GM+Foods

= GM Foods = A GM food (genetically modified food) is an organism which its DNA has been modified to have certain traits that do not show up naturally or to only display the preferred traits by removing or adding genes, using the latest molecular biology techniques. This is often referred as biotechnology or genetic engineering, and it allows scientists to manipulate and combine the genes between all different kinds of species, even the ones that are not related to each other. This technique has been used for years for selective breeding. A GM food will often have an abnormal size, a different color and will last longer than normal food when its left out in the open. A common example of a GM food would be a lettuce that is resistant to pesticides or bugs and has a nice green color that you can't often see on non-genetically modified lettuces.
 * What is a GM food? **

[|http://library.thinkquest.org/C004033F/what_is_gmfood_text.htm\]

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**Genetically Modified Foods - Helpful or Harmful** Apparently, genetically modifying foods has been happening for a long time. A lot of people are scared that it is not safe to eat and if it is proven to be safe, they are worried of the long time effects it will have on Mother Nature. Scientist say that there has been no evidence of harm, but Jane Rissler, Ph.D. says that the only reson for that is because there is no way to track it if there was. Jeremy Rifkin says that, theoretically, there is a risk in eating genetically modified foods because, since they are modified, we are ingesting proteins that we have never consumed, therefore we do not know what effects it would have on us. He also states that he is sure that many will be safe, but does not know if they are all safe. He gives us an example, if 8 percent of children and 2 percent of adults are allergic to traditional foods, Genetically modified foods are potentially more dangerous because there can contain stronger allergens and toxins. (1)

GM Foods have been criticized for it's lack of health and safety research and precautions. Here is a string of in-depth and shocking videos about some of the dangers of GM Foods and cover-ups for the lack of biotechnics safety precautions told by Jeffrey Smith, summarizing his book, //Seeds of Deception//,

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The rest of his videos can be accessed in the links below: Part 2: [] Part 3: [] Part 4: [] Part 5: [] Part 6: []

Biotechnology, also known as Genetical Modification (GM) is a special set of techologies that alter the genetic make-up of plants, organmisms, animals and bacteria. This is not a natural mutation because genes from different organisms are combined. This is called recombinant DNA technology and the result of this is the (GM). These (GM) products include medicines and vaccines, foods and food ingredients, feeds and fibers.
 * GM Food**

In Cotton, Biotechnics have intergrated a the gene of a bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis, also known as "Cry Toxin". Cry Toxin is normally found in insects such as caterpillars. The toxin found in the caterpillars gut, acts as a defence medicine that attacks the heart of it's pedators, in an attempt to stop it from eating other caterpillars. By putting this into the genome of cotton plants, the cotton produces a the bacterium in order to fend off pests such as beetles, flies, and (ironically) caterpillars. The bacterium, however, is not potent enough to affect larger organisms such as birds thus affecting the enviroment as little as possible, and be healthy for human utilization.

Here is a video that explains what genetically modified foods are, explaining the procedure of of embedding the gene, with some controversy on the justification of GM Foods.

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1http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/gmfood.shtml

The process to genetically modify a food.

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(1) @http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/harvest/viewpoints/issafe.html 16-11-2010

Genetic engineering in agriculture has significantly increased the economic uncertainty of family famers throughout the U.S and the world. American farmers have lost important markets which are closed to genetically engineered products. Corporate control of the seed give threatens to farmers’ independence. The risk of genetic drift has made it difficult and expensive for farmers to market a pure product. Farmers around the world threats agriculture practices, social and economic disruption it’s all made by genetic engineering. Farmers producing safe that have got consumer’s trust however genetically engineered food losing trust by consumer rejection. Many scientists think genetically engineered organisms released into us and the food provide without adequate testing. Farmers who have used this new technology may be facing massive liability from damage caused by genetic drift, increased weed and pest resistance, and the destruction of wildlife and beneficial insects.
 * Farmers' Declaration on Genetic Engineering in Agriculture **

The production of Geneticaly Modified food has been expanding at the double of the rate. By 2006, GM crops were being grown in more than 20 different countries on more than one-hundred million ha. It was estimated that one-half of the world's soy beans, one-quarter of its corns and one-tenth of its cottons were GM crops. []
 * Production of GM **