FREE ESSAY ON INTRO TO GENETIC ENGINEERING

INTRO TO GENETIC ENGINEERING

A whooping 60% of what's on our supermarket shelves may contain genetically engineered
soya. Some 3000 genetically engineered foods are lined up for approval. How should
genetically engineered (GE) foods be regulated? Foremost, we must clarify what genetic
engineering is-- laboratory technique used by scientists to change the DNA of living
organisms. DNA is the blueprint for the individuality of an organism. The organism relies
upon the information stored in its DNA for the management of every biochemical process.
The life, growth and unique features of the organism depend on its DNA. Genes are the
segments of DNA, which have been associated with certain functions of an organism.
Molecular biologists have discovered many enzymes, which change the structure of DNA in
living organisms. Some of these enzymes can cut and join strands of DNA. Using such
enzymes, scientists learned to cut specific genes from DNA and to build customized DNA
using these genes. They also learned about strands of DNA-viruses-- which can infect a
cell and insert themselves into its DNA, so, scientists started to build viruses which
made genes of their choosing and used the new viruses to insert these genes into the DNA
of living organisms. Genetic engineers believe they can improve the foods we eat by doing
this. For example, tomatoes are sensitive to frost, which shortens their growing season.
Fish, on the other hand, survive in very cold water. Scientists identified a particular
gene, which enables a flounder to resist cold, and used the technology of genetic
engineering to insert this 'anti-freeze' gene into a tomato. This makes it possible to
extend the growing season of the tomato. A lot of food that we eat today contains
genetically modified ingredients and usually without our knowledge. The biggest
experiment in human history has begun, with us as the guinea pigs and the planets
ecological system as the test site. The argument is not whether or not it should be
allowed but how it should be regulated. 
Supporters of this technology want to ensure that people know "what is real versus what
isn't" and so they want to enforce regulating labeling their products. Congress has
provided the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) a limited basis on which to require
labeling. Generally, for FDA to require labeling there must be something different about
the food. In general, this means most genetically engineered foods will not need special
labeling because they will be similar to the real thing, but there are exceptions, such
as when a gene from a food that could cause an allergic reaction--peanuts, for
example--is transferred into another food. In that case, FDA policy places the burden on
the developer. The food will have to be labeled so everyone will know it contains an
allergen, unless the developer can show scientifically that the allergenicity has not
been transferred, says Laura Tarantino, Ph.D., deputy director of FDA's Office of
Pre-market Approval. Fortunately, the products in front of us right now don't raise those
issues. FDA also will require labeling if a company uses genetic engineering techniques
to change a food's composition significantly. For example, when one manufacturer modified
canola to produce increased levels of lauric and myristic acids in the seed oil, FDA
agreed that the common or usual name for this oil would be laurate canola oil in order to
distinguish it from traditional canola oil. 
People outside industry mainly, consumers, consumer organizations, environmental groups,
independent scientists, European farmers, and public health organizations are the other
players on the opposing side to this argument that states that genetically engineered
products do not have a good track record for human safety. There are currently more than
four-dozen genetically engineered foods and crops being grown or sold in the US. These
foods and crops are widely dispersed into the food chain and the environment. One
example, for instance, was in 1989 and 1990, when a genetically engineered brand of
L-tryptophan, a common dietary supplement, killed more than 30 Americans and permanently
disabled more than 5,000 others with a potentially fatal and painful blood disorder,
eosinophilia myalgia syndrome, before it was recalled by the FDA. The manufacturer, Showa
Denko K.K., Japan's third largest chemical company, had used genetically engineered
bacteria to produce the over-the-counter supplement. It is believed that the bacteria
somehow became contaminated during the DNA process. There were no labels on the product
to identify the product as having been genetically engineered. According to the
biotechnology industry almost 100% of US food and fiber will be genetically
engineered within 5-10 years. The hidden menu of these unlabeled
genetically engineered foods and food ingredients in the US now includes
soybeans, soy oil, corn, potatoes, squash, canola oil, cottonseed oil,
papaya, tomatoes, and dairy products. Never again will people know the joy of eating
naturally produced, fresh foods, so this is why some people believe GE foods should be
wiped out in its entirety. Some members of the public seem prepared to take the risk.
Contaminating most of our processed food is a risk imposed on us.
I came to know about this problem when I heard about the numerous Kentucky Fried Chicken
(KFC) urban legends. Rumor number one -- KFC does not use real chickens. They actually
use genetically manipulated organisms. These so called chickens are kept alive by tubes
inserted into their bodies to pump blood and nutrients throughout their structure. They
have no beaks, no feathers, and no feet. Their bone structure is dramatically shrunk to
get more meat out of them. This is great for KFC because they do not have to pay so much
for their production costs. There is no more plucking of the feathers or the removal of
the beaks and feet. Rumor number two -- the birds used by KFC are so pumped up full of
steroids, growth enhancements, and other chemicals, that the end result is no longer
truly the meat of a 'chicken.' Rumor number three -- KFC genetically engineers mutant
birds with 4 or more legs (drumsticks) apiece, thus increasing profitability. All of
these urban legends have two main themes in common: alteration of the animals by chemical
or genetic means and the prohibition from calling the resulting creatures chickens.
Legends KFC in particular are nothing new, as evidenced by the infamous Kentucky Fried
Rat story, which has made the rounds for decades. The popularity of such rumors is
attributable to the public's love of fast food restaurants and its distrust of large
corporations in general. 
When I first singled out my topic, the only reason why I chose "How should genetically
engineered food be regulated" was because I thought the KFC rumors were true and I
thought that if KFC was going to sell their "chicken" then they should at least let the
consumers know that it was not real chicken. I thought these people must be brilliant to
have thought of something as scholarly as making something exactly the way you want it,
increase production while decreasing the unwanted. While surfing the web, looking up
articles on GE foods in magazines, or watching the news to see if they had any vital
information for my paper, I come to find out the dangers of GE foods are tremendous -
there are many health and environmental risks that come into play. Although people cannot
even tell the difference, I feel as though if you are going to put a product on the shelf
that causes some kind of health risk to the consumer in the future, it should be labeled
for the consumer to make their own moral judgment on if they want to purchase it or not.
I honestly didn't care in the beginning if something I was eating was genetically
engineered or not. My mentality of thinking was that if it tastes like the real thing,
then it's acceptable to me. Now I come to the realization that maybe I should stop and
take a look at what I'm feeding myself. I'm afraid to get sick when I get older due to
this genetic engineering phenomenon. I am afraid that if we let this continue then our
children of tomorrow will have uncalled for diseases that man has yet to discover now
that we have this new technology.