Sandlin 1

Grayson Sandlin

Instructor: Malcom Campbell

UWRT 1104

Nov. 8, 2017

Extended Inquiry Project: The Dark Secrets of GMOs

I will be analyzing the positives and negatives of turning the foods humans eat into Ge-

netically Modified Organisms in relation to peoples health and the environment, as well as the

current issues on labeling and ethics laws. Genetically Modified Organisms or GMOs for

short, are plants, animals or an organism whose genetic makeup has been modified or altered to

create combinations of plant, animal, viral or bacterial genes that would not be able to occur nat-

urally(Non-GMO Project). Being able to change the genetic makeup of crops necessary to hu-

mans across the globe allowed for the crops to be resistant to various herbicides, insects and bac-

teria that previously posed a great threat to the crops and also generated very large profits for the

companies that created them which is the real reason behind the use of GMOs(Freedom Arti-

cles).

GMOs and Genetically Modified Foods have not been around all that long, in fact they

were first put into use nationally around 1994. It was in 1994 that the first ever genetically modi-

fied crop was made legal by the FDA. The crop was the Flavr Savr tomato that was engineered

to ripen slower than natural tomatoes in order to prevent them from becoming soft and

mushy(University of Cali. Agriculture). About one year after the Flavr Savr tomato was re-

leased, an insect resistant potato was approved by the FDA in 1995 and by 1996 there had been 8

Genetically Modified Foods approved by the FDA for use in The United States(The International

Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications).

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Selective breeding has been practiced by humans since prehistory which is between 5.3

million and 5,300 years ago. Selective breeding can be easily thought of as breeding a Labrador

and a Poodle and getting a Labradoodle as the result. In simple terms GMOs are basically the

same thing as cross breeding dogs. When two different dogs are bred together to create a new

dog it has been found that the cross bred dogs end up having blood disorders, skin issues as well

as hearing and vision problems(PBS). Forcing different genes together in crops to create a new

crop is essentially the same as cross breeding two dogs except when it occurs with crops scien-

tists will combine way more than just two crops to make a new one(NCBI). If two dogs breeding

can cause all sorts of problems then just imagine what kind of problems can occur when several

plants genes are forced together in a lab.

Ethics has also become a largely debated topic when it comes to GMOs since GMOs are

not only limited to crops. Animals such as fish have also been genetically modified for public

purchase. In 1999 a gene that causes a fluorescent glow was extracted from a jellyfish and forced

into the genome of a Zebrafish. Then in 2003 the fish was marketed and sold as GloFish in

Taiwan as the first ever genetically modified animal(Science Direct). It is easy to see that this

use of science on animals would soon cause debate on the treatment and ethical standard humans

have towards animals. The fish were also sold in The United States as well. Then in 2003 a law-

suit was filed against the FDA saying the sale of the fish needed to stop and that the FDA had no

jurisdiction over the matter. After the matter was taken to court it was found that the lawsuit had

no merit and was dismissed in 2005(Science Direct).

The labeling of food products containing GMOs has become the center of the great de-

bate of GMOs. Since the first food products containing GMOs were introduced to the public in

1995 companies who made the products were not required to label their products as containing
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GMOs. Over time as GMOs had gained popularity and people began to realize they may not be

safe or healthy for humans labeling has became a heated debate among the people. For example,

if someone wanted to only eat organic foods they would not know whether or not a product con-

tained GMOs in most cases. In July of 2016, legislation was sent to Barrack Obama that would

require foods containing GMOs to have a label or symbol that allowed consumers to know if

GMOs were present in the product(NBC News). However, there is much concern in the new law

because there are several loop holes for companies to get around labeling as well as weak pun-

ishments according to senators from across the country as well as organic food companies(NBC

News). The Agriculture Department has two years to write out all the details of the law which

will surely cause more debates until it is finalized and even more debates after it is put into ac-

tion.

As with all topics of debate there are two sides to the argument. While there is clearly a

side against GMOs there is also a side for the use of GMOs just as strong as the side against

them. Due to the fact that GMOs have not been in use for longer than about 20 years no one for

sure knows the long-term effects on humans. However, all the studies done have shown there are

no health hazards to humans who eat foods that contain GMOs even though some people will

still argue they can pose a long term risk(Washington Post). Also since it has been mostly agreed

upon that GMOs are safe many would argue that labeling is no longer necessary on foods that

contain GMOs. Another argument posed by those who are for GMOs is that people who have

consumed GMOs since the mid 90s when they were first introduced have not experienced health

problems or death in a way that would make it seem that GMOs are unsafe(NPR).

The Background of GMOs with Big Business and the Government

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My interest in GMOs does not really lean towards the health or ethical side of the matter.

Instead I am greatly interested in the political and business side of the argument. It interests me

that many high ranking officials in positions of the FDA and the Agricultural Department have

close ties and relations with the huge corporations that created and produce GMOs today. Im

sure Ive been eating foods that contain GMOs for my whole life and I am fine so far so that de-

bate doesnt have much value to me. Although, knowing that a majority of companies that make

GMOs used to be chemical corporations that provided The United States with chemicals such as

Agent Orange during the Vietnam War greatly interests me. In my opinion knowing if the

companies who make GMOs are hiding dark and dirty secrets is more interesting than debating

whether or not food products containing GMOs should be labeled. I also do believe that the big

business and political side of GMOs should not be a surprise to most people due to the country

and day and age we live in. There are plenty of things all across America that big businesses

push only on order to make a profit because thats how capitalism goes. I do however do still feel

that the health side of the debate is still an important part of the topic none the less.

GMOs and Health Risks

My main question that I had not yet answered when starting my research of GMOs was

whether or not they had any serious health risks on human beings. Over the last 20 plus years

that GMOs have been used in the foods consumed by Americans there has been countless

amounts of research done by various colleges and scientists all across the world. The main con-

clusion that was drawn from almost all of these studies was that GMOs pose no serious health

threat to humans. However, if you eat unhealthy foods all the time which most likely contain

GMOs you can develop health issues but it was found that eating unhealthy was not a direct re-

sult of the GMOs but instead simply eating too much artificial foods.
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In Conclusion

GMOs are they key to feeding a growing population in America. Without GMOs it is a

simple fact that farmers could not produce enough food to feed everyone in America and even

today with GMOs there are still millions of Americans who go hungry each day. It is also clear

that GMOs are not as healthy as organic foods but as of right now they pose no serious health

risk to humans and allow the growing population to be fed and therefore people should be thank-

ful for the use of GMOs rather than scrutinize them. Whether you choose to consume GMOs or

not or feel they are unhealthy and need to be labeled on every package containing them only time

will tell which side is right in the matter. Do you believe GMOs are the key to the worlds hunger

epidemic? Or do you believe they pose to great of a health risk? Either way you could be part of

the nations next step in the war over GMOs.

Works Cited
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Appleton, Arthur. The Labeling of GMO Products Pursuant to International Trade Rules. New

York University Environmental Law Journal Vol. VIII-3, 2000 http://www.ecolomics-

international.org/biosa_appleton_labeling_gmo_products Accessed 18 October 2017

Charles, Dan GMOs Are Safe, But Dont Always Deliver On Promises, Top Scientists Say

Published 17 May 2016 www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/05/17/478415310/top-scien-

tists-say-gmos-are-safe-but-dont-always-deliver-on-promises Accessed 18 October 2017

Freedman, David The Truth about Genetically Modified Food Published 1 September 2013

www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-truth-about-genetically-modified-food/ Accessed

18 October 2017

World, John. GMO Crops Dont Harm Human Health, Reports Say. Published 17 May 2016

time.com/4338702/gmo-human-health-safety-genetically-modified-crops/ Accessed 18

October 2017