Increasing human population Essay

It can transfer genes across species boundaries; more importantly, across huge taxonomic divides. It can also enable the incorporation of laboratory synthesised nucleic acids for designer purposes. GM foods can be divided into those that contain tissues and nucleic acids from the GM source organism (e. g. tomato puree) and those that contain purified derivatives that may be chemically indistinguishable from the same ingredients isolated from non-GMO`s (e. g. the phospholipid, lecithin and other specified oils and proteins from Soya). Provided these purified ingredients are chemically identical to those from non-GMO sources, they should not alter existing health risks. Unfortunately, complete purity is unachievable. Foods that contain original GMO tissue may contain unexpected components and alien nucleotide sequences. The Questions arise: can alien nucleotide sequences be transferred to the gut micro-organisms or be absorbed by human tissues, perhaps through phagocytosis or the agency of viral transduction?. If they can, what are the risks to human health generated as a consequence?. The Biochemist P32 October 1999 ? 1999 The Biochemical Society The technology will allow us to create in major crop plants materials we formerly had to obtain from other sources – such as industrial feed stocks or medicines. Pepper. G. Crop Sciences Dept University of Illinois Crops that resist drought and disease promise to transform the lives of poor farmers -if only they could afford them Five million Brazilians faced starvation this year. This time it was a drought related to El Nii o that halved grain crops in the northeast of the country, but next year it will be something else. Famine is perennial in Brazil. In September Monsanto, the world’s largest supplier of genetically modified seeds, announced it would invest $550 million in Brazil to build a factory producing its herbicide Roundup. Shortly afterwards the Brazilian government made Monsanto’s Roundup-resistant Soya beans the country’s first legally approved, genetically engineered crop. The Soya beans will boost profits for the big landowners who grow them to feed beef cattle for export. But most rural Brazilians are subsistence farmers who do not grow Soya. No help will trickle down from Monsanto’s beans to the starving millions. The story exemplifies the limited contribution genetically modified crops have made so far to eradicating world hunger. It is not that biotech companies are uninterested in the developing world. Far from it: Brazil and other newly industrialising countries are in fact prime targets, with their growing demand for agricultural products, little opposition to biotechnology, and farmers who have risen above hard graft subsistence, but have not yet become customers of the world’s seed and agrochemicals conglomerates. Crops that thrive despite drought and salty soils could also let farmers expand production into marginal lands. And the nutritional content of staples could be improved. If maize, for example, can be made to produce more of the amino acids it naturally lacks, the 80 million people who live almost exclusively on maize would get more protein. Ganesh Kishore, head of nutrition at Monsanto, says: â€Å"We can make it into a complete balanced meal. † Arber. W. (Article: The Bio industry Association 1999 http://www. bioindustry. org/) Genetically modified crops are no more dangerous to the environment than traditional crops and could boost corn, rice and other food yields by as much as 25 percent in developing countries http://www.freep. com/news/health/qdiet141. htm Foods can also be genetically modified to ensure that they last longer by removing or adding certain genes. This process gives them a greater shelf life and means they are less prone to bruising when in transit. They are also less likely to lose their colour and more importantly, retain more of their nutrients. This ultimately gives consumers a better product and reduces the amount of waste for the producers and retailers. Proteins vital to our diets can be added to foods which don’t ordinarily contain them, which is important for people lacking them. In time, this will also be true of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. http://www. futuradesign. co. uk/gm/ With respect to the information I have studied herein I conclude that genetic modification of foods is not without some induced risk as totally alien genes are being inserted into organisms from unrelated species. This has been shown to possibly alter the new organism’s `properties` as a food substrate either beneficially or adversely. I believe that GM foods have great potential in providing food for an ever increasing population where more traditional agricultural techniques may struggle to cope or fail. However, efficient regulation of the market is necessary and the proactive techniques which have developed to meet this demand may have played a significant part in public rejectance of GM techniques in some countries. 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