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Austin Fuller
ENG 112
Round Table Essay
1 November 2016

Modify Ones Mind

Walking through the illuminated isles of the grocery store can be a daunting task; labels
on cereal boxes resemble college papers, lengthy and full of words that one would need a
dictionary to know the meaning. Most will glance at the box and throw whatever sugary,
genetically modified, unhealthy food into their cart. If the public was more aware of the harmful
effects the foods they were eating, we would live in a much healthier world. The problem
America is facing currently is that the pubic is unaware of the food they are consuming. An
upwards of seventy percent of processed foods contain genetically engineered ingredients.
Genetically modified foods are hard to avoid and the genetic engineering process is not precise,
it can cause unintended effects such as liver failure, reproductive problems, major rashes on skin
and cancer. Genetically modified foods are not only labeled incorrectly and harmful to our
bodies, they are creating cancers and tumors that could cause many deaths around the world.
Genetically modified organisms are everywhere and most are uninformed about what exactly
they are, what they do to ones body and how they effect our environment.
Two thirds of the people in the United States have no idea that what they eat every day
contains genetically modified ingredients. Although the biotech industrys claims there are no
risks when consuming genetically modified organisms, they still fight the system to keep their

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products unlabeled and unknown. If these foods are harming the public everyone need to take
precautions and fight for the right to know what is going into the products that we consume daily.
The genetic engineering process is inherently imprecise and causes widespread disruption to the
genome, which can lead to unintended effects. (Divyadharsini)The problem with genetically
modified foods not only effect the consumers of the products but famers who produce the food
and the scientists that are passionate about our saving environment. Society is unaware that the
food they devour daily is causing problems for not only themselves but the planet where they
live.
The people have the most relevant voice on the subject of healthy, clean eating.
Although many are largely unaware they are eating products derived from biotechnology, the
consumers that are familiar with genetically modified organisms have a strong opinion about
what should be done. Consumers in California tried to enforce their right to know what was
going into their food by creating the Right To kKnow act of 2015. This Act states that no
federal or California law requires that food producers to identify whether foods were produced
using genetic engineering. Unless these foods contain a known allergen, the FDA does not even
require developers of genetically engineered crops to consult with the agency. (Jobson)
California lost this war with genetically modified organisms due to the fact that large companies;
such as, Monsanto, Coca-Cola and General Mills paid twenty-five million dollars to have this act
shut down. These large companies are proud of the food they are putting on the market, yet they
do not want to acknowledge that they use genetic engineering.
Consumers are at high risk every day, unless one buys organic food it is mot likely that
the food they consume has been modified from its original form. When food is modified it is not
in its original form any longer, this change in genetic make up can cause problems in various

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areas of the mind and body. The percentage of Americans with three or more chronic illnesses
jumped from seven percent to thirteen percent in just nine years; food allergies skyrocketed, and
disorders such as autism, reproductive disorders, digestive problems, and others are on the rise.
(Lynas) Consumers have not only been exposed to potentially unsafe foods, but they have also
been unable to separate non-genetically engineered foods from genetically modified foods. This
makes it especially difficult for the public to make their own food choices because they are not
labeled properly. Once there are labels on all foods that contain genetically modified foods, it
will be less of a hassle and less stressful to pick out healthy food.
One voice that is often overthought when it comes to the food we eat is scientists.
Scientists play a large role in genetically modified foods, there are the scientists that create the
genetically modified foods and there are scientists fighting this because they know the long term
effects the environment and ones body. Many genetically modified foods have scientists
concerned about the possible environmental and ecological impacts of these genetically modified
foods. Some believe the most significant ecological risk in releasing genetically modified crops
into the environment is that they may transfer their new genes to other crops through
pollination. (MccCullum) When plants are cross pollinated it is usually not a problem, but when
modified plants pollen is carried to an organic plant it transferred into the DNA and the make up
of the organic plant is changed; this can cause tremendous problems for organic farmers. The fact
that the wind or bees can cross contaminate organic plants is scaring many scientists because
once all plants are genetically modified there is no turning back to all natural food.
Some experts embrace new technology, some scientists know when it is time to stop
messing with something that was not broken. These scientists aren't sure of the nutritional
quality of genetically engineered foods and others worry that these foods will cause serious

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environmental and health risks. (Lynas) Studies on genetically modified organism and the
human body are scarce which is concerning considering everyone consumes these products. A
study was completed in France where rats were fed over a two-year period with genetically
modified maize and had increased rates of severe organ damage, tumors, and premature death.
(Divyadharsini) If the rats that were consuming genetically modified foods became ill from
eating these products it does not seem intelligent to be putting these foods into our own bodies.
The voice that is all around affected the most are the farmers producing the food
everyone consumes. Most famers started farming organically, all natural was the thing to do until
Monsanto started distributing their super seeds Little did famers know, these seeds were going
to cause many long term effects to the environment and their farms. Genetically modified crops
take a toll on agriculture and surrounding wildlife as well. The environmental effects of
genetically engineered crops include increased weed and insect resistance to pesticides,
enhanced chemical use and pollution, and gene flow between non genetically modified crops an
genetically modified crops. Through an analysis of Washington State farmers willingness or
unwillingness to try Genetically Modified Organisms technology on their farms. Most farmers
do not want to use this type of farming for it has been criticized for its potential harmful effects
on natural environments and socio-cultural systems. (Kazumi) Although the potential benefits
include increased food production in undeveloped countries, increased vitamins and minerals,
disease resistance in crops and lower food prices. At what point is America going to realize that a
few cents off produce is not worth the downfall of our environment.
Bees are one of, if not the most important animals we have on the planet, they pollenate
more than half of the fruits and vegetables that we eat. At the beginning of October 2016, bees
were added to the U.S. endangered-species list for the first time. The downfall in bee population

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is due to the increased pesticide use in America. Organic famers are not at fault for the decline in
bee population, famers whom use genetically modified seeds have crops that have become
resistant to the safe pesticides used by organic famers. Once resistant to these chemicals, harsher
and harsher chemicals have to be used to keep the bugs off of the modified plants. The use of
genetically modified foods raises many concerns, unknown long-term health effects, increased
risk of antibiotic resistant bacteria, increased use of pesticides, unknown toxins produced,
unknown long-term environmental effects, risks to wildlife and insects, introduction of unknown
allergens. (Kazumi) Organic famers are constantly at risk of cross pollination from genetically
modified crops, if modified crops are close enough by. Potential victims try to safeguard their
farms by setting up shrubs, bushes and trees creating buffer zones. The genetically modified
pollen finds its way in and once the genetically modified pollen finds its way into these organic
farms, it wreaks havoc and leaves behind genetic material. It is not natural to have to build
barriers from other famers and have to defend crops from destructive pollen.
All voices associated with genetically modified organisms are important to the matter.
Consumers fighting for their right to know, scientists fighting for the planet and organic famers
whose lives depend on their crops wellbeing have been affected by the modified foods in some
way or another. Most consumers are unaware that genetically modified foods even exist. This is a
problem for the united states because it is not only effecting our environment, but it is killing off
our population. By the time most of the public realizes that genetically modified foods are not
the way to go it may be to late for some, it is already becoming too late for the bees. The lack of
knowledge about the foods most consume is astonishing. If the nation is so uneducated about
how much of our food is genetically modified then it is a must that genetically modified foods be

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labeled as modified. It is important that food producers include detailed labels on their products
so that consumers know exactly what they are putting into their bodies.
In the end, it is up to the people to start asking questions, to make it a known reality that
genetically modified foods everywhere and that they are unsafe for many reasons. If the public
starts only choosing organic this terrible situation could gradually become less of a problem. If
scientists stop trying to tamper with what is already good and pure and stay organic our
environment could be saved. If organic famers keep doing what they're doing and stay away
from farms with genetically modified crops that could cross pollenate and continue to use safe
pesticides our population could be saved. It is up to the consumer personally to choose non
genetically modified foods not only for themselves and their bodies to stay cancer free but for the
famers that do so much to keep food the way it should by, unmodified.

Work Cited
Berenji, Shahin. "Consumers and the Case for Labeling Genfoods." Journal of Research for
Consumers.13 (2007): 1-7. ProQuest. Web. 13 Sep. 2016.
Jobson, Mike. "California Consumers to Vote on GM Labelling." World Food Regulation Review
22.4 (2012): 11-2. ProQuest. Web. 13 Sep. 2016.
Kazumi KondohRaymond, A. Jussaume,Jr. "Contextualizing Farmers' Attitudes Towards Geneti
cally Modified Crops." Agriculture and Human Values 23.3 (2006): 341-52.
ProQuest.
Web. 14 Sep. 2016.
Lynas, Mark, and Colin Tudge. "GMOS: A SOLUTION OR A PROBLEM?" Journal of In
ternational Affairs 67.2 (2014): 131-XVII. ProQuest. Web. 14 Sep. 2016.

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MccCullum, Christine. "Food Biotechnology in the New Millennium: Promises, Realities, and Chal
lenges." American Dietetic Association.Journal of the American Dietetic Association
100.11
(2000): 1311-5. ProQuest. Web. 14 Sep. 2016.