A) Genetic Modification Could
Make Food Healthier And Reduce Waste: The non-bruising potato is here, but
will consumers buy it?
Link
to article:
Part B:
I think that “designer foods” that are genetically altered
to meet the demands and expectations of consumers, instead of farmers, is a
strange concept and may have unintended consequences. In the United States, grocery
stores, restaurants, hotels and individuals are wasting millions of pounds of
potatoes every year and other produce because it does not look good. Companies
and farms are turning to genetic modification to fix the perceived “defects”. These potatoes also have been modified to have less of a
chemical, acrylamide which
is a potential cancer- causing when it is heated to high. Despite these
benefits, I am still concerned about the long-term effects of GMOs on human
health. It may be time to follow the lead of scientists in supporting GMOs. Still,
I wonder if genetic modification is the only way for us to help reduce food waste.
It seems like we could be reusing the discarded food in a new way or could we
consider changing our mindsets about what edible food should look like.
C) - The Bullet Answers:
1)
The global impact, national impact, and local / personal impact.
Creating
perfect-looking potatoes and other “designer foods” that are resistant to bruising
and contain less acrylamide may not be seen as a
necessity to genetically alter foods on a global scale but could reduce food
waste in some developed nations. In
the United States, these GMOs could help prevent reduce the amount of food that
was wasted due to American consumers’ expectations for perfect produce. As a
consumer, I may not notice the difference at the grocery store because the
stores usually just throw away the less appealing or damaged produce anyways. I would appreciate being able to purchase
potatoes and other foods with added benefits. Cooking potatoes with less
acrylamide reduces carcinogens when cooked, which is a bonus health benefit
that may outweigh the risk of GMOs.
2) Forecast the range of impact over the short term (the next 2
months to 2 years), to the long term (next 20 years to 20 + decades).
In the
next 20 years, I believe we will see more “designer foods” genetically modified
to perfection, with scientific advances in improving our foods through genetic
modification. Next decade, I believe we will have a better understanding of how
the GMOs are influencing people’s health and I think that more people will
embrace it as a necessity to feed our planet’s growing population.
3) What could you do,
or could be done to create the greatest positive
impact on the future.”
GMO
foods reduce food waste and provides more appealing produce for the consumer.
These modifications have the potential to create healthier foods and feed more
people. Feeding our growing population on this planet and improving the health
of the public would be the greatest benefit.
4 4) “What could you do, or could be done to create the greatest negative impact on the future.”
Although we have an enormous food waste problem, there
are still unknown about the long-term p impact of GMOs on our health. If consumers are not willing to embrace imperfections
in foods, like bbruised potatoes, we could be going down a dangerous path in
which we are unnecessarily altering the g genetic makeup of foods to meet the
whims of the general public. By altering potatoes and other
foods, we could
potentially be harming, not improving public health.
5 5) “Which region of the future” does this related closest most to or
does this fit in between – or perhaps a region of the future you’d like to
define for yourself.
Biotech. Nature tech, human tech
Questions for class:
Are genetically modified foods the only solution to reducing
food waste?
What makes us think GMOs are dangerous?
What are some potential benefits to embracing GMO
potatoes?
S Should foods be genetically altered to meet consumer
needs?
Example of marketing solving the "food aesthetics" problem:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/07/16/french-supermarket-food-waste-campaign-ugly-fruit-and-veg_n_5590619.html
As for danger:
“The argument advanced… for the safety of GM food is false… Yes, the DNA of all living organisms is made up of just four nucleosides, and yes, virtually all proteins are made up from just 20 amino acids. But this does not imply that everything containing these basic building blocks is without risk to human beings. The same units, arranged in different ways, are contained in the smallpox virus, bubonic plague and influenza, deadly nightshade and other poisonous plants, creatures such as poisonous jellyfish, scorpions, deadly snakes, sharks – and people who talk absolute nonsense.”
– G. D. W. Smith, Fellow of the Royal Society, professor of materials, Oxford University, UK1
“Most studies with GM foods indicate that they may cause hepatic, pancreatic, renal, and reproductive effects and may alter haematological [blood], biochemical, and immunologic parameters, the significance of which remains to be solved with chronic toxicity studies.”
– Artemis Dona, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, University of Athens Medical School, Greece, and Ioannis S. Arvanitoyannis, University of Thessaly School of Agricultural Sciences, Greece2"