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Paula Wambui
Instructor Boyd
English 111
20 November 2015
Spilling the Bean
How safe is the food we eat? Do you ever wonder what side effects these processed foods
can cause? Technology has advanced, grown and transformed our world today. Some may
consider technology a positive thing, while others may oppose it. The advancement of
technology has caused an evolution in Genetically Modified organisms (GMO). GMOs have
been around for about ten thousand years. Humans began domesticating crops by using selective
breeding. In the 1990s the first GMOs were introduced to the marketplace. Most people should
question what is being placed in their foods. There has been an ongoing debate on the benefits of
using genetic engineering in everyday foods. Studies have shown that GMOs are capable of
harming unborn babies, causing health complications, and destroy the environment. It is safe to
say a lot of people within the United States are using GMOs without knowing. The American
system should label GMOs because of the negative effects it has on the human race.
Labeling can help consumers know about its hazards, it can keep track of effects that
GMOs cause and it gives consumers the right to choose.
Ongoing research and development has shown that GMOs bring out great risks to the
people who have ingested it. This can cause health complications. In 2011 the USDA approved
the planting of genetically enhanced sugar beets (sucrose) and alfalfa (hay for livestock) (Mount
4). This shows that there is an increase of genetically modified foods that appear each year. With
future developments the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to approve fast
growing salmon and cause pigs to produce omega 3 ( Mount, 5). According to the California's
Proposition 37 it states that exempted from labeling are the foods that are "certified organic;

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unintentionally produced with genetically engineered material for animals but not genetically
engineered themselves for humans. Proposition 37 indicates that sixty-one other countries label
GMOs so it should not be a major concern for the United States to join that list. Because the
FDA does not demand a set of safety guidelines for GMOs, consumers should be alerted. The
American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) did some test studies on rats and
indicated the health risks that correspond with GMOs (Avoiding Genetically Modified Foods 3).
The health risks found included infertility, accelerated aging, and changes in organs. The rats that
ate GMOs had decaying livers and were 16% heavier than rats who had natural foods (Smith 25).
There are a lot of concerns with GMOs and it only right if consumers know exactly what they are
taking. That's why it is important to label these foods. The AAEM has asked many family
doctors to inform their patients to stay away from genetically modified foods.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has avoided all concerns that come with
GMOs. There has been arguments made saying that labeling will make it easier to track and
detect issues with GMOs. Labeling the foods will allow researchers and investors to see what
kind of health problems GMOs contribute. It will also become unchallenging for doctors to keep
track of patients and for patients to keep track of how much genetically modified foods enters
their bodies. The AAEM studies also showed that a mother rat who fed their baby genetically
modified starch died in less than a month. The more GMOs a mother rat was provided the less
babies they had. When they got to the third generation the rats were unable to have babies. The
research had precise readings and follow ups so it made it easier to conclude that GMOs were
doing more harm than good. There is more than casual association between GM and adverse
health effects (Smith 1). Recently more manufactures and consumers are endorsing Proposition
37.
Consumers have the right to know what they are putting in their bodies. They should also
have the choice of whether or not they want to consume GMOs. Huge majorities of Americans

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favor mandatory labeling 92 percent for genetically modified foods (Modified Food Give
Consumer Cause 4). Many American want to labeling of GMOs. People want to know if genetic
engineering is not only harming them but also the environment. There are links of genetically
modified foods to global warming and nuclear waste. From 1996 to 2008 farmers have sprayed
three hundred million pounds of herbicide on genetically modified foods (The First Thirteen
Years 9.
Opposing sides may state that GMO labeling is not necessary. They believe that labeling
GMOs will not solve the issue of too much technology in food, pesticides, and government
control. Non supporters claim that GMO labeling is only for unorthodox reasoning. The FDA
claims that there is no health effects or dangers that are related to GMOs. A study by Cornell
University Professor William Lesser found that if GMO labeling is required in New York, a
family of four pay 500 dollars more a year (Ye He Lee 9). Many are agreeing that with GMO
labeling pricing will rise. Some see it as a waste of money because they feel like consumers will
neglect GMO labeling just like they neglect all the other labeling.
Some opposing sides may also argue that labeling GMOs may cause a consumer not to
buy the product because they might associate a negative mind to genetic engineering. The FDA
argues that there are no proven effects of GMOs therefore there shouldnt be a requirement to
label them. The FDA also states that The fact that a food contains GE ingredients does not
constitute a material change in the product. (Kennedy 3). They say this convincing the public
that GMOs are a hundred percent safe.
The American system should label GMOs because of the negative effects it has on the
human race. Labeling can help consumers know about its hazards, it can keep track of effects
that GMOs cause and it gives consumers the right to choose. Genetically modified foods are
toxic and it is important for a consumer to know what they are ingesting. Many people are

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against GMOs for and they have different reason on why they want labeling but the government
cannot reject the people's right to know what is in their foods

Works Cited

Abc News Poll: Food Safety 7/13/03, and Embargoed For Release After 6 A.m., Tuesday, July
15, 20. "Modified Foods Give Consumers Pause." EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE
AFTER 6 A.m., Tuesday, July 15, 2003 Modified Foods Give Consumers Pause (n.d.): n.
pag. ABC NEWS POLL: FOOD SAFETY. ABC News Network, 13 July 2003. Web. 03
Dec. 2015.

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"California Proposition 37, Mandatory Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food (2012) Ballotpedia." California Proposition 37, Mandatory Labeling of Genetically Engineered
Food (2012) - Ballotpedia. California Certified, 6 Nov. 2012. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.
"Health Warning Systems." SpringerReference (2011): n. pag. Avoid Genetically Modified
Foods. Responsible Technology. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.
Kennedy, Caitlin. ""No Need to Label GMOs" Says FDA." <i>BIOtechNow</i>. Iowa
Economics, 24 Mar. 2014. Web. 06 Dec. 2015.
Mellon, Margaret, Dr, and Mark Retzloff, Mr. "Impact of Genetically Engineered Crops on Farm
Sustainability in the United States." (2010): n. pag. The First Thirteen Years. The Organic
Center, 2002. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.
Mount, Rachel. "How Do Genetically Modified Foods Affect Your Health?" Oprah.com. Health
and Wellness, Apr.-May 2012. Web. 08 Dec. 2015.
Schlegel, Erich. "Would GMO Labeling Requirement Cost $500 More in Groceries per Family a
Year?" Washington Post. The Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2015. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.
Smith, Jeffery. "Institute for Responsible Technology." Institute for Responsible Technology.
Genetic Roulette, 2010. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.
Smith, Jeffery M. "Doctors Warn Avoid Genetically Modified Food." Institute for Responsible
Technology. Spilling the Beans, May 2009. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.