Genetically Modified Food…. Is it real?
Have you ever notice that approximately 70 per cent of the
food in our supermarkets contain genetically modified ingredients.
If you don´t know what does that mean , genetically modified
food, better known as GM food, are produced from organisms that have had
changes in their DNA structure using the methods of genetic engineering.
How is this done? Well it is a sophisticated version of a
copy-and- paste. Once the geneticist have the desired gene from the native organism´s
genome, it can be cut out, transferred to the chosen plant, and pasted into its
genome.
The number of countries growing genetically modified crops
has increased in recent years, causing much debate over the safety of these
products. Till now genetically modified animals hadn´t been approved for use as
food.
Scientists argue that GM crops are more productive and have
a larger yield. Also they say that crops inbuilt resistance to pests, weeds and
disease, but this kind of food can affect both animals and humans.
As I said earlier maybe you haven´t realized jet that some
food from supermarkets is genetically modified, the reason is that they don´t
labeled them and it´s wrong and unfair for the consumers who should have the
right to know what they are buying.
The most used application for genetic modifications are
herbicide-resistance and pesticide- resistance, this could rise to super- weeds
and super-pests that would need stronger chemicals to destroy them.
When Farmers star growing genetically modified crop, they
stop growing the old varieties. These old varieties are important sources of
diverse genes that give plants other desirable characteristics.
The leftovers from processing crops, including GM crops are
used for animal feed. For example, approximately forty three percent of canola
seeds is oil. What remains after oil extraction is a meal that becomes an
ingredient in animal feed, and contains canola protein.
In Mexico, people is trying to avoid that the
genetically modified maize replace the dozens of native corn varieties which
are the center of origin and diversity of this staple crop.
There are so many alternatives for GM food. A good example
is ECO-FARMING it´s a project proposed by green peace. It protects the soil,
the water and the climate. It is a vision of sustainability in which food is
grown with health and safety by farmers from local communities, rather that
food controlling corporations.
Another alternatives with little changes are becoming vegan,
vegan food lovers are creative when it comes about food, or a simpler change is
buying organic food, this kind of food is produced by organic farming, which is
designed to promote ecological balance and conservation of biodiversity.
So next time you go to the supermarket you can decide
whether you want to eat real food or eat a lab experiment.
