WHAT ARE GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS
Genetically modified foods, also called genetically engineered foods, are foods that are derived from genetically modified organisms. A genetically modified organism, or GMO, is an organism whose genetic material has been modified or altered using genetic engineering techniques known as recombinant DNA technology.

Recombinant DNA technology uses DNA molecules from different sources and different species which are then combined into one molecule to create a new set of genes. This altered DNA, along with the modified genes, is then transferred into an organism thus changing the characteristics of that organism.

Genetically modified foods are foods that has had their DNA altered using recombinant DNA technology and today 70 percent of America’s food supply has been genetically modified.

WHY GENETICALLY MODIFY OUR FOOD
Originally, the primary purpose of genetically modifying foods was to produce crops such as corn and soy that were more resistant to herbicides and pesticides. Monsanto, maker of the widely used agricultural herbicide Round-Up, began to pioneer the technology of genetically modified foods when they found that certain vegetation had become more resistant to the herbicide and that more use of the herbicide would be necessary in order to control weeds and other vegetation on farmlands.

By genetically modifying the seeds of these crops with the DNA from other sources that were resistant to the herbicide Round Up, Monsanto was able to create a crop that could withstand the repeated and constant exposure to this herbicide and still kill the less resistant unwanted vegetation. Today these seeds, called “Round-Up Ready”, are used to produce common foods such as corn, soy, wheat, canola, tomatoes, potatoes, rice, cantaloupes, beets, flax, papaya, squash, and alfalfa.

ARE GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS SAFE
From the very beginning the question are genetically modified foods safe has been the center of much controversy. While Monsanto and other top producers of genetically modified foods are claiming these foods to be safe, other research companies like The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM), The Alliance for Bio-Integrity, and The Organic Consumers Association are reporting that these foods have been linked to serious adverse health risks.

What is clear is that genetically modified foods were introduced quickly and quietly in the early to mid 1990′s and any information about their safety was at best scarce for the average consumer which raised suspicion about possible health risks.

Soon after their introduction into the world’s food supply, the AAEM began to advise precaution because genetically modified foods had not been properly tested for neither short term or long term human consumption and because there seemed to be significant evidence of possible health risks.

Noted science writer and commentator Margaret Wertheim also expressed her fears about genetically modified foods in an article published in the LA Weekly. “Quietly and stealthily, our fields are being turned into industrial factories”, says Wertheim. “This is potentially the most dangerous technology since nuclear power, yet we have no way of finding out what is being done.”

Since then, there has been substantial evidence brought forth indicating that genetically modified foods do in fact pose possible serious health risks and implicates both Monsanto and The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in a cover-up to keep the truth about these health risks from the public.

THE DANGER OF RECOMBINANT DNA TECHNOLOGY AND GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS
Since the introduction of genetically modified foods, one of the major concerns among scientists is the inherent unpredictability of recombinant DNA technology. This technology began in 1973 and was based on the belief that genes are carriers of certain specific traits that are unique only to that particular gene and that if inserted into another organism, that organism would then begin to produce the same unique traits of the inserted gene.

However it was later determined that genes don’t always retain their unique traits after being introduced into other organisms, especially in other organisms where the gene would not otherwise be found naturally. When this happens scientists are unable to predict the outcome and the same is true of genetically modified foods.

For this reason, many national and world health organizations are raising serious questions as to whether or not genetic food modification through recombinant DNA technology is a safe method of producing food for both human and farm livestock consumption.

“The fact is, it is virtually impossible to even conceive of a testing procedure to assess the health effects of genetically engineered foods when introduced into the food chain, nor is there any valid nutritional or public interest reason for their introduction.” Dr. Richard Lacey, Professor of Food Safety, Leeds University, UK.

“Genetic engineering bypasses conventional breeding by using artificially constructed parasitic genetic elements, including viruses, as vectors to carry and smuggle genes into cells. Once inside cells, these vectors slot themselves into the host genome. The insertion of foreign genes into the host genome has long been known to have many harmful and fatal effects including cancer of the organism.” Professor Mae Wan-Ho Department of Biology, Open University, UK.

See these related articles:
Why Genetically Modified Food Should Be Labeled In The U.S.
Did You Know That Genetically Modified Foods are on Your Dinner Table?
Monsanto And The Controversy Over Genetically Modified Food
Chronic Disease: Today’s Modern Threats
Report: Genetically Modified Crops are Harmful to Your Health!
Genetically Modified Foods: Are They a Risk to Human/Animal Health?
Court rules GM sugar beets, first grown in 2008, were illegally approved by the FDA
50 Harmful Effects of Genetically Modified (GM) Foods

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