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Alex Loeffler
Professor Jason Woelke
Environmental Science
27 April 2016
Should Foods be Genetically Modified?
When people eat genetically modified foods they knowingly ingest food that have been
modified in a lab by science. Genetically modified organisms are those whose genes have been
modified with the use of genetic material from an unrelated organism. Genetically modified
organisms are not a risk to human health because of all the specific sciences involved, still
having to meet FDA requirements and standards like those of traditionally, and bred plants and
animals are only bred to help and survive.
Though science has perfected the GMO, according to http://agsci.psu.edu/ only 37
percent of the American public believes that GM foods are safe to eat, while 88 percent of
scientists believe they are safe, these statisticts are according to a survey conducted in 2014 by
the Pew Research Center. With over 88 percent of scientists believing they are okay, and FDA
approval as long as they meet requirements, GMO are becoming a huge part of our lives in this
century.
The Food and Drug Administration has certain standards, and these GMOs must meet
requirements or not hit the market. Some of those foods are specifically modified to help people
without abilities to digest certain foods. An example of this would be one of the first genetically
modified animals, a goat that produces an anticlotting agent in its milk that can treat people with
clotting diseases.

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Scientists didn't start doing this to spark debate, they did this to help life be easier.
Scientific advances are just that, advances. These GMOs are made to help not only survive but
to thrive. From anti-clotting milk to insect repelling vegetables, GMOs are quite obviously
made to make life easier. Farmers dont have to worry about a bugged up crop, people with
clotting diseases can have some milk and oreos without the uneasiness of death being present.
Scientists arent doing this to make us worry but to survive.
The promise of these GMOs includes providing more food to a growing population.
GMOs also can bring financial security to farmers that need it. According to http://agsci.psu.edu/
GM technology adoption has increased crop yields by 22 percent and farmer profits by 68
percent. So for those of you against GMOs, think of the financial security it would bring to
farmers. Think of the lives it would help. Opinions expressed and facts provided prove that
Genetically modified organisms are not a risk to human health because the science involved,
FDA requirements and standards still must be met,, and bred plants and animals are only bred to
help and survive.

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Public and Scientists Views on Science and Society. April 2016.

James, C. 2016. Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2014. ISAAA Brief No.
49. ISAAA: Ithaca, NY.
Van Eenennaam, A.L., and A. E. Young. 2016. Prevalence and impacts of genetically engineered
feedstuffs on livestock populations. Journal of Animal Science 92(10): 42554278.