods an important source of feeding is that it can be used to fight with the world hunger and increased food security for growing populations. The food production and distribution problems in Africa can be solved through genetically modified foods. These crops are claimed to demand little water, are resilient to harmful pests and bugs, and also grow larger and more crops per hectare. This yields not only more food, but generates more food in an easier manner.
http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/focusareas/medical/conference/presentations/genetically-modified-foods.html
http://sitemaker.umich.edu/sec006group5/introduction
http://inti-genetics.blogspot.com/2010/02/do-advantages-of-genetically-modified.html

Besides every advantage there are usually some disadvantages. Even though, genetically modified foods are beneficial in many aspects, through recent research studies, it was shown that GMF consumption will have some impact to human health. For example, several British researchers had demonstrated that antibiotic resistant-genes make be taken up by the bacteria in the digestive tract and contribute to the spreading of antibiotic resistance via human gut bacteria, causing intestinal micro flora to be more resistant to antibiotics as antibiotic-resistant marker genes are inserted in almost all GMOs. Some scientists were also worried that GMF consumption could trigger the new allergies and toxins that will affect the human health. People are allergic to many different things, and using genetic modification with crops might add certain traits from one organism to another that could cause allergic reaction and Since GM foods are not labeled, a person could suffer a potentially fatal allergic reaction. Some crops that are grown could be crossed with DNA from another organism that in nature would have never been combined. It's not natural and the allergic reaction could be fatal.
http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/focusareas/medical/conference/presentations/genetically-modified-foods.html
http://inti-genetics.blogspot.com/2010/02/do-advantages-of-genetically-modified.html
http://kanat.jsc.vsc.edu/student/gilbert/main.htm
http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/pastevents/pusztai/0851996078Ch16.pdf

What do you think after all? Can you decide whether to support this technology or not? GMF is one of the important aspects of biotechnology and just like other fields, it has its advantages and disadvantages. GMF are beneficial towards humans’ well being as they can be used in the pharmaceuticals and medicine purposes. As well as social purposes, like the fight with world hunger. However, they can be allergenic and antibiotic resistant for some human beings. All and all, with control, labeling and proper usage, GM foods are mostly beneficial for humans. Thanks for listening.