Background information
Genetically modified organisms are basically any plants or animals that have been genetically engineered with DNA from bacteria, viruses or other plants and animals.
They’re not safe. They’re banned in more than 60 countries. However, they are approved in the United States because of an experiment done by a company who would benefit from the sale of genetically modified organisms.
Solution
They should be allowed but they must be labeled.
Reasons from source 1 (https://www.downtoearth.org/label-gmos/gmo-foods-should-be-labeled)
“We have the right to know what is in our food” especially since:
“As of 2011, 88% of U.S. corn is genetically engineered as are 94% of soy, 95% of sugar beets, 90% of canola oil, 90% of cotton, and about 80% of Hawaiian papaya. Also, this spring marked the first planting of GMO alfalfa”.
Reasons from source 2 (http://www.nongmoproject.org/learn-more/)
“Because GMOs are novel life forms, biotechnology companies have been able to obtain patents with which to restrict their use. As a result, the companies that make GMOs now have the power to sue farmers whose fields are contaminated with GMOs, even when it is the result of inevitable drift from neighboring fields. GMOs therefore pose a serious threat to farmer sovereignty and to the national food security of any country where they are grown, including the United States”.
Reasons from source 3 (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carole-bartolotto/why-genetically-modified-food_b_4039114.html)
“The bottom line is that we have a product in our food supply with unknown health and environmental implications. At the very least, we should have these foods labeled. However, try as we might, we cannot make that happen in the U.S. Even though 9 out of 10 people want them labeled, the biotech companies and food manufacturers do not”.
All three of these sources are very qualified and credible sources. They come from official and legitimate websites.
These reasons would help solve the problem because this way the consumer has the choice of buying the genetically modified organism. Even if they’re not banned entirely, labeling the product gives the consumer the choice because we have the right to know.
Things that would limit the effectiveness of the solution
If these GMO’s were allowed in the market, some people might buy them thinking that they were beneficial to their health when in reality they’re harmful
Work Cited:
Source 1
"GMO Foods Should Be Labeled." Down to Earth. N.p., n.d. Web.
Source 2 "GMO Foods Should Be Labeled." Down to Earth. N.p., n.d. Web.
Source 3
Bartolotto, Carole. "Why Genetically Modified Foods Should Be Labeled." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 04 Oct. 2013. Web.
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