What is a GMO?
GMO stands for genetically modified organism. It refers to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology technology. These plants have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired attributes such as increased resistance to herbicides or boost nutritional content. The enhancement of desired attributes have commonly started through breeding, but ordinary plant breeding methods are often not very accurate, and will take up a lot of time. However, genetic engineering can generate plants with the exact desired attributes very rapidly and with great accuracy. There are a lot of health concerns that go along with GMO's, so if you wish to read more on the pros and cons of GMO's, click here. Pros & Cons of GMO's
GMO stands for genetically modified organism. It refers to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology technology. These plants have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired attributes such as increased resistance to herbicides or boost nutritional content. The enhancement of desired attributes have commonly started through breeding, but ordinary plant breeding methods are often not very accurate, and will take up a lot of time. However, genetic engineering can generate plants with the exact desired attributes very rapidly and with great accuracy. There are a lot of health concerns that go along with GMO's, so if you wish to read more on the pros and cons of GMO's, click here. Pros & Cons of GMO's
List of GMO Foods
Corn- is one of the most well known GMO's. About half of all U.S. farms growing corn for Monsato are using genetically modified corn for human consumption. When adding a trait to a crop plant, the gene must be inserted along with some extra genetic material. The soil in which provides bacteria and chemicals to the corn is modified to help make it grow faster and fresher.
Soy- is found in soybean oil, vegetarian products, soy flour, tofu, and a lot more other products. It is modified to withstand herbicides. It is one of the most common genetically engineered foods besides corn. In 2007, over half of the world's soybean crops were genetically modified. Each year, EU Member States import about 40 million tonnes of soy material, which are mainly produce food additives, but can be used for cattle, swine, and chicken food.
Diabetes-Fighting Lettuce- was invented at the University of Central Florida by Professor Henry Daniel. This lettuce contains the insulin gene and carries it into the intestines. This provokes the body's natural insulin which creates a response.
Non-Browning Apples- a biotechnology company in British Columbia named Okanagan Specialty Fruits of Summerland, has requested for approval from the U.S Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service for creating a GMO apple that doesn't brown after being sliced. These apples do not brown because the gene that produces the enzyme polyphenol oxidase, which would normally turn the apple brown after being sliced, is altered so it does not operate. They still brown, but just at a slower rate.
Flavr Savr Tomato- was created to slow down the ripening of tomatoes, and also keeps their natural flavour and colour the same. These tomatoes are very delicate, which makes it very hard to transport.
Fast-Growing Salmon- this modified fish has the same odour, flavour, colour, and texture as a regular salmon, but is altered so it will grow twice as fast. The debate on whether this GM salmon is healthy to eat or not is still being discussed, so it's recommended that you remain eating regular salmon for now.
Venomous Cabbage- was engineered to minimize the amount of pesticides being used, and to prevent caterpillars from damaging the cabbage. Scorpion poison is injected into the cabbage to kill off the caterpillars, but this is harmless to humans because the toxins have been modified.
Banana Vaccines- is like a regular banana but has added Iron, Provitamin A, and Vitamin E. This was created in the early 1990's by Charles J. Arntzen, who conceived a brilliant idea which created a way to have edible vaccines.
Dairy- contains a lot of growth hormones that effects your body in all sorts of ways (mainly bad). In fact, Monsato's health-hazardous rBGH is banned in 27 countries, but is still in most US cows. It's recommended that if you drink milk, buy organic milk because it is safest.
Aspartame- is a low-calorie sweetener, which is composed of two amino acids: aspartic acid and phenylalanine. They are chemically linked in a unique way. It is a toxic ingredient used in various food products, and is best to avoid eating for numerous reasons, including the fact that it is generated with genetically modified bacteria.
Hybrids
A lot of people are lead to believe that hybrids are GMOs, but that is not true. Hybridization is the act of mixing different species or varieties of animals or plants and thus to produce hybrids. It does not mix the genes of two different species, but instead mixes the pollen to create a new species. Here are some common hybrids mistaken for a GMO.
Grapple- is a very popular hybrid that is a cross between a grape and an apple. It is a fairly new fruit, and was originally created to provide a greater amount of Vitamin-C per fruit in third world countries. A grapple has the size and shape of an apple, but the texture of the grape. Its taste comes from both of the fruits. UNICEF funded the majority of the money to this fruit.
Graisin- was created by the National Institute of Genetics in Japan. It was created because the japanese loved large fruit and the raisin had recently become popular in Japan. The taste and texture are the exact same as a regular raisin, and it can also be served raw or thinly sliced in a stir fry. A graisin is a raisin which has become a larger version of its original size. The name comes from the two words "giant" and "raisin".
Pluot- is the combination of both a plum and an apricot. It can also be called plumcots, apriums or apriplums, but it is best known as pluots. This fruit is extremely sweet and takes the appearance of a plum. The pluot is 70% plum, and 30% apricot. They are very low in fat and also have a lot of nutritional value, which makes them a great fruit to snack on. The pluot was first sold in 1989 and were developed by a Californian fruit breeder named Floyd Zaiger. Hybridization is super complex. The climate has to be exact to correctly transfer pollen using a small brush. There are at least 25 different varieties of pluots which are trademarked by Zaiger's Genetics.
Tangelo- is the hybrid of a tangerine and a grapefruit. It is the size of a grapefruit, and has the taste of a tangerine. The first crosses were accomplished at Eustis, Florida, in 1898 by Dr. Walter T. Swingle, and at Riverside, California, in 1898 by Dr. Herbert J. Webber. Since they aren't like any other fruit, they have a own category set aside for them called Citrus X tangelo.
Lematos- is the combintaion of a lemon and a tomato, which is a tomato that emits a lemony scent. At the moment, it has no nutritional benefits that we know of. It is also very difficult to transport because it's so fragile and delicate.
Monsanto
Monsanto Company is a publicly traded American multinational chemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri. To read more about Monsanto Company, give these websites a look at:
http://www.monsanto.ca/Pages/default.aspx
http://www.march-against-monsanto.com/
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/05/monsanto200805
http://www.naturalnews.com/monsanto.htmlhttp://beyerbeware.net/2013/05/what-you-need-to-know-about-monsanto-gmo-food.html