Genetically Modified Foods: Their Benefits and Drawbacks

Dear Senator Cornyn, As a United States Senator representing the assure of Texas, you know that representing the best inte ends of your constituents is a full clip job. Perhaps cardinal of the most important items in the lives of Texans is how and where their supply of food is produced. While blueprint agricultural techniques do provide many of the food in the grocery today, genetically limited foods, or GM foods are quickly seemly an integral part of Americas food system. This earn is being submitted to offer you a brief summary of what genetically change foods are, their benefits, and their drawbacks.It is our hope that you will delectation this information to make informed decisions concerning this controversial subject. Specifically speaking, genetic transition is a special set of technologies that alter genetic makeup of organisms much(prenominal) as wights, plants, or bacteria. It is a form of biotechnology in which special gene sequences are inserted into a speci fic plant or animal so that the trait exhibited by the gene is manifested in the plant or animal. By allowing specific genes to be re-combined, the value of the recipient organism drop be greatly increased.The effectiveness risks attributed to much(prenominal) a genetically engineered puzzle out can also be increased. Based on the available information, thither are quite a number of tangible benefits to genetically modified plants. Crops can be genetically engineered to be more than resistant to pests, both plant or animal. By making such plants as corn, soybeans or even alfalfa more resistant, the resultant crop yields are larger, and the urgency for environmentally dangerous pesticides or herbicides are decreased greatly.Other crops, such as rice, have been genetically modified to include iron and Vitamin A to increase their health benefits. There are some risks involved with use genetically modified crops. One of the most far reaching is the accident of the genetically m odified foods injureing other organisms. A recent study of Cornell University indicated that a gene for a bacterial toxin inserted into corn was poisonous to monarch solicit larvae. It is a prime example of the far reaching affects of such alteration in the food system.Another risk inherent in this eccentric person of modification is uncontrolled enshroud-pollination. Once a modified gene is fit(p) within a plant, it is extremely difficult to prevent it spreading to the rest of the crop. There is a strong possibility of a once preferred modification becoming an undesirable trait in another plant. Finally, the modified plants that have an increased resistance to pests and weeds can in time promote the evolution of more resilient weeds and pests through cross breeding or selective evolution.At the time, no medical harm to humans has been traced to ingesting genetically modified foods. It should be remembered, that is not the same as proving that genetically modified organisms po se no potential dangers. It is our hope that this letter will provide you with a very brief overview of the many benefits and potential drawbacks of genetically modified foods. Please feel free to contact us or other industry experts if you require further or more detailed information.