viernes, 23 de diciembre de 2011

Genetically engineered food is food which is enhanced by the addition of genes from different species to make them better. Genes are, in the most basic interpretation, codes that are responsible for certain characteristics, the production of certain enzymes or to create a certain appearance, and in the case of genetically engineered food the genes are often put in place to create enhanced versions of regular food. Since it is quite a costly process to develop, genetically engineered food is patented by large corporations that are responsible for their research and development.Farmers who grow genetically engineered food are greatly benefitted by their added qualities. Some genetically engineered food crops are modified to be able to withstand certain herbicides so that the farmers are able to use them liberally to get rid of weeds while others are created with built in pesticides that repel bugs and other pests. Other genetically engineered food is created with long life and resilience to adverse weather conditions in mind. For instance, some species of corns are created to withstand the harsh chill of winter and to keep them from rotting in heavy rains. Other species such as tomatoes which are one of the first vegetables to be engineered are modified to have a more vibrant colour, better taste and much longer shelf life but also .The major disadvantage is the speculation that these pesticides and resilient genes can pass on to consumers to create u desirable conditions for them such as allergies, diseases and cancer. Though any of these effects are yet to be proven or actually reported, genetically engineered food continues to stock up super market aisles and to be purchased over natural foods. Nowadays, over 65 percent of food items are genetically engineered food or made with popular genetically enhanced components such as corn, rapeseed (canola) or soy. Even though reports exist that laboratory animals that have been fed genetically engineer ed food have suffered considerable organ damage and illnesses, humans are apparently immune to these effects. But the speculation hasn?t died that it may affect the future generations and their genetic makeup.

Due to the changes in climate, such as coldness, farmers are not able to do farming during certain periods of the year. Most of the foods do not tolerate extreme weather or climate changes, so as a result, crops may produce low volumes. In order to address this, genes of the plants that can withstand coldness have been added to the food producing plants, making the latter category more cold resistant. This is one of key benefits of genetically modified foods. As another benefits of genetically modified foods, in some other countries, paddy has been developed genetically where they can withstand low water supply. Water is one of the burning issues in some of the developing countries.

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