English 102 Project 1

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Katherine Alexander

English 102Dr. Deirdre McMahon

2nd

February 2012

America the Modified

Cantaloupe. A delicious, juicy fruit that is included in most store-brand fruit

salads. While one indulges in cantaloupe one is most likely not considering the possibility

of introducing modified DNA into one’s body. However, according to the FDA and the

United States Department of Agriculture, there are over forty plant varieties that have

completed all of the federal requirements for commercialization (Whitman 653). Some of

the most common examples of these plants include tomatoes and cantaloupes, which

have modified ripening characteristics. How carefully do you read the labels on your

snacks before you eat them? Probably not very. The only way that an individual would

ever know that he or she is consuming a genetically modified product is by reading the

label. Genetic modification does provide some advantages, such as pest resistance,

herbicide tolerance, and disease resistance. However, genetically modified, or “GM”,

products may also cause environmental hazards and human health concerns. The fact is

that there is just not enough information available to allow the general public to make an

informed and healthy decision when it comes to the foods they eat.

Genes change naturally throughout the course of history, whether by mutation or

recombination. Humans use genes to their advantage; they shuffle genes to produce a

beneficial product that might not have been created on its own. In the world today,

scientists are using this new technology to try to combat the poor economy and

starvation. In the United Kingdom, four genetically modified food materials have gained

full approval and are in commercial use: cheese produced with genetically modified



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chymosin, tomato paste from slow softening tomatoes, and genetically modified soya and

maize (Windley). Oil rapeseed can now be modified to produce oils with wide ranging

characteristics through selective modification of the length and degree of saturation

(Windley). Fatty acids such as laurate, typically found in vegetable oil, can now be

produced from oilseed crops (Windley). These genetic modifications allow companies to

produce one product that can then be modified to result in other products; therefore

reducing costs. This is the information that the companies making GM foods would love

for consumers to know; they want you to think that they are helping the world.

The world’s population has topped six billion people and is predicted to double in

the next fifty years (Whitman 653). Ensuring an adequate food supply for this booming

population is going to be quite difficult, but genetically modified foods help to meet this

need. In the world’s current economy, losing crops to insects is simply not an option. If

crops are lost, the individual farmer loses business and ultimately people end up starving.

To combat these pests, farmers drench their crops in chemical pesticides, which

customers do not want to consume for obvious reasons. Due to this fact, scientists are

now looking toward a bacterium called Bacillus Thuringiensis, which produces crystal

proteins that are lethal to insect larvae, to replace sprayed chemicals (Whitman 653). B.t.

crystal protein genes have been transferred into corn, enabling the corn to produce its

own pesticides against insects (Whitman 653). On the same note, genetically modified

plants are also more resistant to disease, the cold, herbicides, and drought (Jones 611).

Malnutrition is a far too common issue in third world countries, where

impoverished peoples rely on a single crop, such as rice, to be the staple of their diet.

However, eating rice alone does not provide a balanced diet and thus leads to



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malnutrition. Scientists are working toward producing genetically engineered rice to

include all of the necessary nutrients to prevent malnutrition. Researchers at the Swiss

Federal Institute of Technology have created a strain of “golden” rice containing an

abnormally high amount of beta-carotene or vitamin A (Jones 611). This organization

plans on giving this rice seed to any country that asks for it. After reading this type of

information one could not help but want to endorse GM foods, but there is always

another side to a story.

Genetically modified plants do provide a solution to some of the world’s more

pressing issues; however, they present issues themselves. For example, last year a

laboratory study published in Nature magazine showed that pollen from B.t. corn caused

high mortality rates in monarch butterfly caterpillars (Whitman 653). In nature, monarch

caterpillars feed on milkweed, not corn, but scientists fear that pollen from the corn could

land on milkweed and then be consumed by the caterpillars. It is hard to promise that

genetically modified plants will not affect other “non-target” insects because pollen flies

freely through the air. Scientists are also nervous that insects will simply become resistant

to B.t. or other crops that have been genetically modified, thus all of their efforts would

be futile. One of the most poignant effects of genetically modified plants on humans is

the rise of allergies. There is a large possibility that introducing a gene into a plant may

create a new allergen or cause an allergic reaction in susceptible individuals (“Higher

Risks for Children”). There is a growing concern over whether or not introducing foreign

genes into a plant may have an unexpected and negative impact on human health

(“Higher Risks for Children”). There is also research that shows that GM foods

negatively affect the immune system and inflammation in animals (Pusztai). An article



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published in Lancet magazine examined the effects of genetically modified potatoes on

the digestive tracts of rats. One of the scientists commissioned to study GM crops was

Dr. Arpad Pusztai, who spent thirty-six years at the Rowett Research Institute in

Scotland. Dr. Pusztai published research concerning animals, specifically rats, with GM

potatoes. His work showed precancerous changes in the intestinal tracts of rats along with

other changes to the liver, brain, and testicles (Pusztai). In his description of the study,

Dr. Pusztai states, “Thus, we propose that the unexpected proliferative effect was caused

by either the expression of other genes of the construct, or by some form of positioning

effect in the potato genome caused by GNA gene insertion” (Pusztai). The “GNA gene

insertion” is referring to genetically modified potatoes and the “unexpected proliferative

effect” refers to reshaping of the rats’ intestines. Personally, I do not ever want to

consume a product that could change the shape of my organs, I don’t know about you.

The issue that should be apparent is that there is just a general lack of accredited research

about the affects of GM plants on humans.

Governments around the world are all taking different approaches to try to

monitor genetically modified plants. In Japan, the ministry of Health and Welfare

announced that health testing of genetically modified foods will be mandatory as of April

2001, but before that it was optional (Whitman 654). In the last few years, Europe has

experienced two major food scares: mad cow disease and dioxin-tainted foods (Whitman

654). These scares have made consumers very wary of the European food supply.

Henceforth, Europe now requires mandatory food labeling of all GM food in stores

(Whitman 654). However, in the United States the regulatory process is much more

scattered and confused. There are three different government agencies that have



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jurisdiction over GM foods: the EPA, the USDA, and the FDA (Whitman 654). The EPA

evaluates if the GM plants are safe for the environment, the USDA decides if the plant is

safe to grow, and the FDA decides if the plant is safe for Americans to eat (Whitman

654). The EPA has not established limits on pesticide residue levels in B.t. corn because

the B.t. in the corn is not sprayed as a chemical; it is integrated into the genetic material

of the corn itself (Whitman 653). Companies working to create new GM foods are not

required to consult the FDA, nor are they required to follow the FDA’s recommendation

after consultation (Whitman 654). The FDA stated that the agency currently does not

have the time, money, or resources to carry out “exhaustive health and safety studies of

every proposed GM food product” (Whitman 654). This statement is startling. If

preliminary studies on rats show a correlation between GM foods and cancer, then why

would the FDA not have time to look into it? Another big concern is the basic lack of

published human studies. In fact, there is almost zero published research concerning the

long-term or short-term effects on humans (Windley).

There is no doubt that genetically modified plants are going to play a large role in

our future. They are just too helpful to be ignored. There are some definite advantages to

GM plants, especially with the world being how it is today. In countries like India and

Africa, where poverty and malnutrition are extremely widespread issues, GM foods may

be able to solve many of the problems. However, GM foods remain a mystery to

consumers. There have been studies on animals, all showing different results and some

being instantly doubted. Nonetheless, there seems to be a definite relationship between

GM foods and allergies in humans. For those who already suffer from nut allergies the

possibility of more problematic and severe allergies is quite upsetting. Currently we are



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playing a game of wait and see, but do we really want to wait and see how these products

will affect our children? Consumers dictate the market; therefore, if we all refuse to buy

GM foods, producers will be forced to look elsewhere. In my opinion, we ought to focus

more on natural, organic products that are guaranteed to be healthy and nontoxic. The

bottom line is that the public needs to be better informed about these products and

hopefully they will choose the best option.



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Works Cited

“Higher Risks for Children.” Institute for Responsible Technology, n.d. Web. 30 Jan.

2012.

Jones, Leighton. “Genetically Modified Foods.” British Medical Journal. 10.1 (1999):611. Web. 30 Jan. 2012.

Pusztai, Arpad, Stanley Ewen. “Health Risks of Genetically Modified Foods.” The

Lancet Mag., 21. Aug. 1999. Web. 30 Jan 2012.

Whitman, Deborah. “Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?” Nature 392(2000): 653-654. ProQuest. Web. 30 Jan. 2012.

Windley, Steve Dr. Genetically Modified Foods. PurehealthMD.com, n.d. Web. 30 Jan.

2012.



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I believe that the readers of National Geographic magazine would enjoy reading

my article. National Geographic tends to focus on the “up and coming” things occurring

in science or nature. Therefore, I think that my article would fit perfectly because

genetically modified foods are at the forefront of discussion right now. Also, I believe

that National Geographic would want to publish this article to shine a light on the issue,

especially because the United States has not really come up with a specific plan of how to

deal with genetically modified plants. Thirdly, I think it would be beneficial for them to

publish my article because, to the best of my knowledge, I don’t think that any other

major publication has highlighted this problem yet, so maybe National Geographic could

gain some recognition for being the first one. I also think that the readers of National

Geographic would really enjoy reading an article like mine because they are clearly

interested in scientific and worldly problems. National Geographic just published an

article on the genetics and specifics of twins, so I feel like my article is from a similar

vein.

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English 102 Project 1