Agriculture Today

Genetically Engineered Agricultural Practices

Jennifer KitchenHW220-01

May 24, 2011

Agriculture as We Know It

• The production of crops, livestock, or poultry.

• The cultivating of land and rearing of crops and livestock.

• Farming!

What is Biotechnology?

• The use of microorganisms, such as bacteria or yeasts, or biological substances, such as enzymes, to perform specific industrial or manufacturing processes. – Applications include production of;

• Pharmaceuticals• Synthetic hormones• Foodstuffs • Fibers• Animal feeds

What is Genetic Engineering?

• The science of altering genes to produce a new trait in an organism or to make a biological substance, such as a protein or hormone.

• Involves the creation of recombinant DNA, which is then inserted into the genetic material of a cell.

• A desired trait from one plant or animal species is isolated and then inserted into another plant or animal species.

• Genetically engineered organisms are also known as genetically modified or transgenic.

Pros of GMOs

• Sustainability.• Food security.• Increased production yields.• Drought resistant crops.• Crops that use soil nutrients more efficiently.• Crops with higher nutritional content.• Plants that produce pharmaceuticals. • Herbicide tolerant crops.• Pest resistant crops.• Reduced erosion.

(Biotechnology Industry Organization, 2010)

Cons of GMOs

• Allergic reaction.• Antibiotic resistance.• Loss of nutrition.• Damage to environment.• Gene mutation.• Gene pollution.• Cross-pollination (super-weeds).

(Sustainable Table, n.d.)

Some Genetically Engineered Foods

1. Rapeseed (canola)

2. Corn

3. Sweet corn

4. Cotton

5. Soybean

6. Rice

7. Papaya

8. Tomatoes

9. Cherry Tomatoes

10.Sugar Cane

11. Potatoes

12.Strawberries

13.Flax

14.Squash

15.Chicory

16.Tobacco

17.Peas

18.Meat

19.Dairy products

20.Honey

21.Alfalfa

22.Sugar beet(Butcher, 2009)

Who Makes these Foods?

Corporations• Monsanto- the makers of Roundup and

other herbicides.• DuPont- the makers of a variety of

insecticides and herbicides• Dow Chemical Corporation- the makers of

chemicals, plastics, oil and gas, and many other modern products.

(Monsanto, DuPont, Dow Chemical corporation)

• 4 countries grow 99% of the world’s GM crops…

• US (68%) • Argentina (22%) • Canada (6%) • China (3%)

(Sustainable Table, 2011).

The 3 most common GM foods;o Soybeanso Rapeseedo Sweet corn

(Bionet, 2011).

Who Regulates these New Foods?

• Food & Drug Administration (FDA).• US Department of Agriculture (USDA).• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

(Schlenker & Roth, 2011)

Do You Know What You Are Eating?

You may not know if you are eating a product that contains ingredients from a GM source.

GM food sources do not require labeling unless the modification; increased the allergenicity reduced the nutrient content

(Schlenker & Roth, 2011).

Look for this label…Ingredients change in products all the time.

If you do not see the Non-GMO Project label the best thing

you can do is check the ingredients list of the products you

buy.

Keep a look out for:

• Corn: corn oil, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, corn

starch, corn meal

• Soy: soy protein, soy lecithin, soy oil, soy sauce, soy

isolates

• Canola: canola oil

• Cotton: cottonseed oil(Center for Food Safety, n.d.)

What Can You Do?• Vote with your fork!• Buy organic!• Demand labeling!• Petition for a GMO-free World!• Look for foods that are labeled GMO free!• Visit

– sustanabletable.org– truefoodnow.org– responsibletechnology.org

References

• Bionet, (2002). Future Food. Retrieved from http://www.bionetonline.org/english/content/ff_cont1.htm .

• Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), (2010). Food & Agriculture. Retrieved from

http://www.bio.org/foodag/ .

• Butcher, M. (2009). Genetically Modified Food - GM Foods List and Information. Retrieved from http://

www.disabled-world.com/fitness/gm-foods.php .

• Center for Food Safety, (n.d.). The True Food Shoppers’ Guide to Avoiding GMOs. Retrieved from http

://truefoodnow.org/shoppers-guide/

• Dow Chemical Corporation, (2011). Dow website. Retrieved from http://www.dow.com/ .

• DuPont, (2011). DuPont website. Retrieved from http://www2.dupont.com/DuPont_Home/en_US/index.html .

• Institute for Responsible Technology, (2010). Non-GMO Shopping Guide: How to avoid foods made with

genetically modified organisms. Retrieved from http://nongmoshoppingguide.com/Non-GMO-Shopping-Guide.pdf

.

• Monsanto, (2011). Monsanto website. Retrieved from http://www.monsanto.com/Pages/default.aspx .

• Schlenker, E. and Roth, S., (2011). Williams’ Essentials of Nutrition and Diet Therapy. Missouri; Elsevier Mosby.

• Sustainable Table, (n.d.). The Issues: Genetic Engineering. Retrieved from http

://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/ge/ .

• Pictures from Microsoft Office Program Clipart.

• Definitions from http://dictionary.reference.com/ .