Whether or not Genetically Modified Foods Should be Labeled

How they are Created

• Using biotechnology to change their genetic material

• Viral carriers can be added to a food which will inject the cells with their DNA and change the food’s genetic material.

• Bacterium can infect cells with their DNA as well.

• Adding a second copy of a gene the other way around will silence the gene.

Reasons for Creating them• Can introduce a desired gene or deactivate an

unwanted one.• Increase shelf life• Become resistant to pesticides or insecticides• Increase crop nutrition yield• Not time consuming• Accurate• Produce pesticides to enable growing in more

environments• Results save money

Issues Against Creating them

• The effects of genetic modification can cause the death rate of other organisms to rise.

• Genetically modified plants that produce their own pesticides cause insects to become immune to them leaving companies at a loss.

• Gene transfer can spread to other species causing a different possibly negative effect.

• Can create new allergen• There are unknown human health risks involved. Possibly bad

for the digestive tract• More expensive to grow and engineer

Arguments Against Labeling them

• Very expensive• It’s not harmful anyway.• Products taste the same or better since they

last longer.• No conclusive data on harmful effects

Arguments for Labeling them

• People have the right to know what’s been done to their food.

• Studies on the effects of GM foods are taking place now.

• Predicted to be possibly harmful based on animal experimentation

• Against some religions

Conclusion

The production and solicitation to the public of GM foods should be stopped until test results are conclusive. If there are possibilities that GM foods have a negative effect on the human digestive tract, they should not be being sold. If studies show that there are no negative effects on humans then the money spent on a label is not necessary but, if there are negative effects in certain conditions, that information should be displayed on the packaging of the food.

Bibliography

• "Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?" Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful? N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2013.

• "The Effects of Genetically Modified Foods." Genetically Modified Foods. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2013

• "Genetically Modified Foods - Techniques." Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2013.