Alyssa Butenschoen Biology P2
What is a GMO?
A GMO is the result of adding the genes from one organism to another organism of a different species.
The purpose of genetically modified organism is to gain a desired characteristic in one organism, that is found in a different organism
Advantages of GMOs
Plants and crops that have been genetically modified require less herbicides and pesticides to remain healthy. They also require less water than a non-GMO plant, resulting in a price reduction of 15% to 30%.
Advantages of GMOs
Since GMOs need fewer chemicals, new farming techniques are being tried out all the time. These new techniques cause less soil erosion, and no greenhouse gases are being emitted into the air because there is no need for a greenhouse.
Advantages of GMOs
Rivaling common belief, GM food products have been deemed safe by many national organizations such as the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration, American Medical Association, World
Health Organization, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National
Academy of Sciences, and Health Canada. These groups have conducted tests and researched the effects of GMOs, and have found very few negative health reactions.
Disadvantages of GMOs
Crops engineered to withstand chemical herbicides breed with each other and weeds, thus passing genes onto the weed. The weed now has a higher defense against herbicides.
These weeds are referred to as “super weeds”.
There are also Super bugs, which follow the same logic.
Disadvantages of GMOs
In the United States right now, there is no law stating that companies must label their food differently if it contains
GMOs. This means that the farmers growing the crops must plant, grow, harvest, contain, and ship the GMO plants separately from the regular crops. This is to ensure that companies that DO want to label their GMO (or lack of) products