GM food

Name

Professor

Subject

Date

Genetically Modified Foods

Introduction

Genetic Modification is a process of altering the living organism 's genetic trait through the recombinant DNA or rDNA technology (Hino 126 Through this technology , the transfer of one or more genetic trait from one organism to another is now possible . In the traditional plant biotechnology , new plant variety is only developed between the same plant species . For instance , new breed of rice is developed between varieties which gene-crossing is possible . From this cross-cross pollination , the best variety of

hybrid rice is chosen and grown However , this process takes significant amount of time for the desired characteristics of the hybrids can only be observed as after the plants have properly grown . Nowadays , by means of genetic modification technology , breeding of a wheat variety to impart the desired characteristics of a variety of rice can possibly be done . As such , the useful genetic traits , regardless of species , are used as breeding materials . Consequently , insect-resistant , virus-resistant , and herbicide-tolerant crop varieties were successfully developed , grown and commercialized (Hino 126

The rDNA technology is applied in plant species to develop plant varieties with high resistance against pest and diseases which eventually result to high quality and abundant yield (Hino 126 . Since 1994 , the genetically modified crops have been legally marketed in Canada and United States (Hino 126 . In fact these countries are presently exporting genetically modified food products to other countries . In these circumstances , significant issues and concerns were raised by the consumers concerning the possible...