Gmo Persuasive Speech

GMOs

86% of all corn crops produced by the end of this year will have been genetically modified. (NEXT SLIDE) Many of us have probably heard the term GMO before. But today I would like to inform you on what GMOs are, why they’re being used and which foods exactly are genetically engineered. In addition to this ill provide some information on the labeling of GMOs and the risks and effects of them. You yourself probably eat GMOs every day; 30,000 different GMOs exist on grocery store’s shelves. (NEXT SLIDE)
To begin, GMO literally stands for Genetically Modified Organisms. Expanding on that, these organisms, that are genetically modified, are plants or animals created through the gene splicing techniques of biotechnology. This experimental
technology merges DNA from different species, creating unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding. Genetic engineering is a way to speed up and control the plant-breeding process by alerting or inserting specific genes in a food crop. But the question is, why do we do this? Why do we create these genetically modified foods? Most genetically engineered crops on the market were designed to survive herbicide treatment, produce their own pesticides and resist certain diseases. For example, when a gene from a certain microbe is inserted into a crop, it allows the plant to produce an insecticide that kills caterpillar pests. GM foods are also developed because their perceived advantage is meant to translate into a product with a lower price and greater benefit. Farmers select GMOs to reduce yield loss and to decrease their use of chemical pesticides.
To more forward, I am sure everyone is interested in knowing, which foods are genetically modified. (NEXT SLIDE) There are currently eight crops commercially available from GMO seeds in the US. These include, corn, soybeans, cotton, canola, alfalfa, sugar beets, papaya and squash. Animal products that are genetically modified consist of milk, meat, honey and eggs. When looking at only these few crops and products, it doesn’t seem like a lot. However these GM foods are found in the ingredients of over 80% of packaged foods in the US. Digging a little deeper, we can see how… (NEXT SLIDE) consider the beloved cookie known as the Oreo. Many of us don’t think twice about that having a GMO ingredient. But when reading the ingredient list on the back of the package we can stumble across two specific ones. Corn syrup and cornstarch are in fine print. These two ingredients are produced from one of the top 10 GMO foods, corn. The Oreo is only one example of the hundreds of packaged foods containing GMOs. The Average American eats 193 pounds of genetically modified foods each year.
The next question to move to now would be, how do we know if the food we eat has been genetically modified? The answer is we don’t. (NEXT SLIDE) The US produces the highest number of genetically modified foods in the world. While over 40 countries have significant restrictions or bans on GMOs, the United States and Canada do not even require the labeling of them. (NEXT SLIDE) The federal government, however, is currently lobbying to pass a law that labels all GM foods. Out of a CBS news poll 87% of Americans agree to have genetically engineered foods labeled, 53% said they would not buy the GM foods and 900,000 of them have sent comments to the FDA about this labeling. Over one million Californians have said “we have the right to know what we eat” and are currently encouraging people to say the same.
In addition to knowing all of this information on GMOs, it’s equally important to know of the risks and effects of them.
(NEXT SLIDE) There has been no long-term human testing of the results of consuming these foods. This is the case due to the fact that there is no labeling. This “non labeling” of the genetically modified foods, leads to no traceability of harmful effects and therefore, there is no liability. But, there has been years of animal testing with GMOs. This animal testing has shown infertility, immune system suppression, accelerated aging, allergic reactions and altered genes and organs. A 2005 study was done on two pregnant rats. (NEXT SLIDE) One was fed a natural soy and the other a GM soy. After each of the rats gave birth to their litters, the litter that’s mother was fed GM soy were a 1/3 of the size of the litter that’s mother was fed the natural soy. This study showed the birth size effects of GMOs on the babies of the mother. But, GMOs have not been proven harmful to humans. There is a list of potential health risks that have been considered but not tested, including allergens, increased toxicity, decreased nutrition, and antibiotic resistance. As a result of the fact that the human consumption on GM foods is not adequately tested, the US is really unsure and unclear of the
effects.
The main goal of my presentation today was to breakdown the controversial topic of genetically modified foods, I provided some important key information. After first explaining what GMOs are and why they are produced, I outlined the top foods that are made from GMO seeds and how these foods are used in ingredients of over 80% of packaged foods. I then talked about the labeling of the genetically engineered foods and how the law is currently being lobbied. I ended with the conclusion that due to the insufficient testing we have today; there is no confirmation of health risks or effects of GMOs on humans. So the question remains, are these foods indeed creating health risks? (NEXT SLIDE)
I would like to end with this in mind; it took decades for the dangers of trans-fat to become understood. If there are potential health risks in consuming genetically modified foods, I question how long it will take to discover them.