Running head: GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS 1

Genetically Modified Organisms

Danielle Lincoln

Baker College
GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS 2

Genetically Modified Organisms

What are Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)? GMOs are any living organism that

is altered or manipulated in its DNA to help improve the organism in some way, shape or form

(Raymond 2016). There are many misconceptions of GMOs as individuals are not thoroughly

informed. GMOs can be used to help increase food supply throughout the world, there are less

chemicals used in GMO plants than non-GMO plants, they can help with certain nutrient

deficiency in third world countries and they also come in forms other than food, such as

vaccines. GMOs are not harmful to the world, they are a great resource that should be utilized in

every way.

Yield production has skyrocketed since GMOs started to become a huge part of todays

society. In 2013, there were reports that over four million acres in the United States are being

used for GMO crops. 94% of soybeans are GMO, 96% of cotton, and 93% of corn are GMO as

well, whether it is accepted or not. All this information has been recorded from 1996 to 2014

(Raymond 2016). Some individuals did not understand that a higher yield production is great for

the world, all they saw was farms trying to make money and not care for the health concerns of

individuals. In a debate between Mark Lynas, a GMO researcher, and Colin Tudge, an anti-

GMO activist, Tudge claimed that individuals that farm GMOs are only in it for the money and

that they do not care about the well-being of people around the world. This is simply not true.

GMOs cost less and do not require many chemicals, which does save them money, but it also

creates a higher yield that is not covered in chemicals. Farmers understand the population is

growing rapidly and they want to do their part in helping make Earth a better place (Columbia

University 2014). Doug Stautz, a farmer from Battle Creek, Michigan, has farmed both GMO

and non-GMO crops in his lifetime. When asked what he would rather farm, he immediately
GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS 3

said GMOs (Stautz 2017). Non-GMOs require much more money, time, effort and produce an

even lower yield (Stautz 2017). Non-GMOs are not worth the effort anymore. Of course,

increased yield production is not the only positive to GMOs.

A common misconception of the growing of GMOs is that more chemicals are required to

keep out pests (weeds, insects, rodents). The truth is the exact opposite. GMO crops use less

chemicals than conventional farming. I wouldnt feed my family Non-GMO after seeing the

amount and types of chemicals that are used on Non-GMOs (Stautz 2017). Well how are there

less chemicals being used? The DNA is altered in the GMO plants to repel pests so more

chemicals are not needed down the line (Columbia University 2014). Many meals that contain

GMOs have been eaten over the years and hundreds of studies have happened, yet scientists have

not found a single health issue linked back to GMOs (Raymond 2016, Batra 2016). Anti-GMO

individuals say it is not natural for the genetic make-up of different species to be put into each

other, such as a gene from a papaya into rice, but it is done all the time in nature through cross

pollination through wind and insects (bees). All organisms have the same DNA; it is just ordered

differently (Columbia University 2014). GMOs have been around for thousands of years, just

not in the form of lab GMOs. Cross-breeding is a form of genetic engineering and is still used to

this day, but cross-breeding takes years where working on GMOs in labs can take just a few

months. Every crop that is consumed today has been genetically altered in some way (Batra

2016).

The use of GMOs and altering is also an amazing idea to use in third world countries,

specifically those that have a Vitamin A deficiency. A crop called Golden Rice contains Vitamin

A and is used in these third world countries. A deficiency in Vitamin A leads to blindness,

especially in children and as some countries are poorer than others, they cannot afford to grow
GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS 4

certain foods or to buy certain foods or medicines, but they can afford rice, as it is cheaper to

grow and import. The point is, this Golden Rice was modified in a laboratory and without this

modification some countries would not be so lucky (Columbia University 2014). GMOs can

provide nutrients not readily available in other countries but can with the GMO, Golden Rice.

Tudge, an anti-GMO activist, explains that Golden Rice only has Vitamin A because it comes

from the yellow pigment carotene and that it is also located in papaya and mangos. Per Tudge,

individuals should eat those, but these fruits can be costly to grow and are not reachable for

certain countries (Columbia University 2014). Also, papayas are genetically modified due to

bacteria that traveled from tree to tree in Hawaii and almost wiped out the entire population

(Schonwald 2012). Why deprive countries of this super food that can help decline the risk of

blindness? Years from now, with the development of GMOs the world could be a better place

with diseases diminished and illnesses lessened, if only GMOs were seen as they are, a great

resource, and not as something that could cause harm (Schonwald 2012).

Something that was brought to attention in the article GMOs: Great Modern

Opportunities by Raymond (2016), is that food products such as fruits, vegetables, and grains are

not the only GMOs. In fact, when put into view and explained, vaccines are GMOs as well. A

GMO is defined as any living organism with DNA that can be altered or modified. Well,

vaccines are forms of bacteria or viruses, which house DNA, that are altered or modified to fight

off disease or illness that our body cannot handle. Individuals who are anti-GMO complain that

they do not want to put poison in their bodies; but if they get any type of vaccine they are

essentially inserting a GMO right into their blood. Why do individuals not think twice about

that? Yet when individuals consume foods that contain GMOs they say they are being poisoned

even though the food does not even reach their blood, like vaccines do (Raymond 2016).
GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS 5

Vaccines are a type of GMO and they have created such better lives for many people, so why are

GMOs in food questioned?

Individuals worry that the government lets too many GMOs out that are too easily

approved, when the truth is it can take millions of dollars and years to get a GMO approved

because the government regulates them so much (Schonwald 2012). Due to these regulations

through the government there are only 10 crops that were genetically engineered in labs allowed

on the market today. There are still those that were created through cross-breeding such as the

papaya that was mentioned, but not in labs.

GMOs are rising in the agriculture industry. They are a scientific brilliance that would

not be possible if agriculture technology was not as advanced as it is. Without GMOs, the world

would be worse off. If GMOs are not used then the population would decline in the future due to

malnutrition and illness. Many individuals are just misinformed on Genetically Modified

Organisms and there needs to be more individuals in the agriculture industry relaying the truth

behind GMOs.

GMOs, Genetically Modified Organisms, there are many myths out there that need to be

resolved. Individuals are not readily informed about how amazing GMOs can be. GMOs can

help increase food supply throughout the world, while bringing down the cost. They use less

chemicals which means less damage to the environment, such as ground water. There are GMOs

out there that can help third world countries fight different illnesses, such as Vitamin A

deficiency that leads to blindness. And the best point of all is that GMOs arent just in the form

of food products they also are in the form of vaccines. Without GMOs, these endless

possibilities would not be available.

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS 6

References

Batra, K. (2016, October 18). 6 Myths About GMOs. Retrieved April 16, 2017, from

http://www.biotech-now.org/food-and-agriculture/2016/10/6-myths-about-gmos

Columbia University. (2014). GMOs: a solution or a problem? A debate between Mark Lynas

and Colin Tudge. Journal of International Affairs, 67(2), 131+. Retrieved from

http://bakerezproxy.palnet.info/login?

url=http://go.galegroup.com.bakerezproxy.palnet.info/ps/i.do?

p=AONE&sw=w&u=lom_falconbaker&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE

%7CA367419271&asid=e8d8bfda4c4f7143567ca4ca10495c6b

Raymond, R. (2016, December 5). GMOs: Great modern opportunities. Feedstuffs, 88(12), 14.

Retrieved from http://bakerezproxy.palnet.info/login?

url=http://go.galegroup.com.bakerezproxy.palnet.info/ps/i.do?

p=AONE&sw=w&u=lom_falconbaker&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE

%7CA474041443&asid=788d99eb135dfb5ef55b8509f5f6bc1d

Schonwald, J. (2012, May-June). Engineering the future of food: tomorrow's genetically

modified food and farmed fish will be more sustainable and far healthier than much of

what we eat today--if we can overcome our fears and embrace it. Here's how one foodie

learned to stop worrying and love "Frankenfood." The Futurist, 46(3), 24+. Retrieved

from http://bakerezproxy.palnet.info/login?

url=http://go.galegroup.com.bakerezproxy.palnet.info/ps/i.do?

p=AONE&sw=w&u=lom_falconbaker&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE

%7CA287868947&asid=c19c68de208e7b4933753900762ace13

Stautz, D. (2017, April 17). Farming with GMOs [Personal interview].

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS 7