Transcript Genetically Modified Food

Genetically
Modified Food
Biotechnology
How was your GM biscuit*
this morning?
 Or cereal, eggs, bagel, pancakes, breakfast
bar, grits, sausage, ham, chicken, eggs,
etc……. etc. etc. etc.
 Most likely your breakfast contained
Genetically Modified Food is you can answer
any of these questions with a “yes”.
 Did it contain corn or corn syrup?
 Did it use vegetable oil?
 Did the meat come from animals that are fed corn or soy?
Why would someone want
GM food?
 Grows better – better harvest
 More food at less cost
 Improve the food
 Extra nutritious (more vitamins, better fats)
 Taste or look better
 Less food allergies
 Reduce world hunger
 Staple foods with better nutrition & calories
 More drought resistant
 Able to grow on poor soils
Why are some people
concerned?
 Are they safe to eat?
 FDA and USDA say yes
 Skeptics say more testing is needed
 Could there be allergic reactions?
 Could it hurt the environment?
 Advocates show reduced use of pesticides and herbicides
 Skeptics ask if super weeds could evolve?
 Could biodiversity be reduced?
 Should GM food have special labels?
What is Genetic
Engineering?
Techniques to change properties of a plant
 Make changes to an existing gene
 Turn it off or on
 Move genes from one organism to
another
What plants are GM?
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Seedless Watermelon
Corn (45% of all corn grown in US)
Soybean (85% -US )
Rapeseed used in Canola oil (60%-US)
Cotton
Also potatoes, squash and tomatoes
Pesticide control
 Uses genes from a soil bacteria (Bt)
 Genes produce a toxin to leaf eating pests
 Genes inserted into corn, cotton, and
potatoes
 Not need chemicals to control pests
 Reduce soil and water pollution
 Reduce poisoning of farm workers
Other genetic modifications
 Herbicide control:
 Reduced use of chemicals to kill weeds
 Soybeans, corn, cotton, rapeseed
 Improved nutrition
 Rice, sorghum, cassava
 Disease resistance
 Improved storage and processing
Where are GMP Grown?
 Top producers of GM foods
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US (50%)
Canada
Argentina
Brazil
China
 Little or no production in European
Countries