Script

GM (Genetically modified) is a technology that involves inserting DNA into the genome
of an organism. To produce a GM plant, new DNA is transferred into plant cells. Usually,
the cells are then grown in tissue culture where they develop into plants. The seeds
produced by these plants will inherit the new DNA.

A genome is all of the genetic material in an organism. It is made of DNA (or RNA in
some viruses) and includes genes and other elements that control the activity of those
genes.

Tomatoes are normally picked before ripening when they are still green and ripened
artificially by ethylene treatment. The Flavr Savr tomatoes, however, are left to ripen on
the vine and still have a long shelf life, which was thought to allow them to develop their
full flavor.
Assertion :Genetically modified tomato Flavr Savr has increased shelf life and better
nutrient quality. Reason: This is achieved by reducing the degrading enzymes
responsible for spoilage of food and refrigeration.
Tomatoes have been engineered to have reduced levels of a pectin breakdown enzyme
called polygalacturonase. This not only increases shelf life, it makes the tomato
products thicker (higher pectin to water ratio), which is of interest to tomato processors.

The Flavr Savr tomato, which Californian company Calgene engineered to be more
rotten-resistant, was the first full food crop to be grown commercially via genetic
modification. Without any labeling alerting consumers that the tomatoes were a GM
food, the business Calgene was permitted to bring them into the market in 1994.
Customers adored the product and paid two to five times as much for the tomatoes as
they would have for conventional tomatoes. The product's ability to turn a profit was
eventually hindered by production issues and competition from a conventionally grown,
longer-lasting variant. In the summer of 1996, tomato paste was produced by Zeneca
using a Flavr Savr version and distributed throughout Europe.

It was demonstrated at the time that European customers will accept genetically
modified foods through a marketing trial involving the product's labeling and price. After
outbreaks of Mad Cow Disease occurred, this initially favorable attitude toward GM
foods drastically changed.
it was thought that the cattle prion disease bovine spongiform encephalopathy -- also
called BSE or mad cow disease -- was a foodborne disease. But his team's new
findings suggest that mad cow disease also is caused by a genetic mutation within a
gene called Prion Protein Gene.
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), or Mad Cow Disease
BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) is a progressive neurological disorder of
cattle that results from infection by an unusual transmissible agent called a prion. The
nature of the transmissible agent is not well understood.

Because of this, opposition to Monsanto's "Roundup-Ready" soybeans, one of the first

GM foods available to consumers, grew.
Monsanto's Roundup Ready soya has been genetically engineered (GE) to make the
soya tolerant to the herbicide glyphosate, which is also manufactured by Monsanto and
sold as Roundup. GE Roundup Ready soybean was one of the first GE crops ever
grown commercially. These soybeans were shown to cause reactions in individuals
allergic to Brazil nuts.

This reduced consumer confidence in government regulators. Some people were

concerned that this company's own herbicide would lead to a monopoly. In 1996,
commercial releases of insect-protected cotton and herbicide-tolerant soybeans were
the following GM crops. Since that time, GM crops have gained widespread acceptance
in the US. Additionally, they have been widely planted in a number of other nations,
including Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, India, and China, where agriculture accounts
for a sizable portion of the overall economy.
Despite the widespread usage of genetically modified foods, Europe has a very
unfavorable view of GMOs. The European anti-GM food campaign started with the
February 1999 debate over genetically modified potatoes being hazardous to lab rats.

claimed that the genetically modified potatoes had stunted growth and repressed the
rats' immune systems while thickening their gut mucosa. The intestinal mucosa is a site
of active drug metabolism that can contribute to presystemic drug or toxin inactivation
and can convert inactive prodrugs or toxins to their active forms. The intestinal mucosa
serves as the primary barrier between the immune system and the external environment
by producing a mucus layer.
It resulted in a ban on crop imports and growth in Europe, which sparked trade disputes
with the US. In Europe nowadays, genetically modified crops are quite uncommon. The
majority of the people has a very negative attitude against GMOs, and there are tight
labeling rules and regulations on GM goods. Even some African countries have
expressed opposition to GM crops, even to the point of rejecting food aid, as the
European governments believe the economic benefits of this technology to be small.
Genetically modified seeds were completely outlawed in Venezuela in April 2004, and
genetically modified maize couldn't be imported or planted in Hungary until January
2005. Then, in August 2006, it was discovered that American rice exported to Europe
contained unapproved engineered genes. Since then, the American government has
deemed the rice "safe for human consumption," a designation you might expect to see
on an experimental chemical of some sort. As there is no mandatory labeling
requirement for GMOs, most Americans are likely unaware they are consuming them,
which has led to much less concern about genetically modified foods in the US.
Concerns about GM foods and crops typically center on issues like human and
environmental safety, consumer choice and labeling, intellectual property rights, ethics,
food security, eliminating poverty, and environmental preservation.
Fears about the consequences of GMOs on people and the environment are growing
along with the use of GMOs. Crop plants are by far the most typical genetically modified
creatures, but the technique is currently used on practically all kinds of life, which is
where the danger resides. Pets that glow under UV light, bacteria that forms an HIV-
blocking living condom in humans, mice that create beneficial fish oils, salmon that
matures quickly, and goats that produce spider silk in their milk are just a few of the
effects of technology.
Even GM crops, according to critics, carry a significant risk. Foods that are genetically
modified, or "Frankenstein foods," may have unintended negative health impacts on
humans who consume them. GMOs generating harmful proteins and spreading
antibiotic resistance are two of these concerns. Another danger is that genetically
altered crops could develop into invasive superweeds. The ability of GM plants to repel
insects is considered to hasten the evolution of pests that are immune to insecticides,
leading to the rapid emergence of "super pests."
Studies have demonstrated that unintentional crossbreeding or contamination occurs
more frequently than one might imagine, despite the belief of some that it does not.
Numerous experiments carried out by the UK government proved that gene transfer
does take place. The transmission of transgenic genes from the United States to
traditionally grown maize crops in Mexico was proven by a research in 2002. According
to a 2004 study, typical US food crop varieties were heavily contaminated. According to
a different study, GM plant pollen can travel up to ten kilometers in the wind and
contaminate other crops. It is uncertain what proportion of crops are genetically
modified (GM) in agriculture in the United States and around the world compared to
traditional crops. Because it would be difficult to keep track of GM crops if the
percentages were unknown, there would be a very high likelihood of cross-
contamination between GM and non-GM crops.
GMOs in the Philippines
In the Philippines, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have generated
debate. Many individuals claim that GMOs are bad for the environment, can result in
"genetic pollution," and should not be consumed by humans.
In contrast, amid the controversy surrounding this biotechnological advancement, more
than 3,500 scientists from around the world, including more than 110 Nobel laureates,
signed a letter to Greenpeace International requesting that they "reexamine the
experience of farmers and consumers worldwide with crops and foods improved
through biotechnology; recognize the findings of authoritative scientific bodies and
regulatory agencies; and abandon their campaign against GMOs, generally."
Filipino researchers introduced genetically modified organisms (GMO) products to
Philippine agriculture as a means of battling hunger and nutrient deficiencies. The World
Food Program (WFP) estimates that one in nine individuals worldwide lack sufficient
food to maintain a healthy lifestyle. There are 795 million hungry people in the globe,
the majority of them live in developing nations where 12.9 percent of the population lack
food to eat.
This is an even more serious issue for the Philippines. In comparison to its fellow
ASEAN members, the Philippines has the greatest rate of poverty. The Philippines has
a lot of work to do to reduce poverty and address public health issues like VAD because
the country has a poverty rate of 25.8%. This is where genetically modified organisms
(GMO), such as Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn, Bt talong (eggplant), and Golden Rice,
come into play: as a way to lessen and ultimately put an end to the fight against VAD
and hunger. According to GMO experts and supporters, it also intends to give farmers
the opportunity to produce food while growing responsibly and effectively without the
risk of a scarcity or insect attacks that destroy their crops.

In terms of area harvested and financial value, corn is the third most significant crop in
the Philippines. Additionally, according to the authors, corn is a major source of income
for about 600,000 Filipino farm households. As a result of the improved yields of GM
maize, the nation produced 8 million tons of corn in 2019 compared to 4.5 million tons in
2000, with the area of harvested corn dropping throughout this time.

The Asian corn borer is a highly destructive insect pest that decreases yields and can
wipe out up to 80% of a crop. The Philippines approved genetically modified maize for
commercial use in December 2002, primarily to aid farmers in controlling the pest.
The Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) gene, which provides the crop with natural resistance to
the pest, is present in the GM yellow corn. Since then, several kinds have been
released that contain both pest-resistance and herbicide tolerance characteristics,
allowing farmers to spray to manage weeds in their fields without harming the corn crop.
Since October 2020, a total of 42 GM events have been authorized for use in the
Philippines, including 12 for commercial planting and 30 for direct use as food, feed, or
processing.
The researchers calculated the growth in total factor productivity (TFP) of corn output
with and without GM technology before evaluating the economic effects of utilizing the
technology using a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model of the Philippine
economy.
The use of GM technology in maize production in the Philippines is favorable and
substantial, according to the authors' writing.

How can GMOs help solve poverty?

Why is that? Because GMO crops are more nutritious, tastier, disease free, require less
land, use less pesticides, have longer shelf life, increase yield and are faster growing.
All of this brings the cost of food down, while increasing the value of the product.
Farmers achieved higher income due to the increased yield of GM corn and reduced
use of pesticides.

How do GMOs lead to less biodiversity?

Genetic modification produces genetically modified animals, plants and organisms. If
they are introduced into the environment they can affect biodiversity. For example,
existing species can be overrun by more dominant new species. These and other
potential effects are considered during the licensing procedure.

How does GMO use less land?

This means that farmers can use the minimal amount of fertilizer, pesticides, water and
fuel needed to produce a crop and protect or increase yields. These practices have a
direct impact on protecting agricultural land, specifically in terms of soil health.

However, this process is not restricted to wild plants and can occur between any type of
plant, including wild crops and GMOs, if they are reproductively compatible. When GM
plants are in close proximity with wild plants, they can cross-pollinate, producing a
hybrid version of the two.