What are genetically modified foods?

What are genetically modified organisms? A gmo food is short for a genetically modified organism. A gmo food is one that undergoes some kind of genetic modification. These foods are changed from their natural state via recombinant DNA technology use. Recombinant DNA technology is when genes from a multiple living things are combined or when the genes from different organisms are arranged in a new pattern. What crops have been genetically modified? Many, many crops have been genetically modified and there are many more coming. The crops that are most often genetically modified are tomatoes, squash, corn, cotton, soybeans, canola, and alfalfa. There are many other crops that are being more frequently genetically modified are rice and sweet potatoes as well as fish, bananas, cows, fruit, and nut trees. The most recent genetically modified organisms to be released are genetically modified salmon. The salmon has been modified to grow twice as fast ten times faster on 25% less food. What year was the first crop genetically modified? The first crop to be genetically modified was the flavr savr tomato in 1987. This tomato contained a gene that prevented cell walls from breaking down when the fruit ripened over time. This allowed the tomato to be firm after extended shipping times. Since the flavr savr tomato over 10,000 gmo applications for different products have been applied for testing and over 92% have been approved to be tested. Genetically modified organism benefits: There are many benefits to gmo foods. Many of them are resistant to insects and herbicides. This allows more food to be created to help feed the growing population. So in theory, gmo food increases food/resource production with limiting costs. Other benefits include making crops resistant to viruses, adding nutrients to crops, and to make crops more resilient to different factors such as weather. Who produces gmo food? There are many countries that produce gmo food. The leader in gmo production is the United States. Other countries include Argentina, Brazil, Canada, India, China, Paraguay, and South Africa. In 2006, over 245 million acres of gmo crops were planted by over 10 million farmers in over 19 countries. What are the negative health effects of genetically modified foods? There are many negative effects of gmo food. One risk is that they cause allergic reactions. When the genes are transferred between foods, many allergic reactions may be caused. By changing the genes of food, the body is exposed to foods that are not familiar and thus, will create new allergies. This causes the body to fight off "foreign" foods and thus, may cause an allergic reaction. An example is when common allergies such as dairy and wheat are implemented into foods such as vegetables and legumes. Those that were once allergic to dairy and wheat are now allergic to the newly genetically modified vegetables and legumes. There are potentially many other negative effects as well. Many different rat studies conducted with gmo foods have resulted in the rats developing monster tumors. There is not enough research done on gmo foods, but based on current research, they could be a cause of many potential diseases and life-threatening tumors. Are gmo foods sold in the U.S.? The answer is a big "Yes!!!" It is estimated that about 65% of all foods sold in stores are gmo contaminated. The most common ones in the U.S. are corn and cotton. Who produces gmo food? The leader in gmo production is a company called Monsanto. Monsanto has been involved in shady business for a long time now. Major incidents include creating uranium for the Manhattan project, which lead to the creation of the atomic bomb, and becoming a leading manufacturer of synthetic fibers and plastics, such as polystyrene, which rank 5th in the list of chemicals by the EPA as the most hazardous waste. They were also responsible for DDT and Agent Orange, which are 2 hazardous chemicals responsible for the deaths of 3 million civilians/servicemen as well as 500,000 Vietnamese children being born with deformities. The list goes on and on, but this is the same company that is creating our food source. And if that was not enough, Michael Taylor, former vice president of Monsanto, is now a food and safety adviser of the FDA.