Gmf (Genetically Modified Food) Essay Example for Free

Gmf (Genetically Modified fodder) EssayGenetically modified foods is the term roughly commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or ani mal consumption, which get to been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits or improved nutritional content. The enhancement of desired traits has traditionally been undertaken through breeding, but ceremonious plant breeding methods can be very time consuming and are very much not very accurate. Genetic engineering, on the some other hand, can create plants with the exact desired trait very rapidly and with great accuracy. Development.GM foods were set-back put on the market in the early 1990s. Typically, genetically modified foods are plant products soybean, corn, canola, and cotton ejaculate oil, but animal products have been proposed. The initiatory commercially grown genetically modified whole food crop was the tomato puree (called FlavrSavr), which was made more resistant to rotting by Californian company C algene. Currently, th ere are a number of foods of which a genetically modified version exists.What plants are involved? virtually foods have been modified to fabricate them resistant to insects and viruses and more able to tolerate weed killers. Crops that have been modified for these purposes, with approval from the relevant authorities, in a number of countries, include maize, soybean, oilseed rape (canola), chicory, squash, potato. Some of the advantages of GM foodsThere is a need to produce inexpensive, safe and nutritious foods to help feed the worlds growing population. Genetic modification whitethorn provide Better quality food. Higher nutritional yields. Inexpensive and nutritious food, like carrots with more antioxidants. Foods with a greater shelf life, like tomatoes that taste break dance and last longer. Food with medicinal benefits, such as edible vaccines for example, bananas with bacterial or rotavirus antigens. Crops and produce that require less chemical appl ication, such as herbicide resistant canola. Some of the disadvantages of GM foodsFood regulatory authorities require that GM foods receive individual pre-market safety assessments. Also, the principle of substantial equivalence is used. This federal agency that an existing food is compared with its genetically modified coun terpart to find any differences between the existing food and the new product. The assessment investigates Toxicity (using similar methods to those used for conventional foods). Tendency to provoke any allergic reaction. Stability of the inserted gene. Whether there is any nutritional deficit or change in the GM food. Any other unintended effects of the gene insertion.Economic concernsBringing a GM food to market is a lengthy and costly process, and of course agri -biotech companies wish to interpret a profitable return on their investment. Many new plant genetic engineering technologies and GM plants have been palpableed, and patent infringement is a volu minous concern of agribusiness. Yet consumer advocates are worried that patenting these new plant varieties leave behind raise the price of seeds so high that small farmers and third world countries will not be able to afford seeds for GM crops, thus widening the gap between the wealthy and the poor.One way to combat possible patent infringement is to introduce a suici de gene into GM plants. These plants would be viable for only one growing season and would produce sterile seeds that do not germinate. Farmers would need to buy a fresh supply of seeds each year. However, this would be financially disastrous for farmers in third world countries who cannot afford to buy seed each year and traditionally set aside a portion of their harvest to plant in the next growing season.How are GM foods labelled?Labeling of GM foods and food products is also a contentious issue. On th e whole, agribusiness industries believe that labeling should be voluntary and influenced by the demands of the free market. If consumers cross-file preference for labeled foods over non -labeled foods, then fabrication will have the incentive to regulate itself or risk alienating the customer.There are legion(predicate) questions that must(prenominal) be answered if labeling of GM foods becomes mandatory such as are consumers willing to absorb the cost of such an initiative? If the food production industry is required to label GM foods, factories will need to construct two separate processing streams and monitor the production lines accordingly.Farmers must be able to donjon GM crops and non -GM crops from mixing during planting, harvesting and shipping. It is almost assured that industry will pass along these additional costs to consumers in the form of higher prices. Food labels must be designed to clearly convey accurate information about the product in simple language that everyone can understand.ConclusionGenetically-modified foods have the potential to solve many of the worlds hun ger and malnutrition problems, and to help protect and preserve the environment by increasing yield and reducing reliance upon chemical pesticides and herbicides. However, we must proceed with caution to avoid causing unintended harm to human health and the environment as a result of our enthusiasm for this powerful technology.