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Supermarket or Farmer's Market

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Supermarket or Farmer's Market
Supermarket or Farmer’s Market I have been questioning the nutrition and health value of supermarket foods for the past few years because of the growing number of people suffering from obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. I have come to the conclusion through research that the foods that are manufactured for high production have less nutritional value and are overall unhealthy and unsafe for the environment as well as for the consumer. So what is the alternative? The term Organic Farming was first introduced in the 1940’s to describe an alternative to large production farming which is often referred to as Chemical Farming or Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) foods. Chemical Farming has affected the health of the consumer, the livelihood of the farmers and producers of non-GMO foods, ultimately compromising the overall nutritional value of our daily food consumption. Genetic Engineering technology is the act of altering or disrupting the natural blue prints of living organisms resulting in gene-foods to be sold for profit. This technology breaks down fundamental genetic barriers by randomly inserting genes of non-related species by use of viruses, anti-biotic resistant genes, and bacteria. This process alters the genetic code and then is passed on to offspring through heredity. There are over sixty million acres of GE crops in the United States being actively cultivated and up to 500,000 dairy cows are being injected with growth hormones. The danger of this active and growing industry is that the products are unpredictable causing hazards for human health, the environment, and the economy. Studies show that these foods have a low nutritional content resulting in higher rates of chronic disease, nutrient deficiencies, and over eating. In 1989, a common dietary supplement genetically engineered killed 37 Americans and permanently disabled over 5,000 others with a fatal blood disease. It was not until after this incident that the


Cited: "Government Regulations Favor Big Industrial, Not Small Local, Farms." Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. N.p., 2010. Web. 11 Feb. 2013. Is Factory Farming Harming America? N.p.: Greenhaven, 2006. Print. "Organically Produced Food Improves Human, Animal, and Environmental Health." Food 2008: 1. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 9 Feb. 2013. "Organic Farming." Encyclopedia of Environmental Ethics and Philosophy. N.p.: n.p., 2009. 1. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 9 Feb. 2013. "Organic Foods Are Healthier than Non-Organic Foods." Nutrition 2012: n. pag. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 9 Feb. 2013. "Organic Gardening and Farming." Environmental Encyclopedia. Vol. 2011. N.p.: n.p., 2011. 1. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 9 Feb. 2013.

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