Genetically Modified food (GM foods)

By: Jude Ramsaywak

What are GM foods?

GM foods are foods that are produced by changing the DNA of organisms, including plants and animals.

As of 2013, there are no GM animals used for food, but animals used for food are fed GM crops.

GM foods timeline

• In 1676 Anton van Leeuwenhoek (ahn-tawn vahn ley-vuhn-hook) discovered microorganisms and the organisms were put into food.

• In 1871 Louis Pasteur (pa-stur) discovered that heating juices to a certain temperature would kill off bad bacteria.

• In 1983 the first genetically modified plant was grown, the antibiotic-resistant tobacco plant.

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GM foods timeline Continued

• In 1994 the Flavr Savr tomato was sold in markets. That was the first commercial sale of genetically modified food.

• In 2013 85% of corn, 90% of soybeans, 91% of 88% of cotton, and 13% of zucchini grown in the United States is genetically modified.

• GM Corn, soybeans, and beets are all used to make products, like oils, sugars and proteins, that then get used to make other food.

How GM crops are sold

1. Once satisfactory plants are created, the seeds are gathered.

2. Then, the company that wants to sell those seeds field-test the seeds so if the field tests are successful the company asks the FDA. (The FDA is the Food and Drug Administration they approve if the food is good to sell)

3. If the FDA says that the crop can be sold the company sells the seeds to farmers and then the farmers grow the plants and sell them to people.

Pros & Cons about GM foods

ProsGM crops are • insect resistant• fungal resistant • viral resistant So you can feed a lot more people using less seeds

ConsMany people think that GM crops used to feed animals will make their bodies change• There have been no tests

that prove this • But the GM companies

don’t like scientists to test the GM plants

Some people are worried that the GM crops will affect the environment and take over the other crops that are not modified.

Bibliography

Brasch, Nicolas. The Foods We Eat. Mankato, MN: Smart Apple Media, 2010. Print.“Genetically modified food.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Sept. 2014. Web. 11 May 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_food>.Green, Jen. Genetically Modified Food. North Mankato, MN: Stargazer Books, 2006. Print.