Running Head: Genetically

Modified Organisms

Genetically Modified Organisms: A Review of

Literature
Lynnette Saenz
University of Texas at El Paso

Abstract
Genetically modified foods are slowly making up majority of the foods that are being
cultivated and marketed. Since they were first introduced into the market, the GM foods have
been shrouded with questions and fears. Even as time has gone by, there are still many questions
left unanswered. The most common being why some companies and people believe labeling GM
foods would create a negative effect, why biotech companies patent the seeds they produce, and
the positive effects of GMOs versus the negative effects. This discussion is about trying to shed
light on some of the question posed on a daily basis.

Genetically Modified Organisms: A Review of Literature

Genetic modification has been in use for thousands of years. Ever since the advent of
agriculture weve been modifying our food supply, since weve been trying to cultivate and grow
better varieties or more productive cultivars for food sources, thats been going for over 10,000
years. (J. Apodaca, personal communication march 2016) However 10,000 years ago humans
didnt have technology or laboratories where they would modify their foods, instead they
manually selected and bred the seeds of plants that were most productive. Ganzel, B. (2009) The
GMO Age Begins. However plants arent the only ones that were selectively bred, animals such
as wolves were domesticated to help men while they were still hunters 32,000 years ago. Rangel,
G. (2015) From Corgis to Corn: A Brief Look at the Long History of GMO Technology.
However it wasnt until the 1970s that scientists discovered how to cut DNA strands and attach
it to other DNA strands. Ganzel, B. (2009). Yet once the first GM foods were introduced into the
market in the mid 1990s people began to grow more concerned about the implications behind
such new biotechnology. World Health Organization, Frequently asked questions on genetically
modified foods. And the concern and curiosity only continued to grow, in the past 4 years
searches for GMOs have more than tripled says Gabriel Rangel from Harvard. With all the
popularity they have been gaining people have started debating whether or not GMOs are safe to
consume and what the benefits truly are. With so much information being thrown around this
leaves people confused and with more questions than answers, three of the main ones being:
1. Why are people against labelling foods that contain GMOs?
2. Why do biotech companies that produce GM foods want to patent them?
3. Do the pros outweigh the cons when it comes to GMOs

Do you know what GMOs are

3; 15%
Yes
No

17; 85%

Figure 1. Depicts the results of the survey made on the University of Texas at El Paso campus. Saenz, L.
(2016, March) GMO Survey

Why are people against labelling foods that contain GMOs?

About 90 percent of the soy, cotton, canola, corn, and sugar beets sold in the United
States have been genetically engineered. Says Marc Lallanilla writer at Live Science (GMOs:
Facts about Genetically Modified Food, 2016). While 60 percent of all processed foods have
been genetically engineered. However despite the fact that most of the foods people consume on
a daily basis the Unites States currently has no laws that require labelling foods that have been
engineered, this leads people to being unaware of such information. Only 3 states have passed
laws, but they are not in effect unless other states place similar laws. In a survey conducted at
The University of Texas at El Paso, it was found that 85 percent of participants knew what
GMOs were, but only 25 percent of them knew that majority of foods they consumed had been
modified. Saenz, L. (2016). Such shocking numbers reveal that people although generally aware

of GM foods are not aware of how prominent they are in most marketed foods. However
labelling foods makes some believe that it would only create confusion and fear. The FDA only
requires labelling if the GM seed used had a considerable between that food and its conventional
counterpart. Monsanto (2013) Labelling foods and Ingredients Developed from GM seeds.
Monsanto, a biotech company, believes that mandatory labelling could be misinterpreted, leading
consumers to believe that it is a warning or that the food is of lower quality.
Other countries such as the EU, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand have been pursuing
mandatory labelling for foods that contain GMOs. Caswell, J. A. (2000). Labeling policy for
GMOs: To Each his own? AgBioForum, 3(1), 53-57. Such countries believe that consumers
have a right to know whether biotechnology was used to produce the foods they consume
Caswell, J.A (2000). It is believed that labelling would increase acceptance of GMOs. As an 85
percent of people believed that foods that contain GMOs should have some sort of label. Saenz,
L. (2016). However, given their own circumstances, mandatory labeling is viewed to be the best

choice for trading partners such as the European Union. Caswell, J.A (2000).

Should GM foods have labels?

3; 15%
Yes
No

17; 85%

Figure 2. Depicts how the survived feel about labelling GM foods. Based on a survey conducted at the
University of Texas at El Paso. Saenz, L.(2016, March) GMO Survey

Why do biotech companies that produce GM foods/seeds want to patent them?

The patenting of plants is something that has been around for over 80 years. The Plant
Patent Act was passed in 1930, which was used for patenting new varieties of plants. Monsanto
Seeds and Patents. The way patents work are similar to copyright laws used for music and other
ideas. They grant the inventor to protect their invention for a set amount of time, granting them
the sole power to use, experiment, produce and sell such inventions. Much is similar in the case
of GM seeds. It cost biotech companies around 136 million dollars to create a new genetically
modified crop Katiraee, L. (2014), which is then protected by a patent making sure no one who
gets a hold of their product is able to profit off it, before the patent expires. When farmers buy
GM seeds they sign an agreement which explains what the farmers are and are not allowed to do
with the crops.
Some of the rights biotech companies get when they patent seeds include, ownership of
the plant, integration of foreign DNA, farmers not being able to save or replant seeds, sell or
distribute. When these rules are not met, farmers are breaking the law and can result in being
sued for the breaching of contract. Companies such as Monsanto says that patents are a way to
get paid for their innovations and discoveries in the food field. They say that the contract is only
part of the business, without it they would lose profit, and they wouldnt be able to continue
making research ad discoveries.
Do the pros outweigh the cons when it comes to GMOs?
GMOs are currently under the spotlight with people always wanting to find out more and
ultimately the truth about GMOs. Are they safe to ingest? What are the benefits? What is the
difference between conventionally grown crops versus crops genetically engineered? The World
Health Organization, the American Medical Association, the National Academy of Sciences, and
the American Association for the Advancement of Science have all declared that theres no good

evidence GMOs are unsafe. Hundreds of studies back up that conclusion. Saletan, W. (2015)
Unhealthy fixation. One of the many benefits of GM foods is the potential to create versions of
peanuts with less allergens to lower the risks of giving people life threatening reactions. There
has not been found any information that shows correlation to GM food causing allergies or
allergic reactions. Crops are modified so that they can be more resistant to things like, pesticides,
herbicides, bugs, and quicker growth. When genetically engineering cells, the foods are not
harmed or affected in a negative way. No different than like doing natural hybridization or
crossing of strains says Dr. Apodaca in an interview. Some foods that have been modified are
able to grow quicker than there counterpart, and include vitamins that are not present in nature.
Such is the case in Golden Rice, a genetically modified rice that contains beta carotene, invented
in 1999. Saletan, W (2015) Unhealthy fixation. However, despite their greatness GMOs have
downsides.
When foods are modified they are reducing the biodiversity of food sources that are
available (J. Apodaca personal communication March 16, 2016). More so according to de
Vendmois JS, Cellier D, Vlot C, Clair E, Mesnage R, Sralini GE. Debate on GMOs Health
Risks after Statistical Findings in Regulatory Tests. Int J Biol Sci 2010, risks may come from
unpredictable insertional mutagenesis effects, metabolic effects, or from the new pesticide
residues. Other health effects in the world such as cancers, hormonal, reproductive, nervous, or
immune diseases are increasing which may be related to the MON 863 Bt maize, but also for
pesticides or drugs Sralini GE, de Vendmois JS, Cellier D, Sultan C, Buiatti M, Gallagher L,
Antoniou M, Dronamraju KR. How Subchronic and Chronic Health Effects can be Neglected for
GMOs, Pesticides or Chemicals. Int J Biol Sci 2009. Other negative side effects found in animal
studies include, infertility, immune dysregulation, accelerated dying, and gastrointestinal

dysregulation among others. American Academy of Environmental Medicine (May 2009)

Genetically Modified Foods. It is believed that because of all the effects GM foods have on
animals, it is highly possible that it has effects on humans as well. AAEM says since GM foods
have not been tested properly for human consumption and there is an abundance of probable
harm it is best for everybody to take precaution and be informed about it in an attempt to avoid
any possible dangers or risks.
Conclusion/Synthesis
Modifying foods has been happening for over 10,000 years (J, Apodaca personal
communication). However it wasnt until the 1970s that it started being modified in laboratories,
and was first introduced to the market in the mid-1990s. Ever since then scientists have been
doing research on the full effects of GMOs, have been making new GMOs, and now have even
started using DNA from foreign bodies to make the foods even more suitable, such as squids.
However despite the increase of the usage of GMOs, people are still not aware of how they
heavily influence the foods that are consumed on a day to day basis. Both sides of the spectrum
have information they release, that instead of informing the public, ends up confusing them even
more. It is evident through research that while GMOs offer copious amounts of benefits, they
also have drawbacks. What would help the public be less afraid of GM foods would be the
spreading of information, and informing the masses about how GMOs work, instead of leaving
them in the dark, questioning which side of the debate is telling the truth.

References
Lallanilla, B. M. (2016). GMOs: Facts About Genetically Modified Food. Retrieved March 3,
2016, from http://www.livescience.com/40895-gmo-facts.html
Monsanto. (2013, March). Newsroom. Retrieved March 3, 2016, from
http://www.monsanto.com/newsviews/pages/food-labeling.aspx
Caswell, J. A. (2000). AgBioForum 3(1): Labeling Policy For GMOs: To Each His Own?
Retrieved March 3, 2016, from http://agbioforum.org/v3n1/v3n1a08-caswell.htm
World Health Organization. (n.d.). Frequently asked questions on genetically modified foods.
Retrieved March 5, 2016, from http://www.who.int/foodsafety/areas_work/food-technology/faqgenetically-modified-food/en/
Ganzel, B. (2009). The GMO Age Begins. Retrieved March 5, 2016, from
http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe70s/crops_10.html
Rangel, G. (2015). From Corgis to Corn: A Brief Look at the Long History of GMO Technology.
Retrieved March 7, 2016, from http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2015/from-corgis-to-corn-abrief-look-at-the-long-history-of-gmo-technology/
De Vendmois, J. S., Cellier, D., Vlot, C., Clair, E., Mesnage, R., & Sralini, G. (2010).
Debate on GMOs Health Risks after Statistical Findings in Regulatory Tests.
Retrieved March 9, 2016, from http://www.ijbs.com/v06p0590.htm

Saletan, W. (2015, July 15). The Misleading War on GMOs: The Food Is Safe. The
Rhetoric Is Dangerous. Retrieved March 8, 2016, from
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2015/07/are_gmos_safe_y
es_the_case_against_them_is_full_of_fraud_lies_and_errors.html
Sralini GE, de Vendmois JS, Cellier D, Sultan C, Buiatti M, Gallagher L, Antoniou M,
Dronamraju KR. How Subchronic and Chronic Health Effects can be Neglected for
GMOs, Pesticides or Chemicals. Int J Biol Sci 2009; 5(5):438-443.
doi:10.7150/ijbs.5.438. Available from http://www.ijbs.com/v05p0438.htm
Dean, A., & Armstrong, J. (2009, May 8). American Academy of Environmental
Medicine (AAEM). Retrieved March 15, 2016, from
http://www.aaemonline.org/gmo.php

Saenz, L.(2016, March) GMO Survey

Apodaca, J(2016, March 16) Personal Communication