Its a form of biotechnological engineering that has given us far greater control over the food we produce.
There are several reasons for which this process of genetically enhancing food has led to such controversy.
Many of the foods we consume every day arelikely to contain GMOs.
Here are some of the genetically modified foods you probably have sitting in your fridge!
In this article
1.
Corn
In the USA, roughly 85% of the corn crops grown are genetically modified.
Otherwise it can be rather overwhelming to discuss once the sheer ubiquity of GMOs becomes apparent!
Corn is generally genetically modified to be resistant to the chemical pesticides used to kill weeds on plantations.
Not only are consumers eating this corn regularly, but it is a major ingredient in countless food products.
The majority of GMO corn, however, is used to feed livestock.
A staple crop in many parts of the world, potatoes are genetically modified for a number of reasons.
In some cases,potatoesare also being modified to protect against bruising and browning.
In this sense, GMO can be looked at favorably for fighting against food waste.
Apples
Apples are another crop that have undergone processes of biological modification for cosmetic reasons.
Some varieties are able to refrain from turning brown for up to two weeks after being sliced open!
Soybean
Of all the crops grown in the United States, soy is the one most heavily genetically modified.
Almost all of the soy crops yielded in the USA are the result of genetic modification.
Soy is a crop that has a whole range of uses outside of direct consumption.
Much of the GMO soy grown in the USA is used to feed livestock.
Other producers derive ingredients for their own products from the soy crop, such as emulsifiers.
This would have been a devastating loss of an industry if it werent for GMO.
Thanks to this modification, the Hawaiian islands manage to retain their papaya industry to this day.
Assessing the benefits and consequences of genetically modifying crops is clearly a divisive subject without a clear answer.
This is demonstrated in thevastly different policiesthat exist in relation to GMO products around the world.
