CELIS, REBECCA

BO4MA
WRITTEN TASK # 14: Essay on Genetically Modified Organisms
GMO is genetically modified organism are organisms whose genetic material has been
altered using genetic engineering techniques. Microorganisms such as bacteria and yeast,
plants, fish, and mammals are examples of genetically modified organisms. GMO are a common
source of genetically modified foods, as well as for scientific research and the production of
valuable commodities other than food. GM foods are foods that are made with or from
genetically modified organisms.
Transfer of genes from typically allergenic organisms to non-allergic organisms is
discouraged in principle unless it can be proved that the transferred gene's protein product is
not allergenic. While traditional breeding methods are not normally examined for allergenicity,
the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health
Organization (WHO) have evaluated methodologies for evaluating GM foods. There have been
no reported allergy reactions to GM foods currently on the market. If the transferred genetic
material has a negative impact on human health, gene transfer from GM foods to body cells or
bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract would be a matter for concern. This would be especially
important if antibiotic resistance genes, which are utilized as markers in GMO development,
were to be transferred. Outcrossing of genes from GM plants into conventional crops or closely
related species in the wild, as well as the mixing of crops grown from conventional seeds with
GM crops, may have an indirect impact on food safety and security.
GM foods that are now accessible on the international market have undergone safety
testing and are unlikely to pose a health risk to humans. Furthermore, no adverse impacts on
human health have been reported as a result of the general public's use of such foods in
nations where they have been approved. Resistance to insect damage, resistance to viral
infections, and tolerance to particular herbicides are among the three fundamental features
used in today's GM crops on the international market. Recently, GM crops with higher nutrient
content (for example, soybeans with increased oleic acid) have been investigated. The ability of
the GMO to escape and potentially introduce the engineered genes into wild populations; the
persistence of the gene after the GMO has been harvested; the susceptibility of non-target
organisms to the gene product; the gene's stability; the reduction in the spectrum of other
plants, including loss of biodiversity; and increased use of chemicals in agriculture are all issues
to be concerned about.