Food. It's everywhere, for the store to the stove to the washing machine, we
can't live without it. But when you think of food, you assume what? That
it's grown from the ground? Or that some animal had to die to give you your
food? But what if the fish you're about to eat for supper didn't come from
where you think?
As James Freeman, of U.S.A. Today puts it, "There's no escape. You are
consuming mass quantities of genetically modified food. The milk on your
Cheerios this morning came from a genetically modified cow, and the Cheerios
themselves featured genetically modified whole grain goodness. At lunch
you'll enjoy French fries from genetically modified potatoes and perhaps a
bucket of genetically modified fried chicken."
Last year, at our city-wide speech competition, there was a girl who talked
about genetically modified fish. She said that this could actually be the
first animal that we may eat, genetically modified, that is. She talked
about how their life spans were different, and how their eggs didn't
develop the same way real fish's eggs developed.
A while ago, a group of scientists tried to sell genetically modified milk.
It was declared unsafe, so they can't sell it on the market. But who knows,
in a couple of years, it'll have a few touch-ups and be safe. It'll be on
every kitchen table by the time we have kids.
Did you know? Americans are eating lots of genetically modified food without
really knowing. No one has really proven or disproven whether this is actually safe or not. The FDA laws state that if a food is changed drastically, it must be stated on the label, especially if it could cause allergic reaction. Do you trust yourself to eat it?
So far, humans have successfully "cloned" chickens, sheep, cows, fish, apples, milk, mushrooms, and more. Not only may this be unhealthy for humans, but it could also be deadly for the environment. Some scientists believe genetically modified plants could mix with wild crops, jeopardize natural resources and make the weeds more violent and severe.
While certain changes to some foods could be healthier, what are we adding
or taking away that could be harmful. Is Mother Nature meant to be re-made,
science style? Isn't what we've got good enough?
This is Giggler01, going to bed, and taking her foods organically grown,
thank you very much.
P.S. I got my information from the following websites:
Online: http://www.organicconsumers.org/rBGH/unsaferbgh.cfm
Online: SpeakOut.com "Should Genetically Modified Foods Be Labeled?" by Barbara McCuen
Online: Ucsusa.com "biotechnology"
Editor's Note: Fantastic research, Giggler01! Now, I'm curious what kind of research can be done to support the other side of your argument... who wants to take up that challenge?
