after one of the largest restaurant
chains in America decided to ban
genetically modified organisms from its
menu in 2015 the hot topic of GMOs is
back on the world stage welcome to
watchmojo.com 10 crucial facts you
should know about genetically modified
foods number 10 what are GMOs the
acronym GMO stands for genetically
modified organisms whereby a
microorganism plant or animal has been
genetically altered using advanced
genetic engineering techniques such as
genome editing humankind has been using
a form of genetic modification
since 12,000 BC in the form of selective
breeding and the domestication of plants
and animals by cultivating organisms
with certain desired traits generation
after generation of farmers was able to
breed selectively superior products
furthermore in the 20th century
scientists started using bacterial or
microscopic gold particles to insert new
genetic material into foods the flavor
saver
a genetically modified tomato was the
first genetically modified food item
approved for humans to eat given a
license from the United States Food and
Drug Administration in 1994 the tomato
was more resistant to rotting and
ripened slowly its production eventually
ceased in 1997 with research revealing
that the public’s opinion towards
genetically engineered crops changed
during the years number 9
how GMOs created the dawn of the
genetically modified organism followed
the creation of the first recombinant
DNA molecules by American biochemist
Paul Berg in 1972 recombinant DNA is
created by combining one piece of DNA
with another creating a modified
sequence that would not otherwise occur
in nature in order to genetically modify
an organism scientists use a variety of
mechanisms including mutation insertion
or the deletion of genes within the
organism furthermore the process by
which this can occur is by the
transformation of the genetic material
of the organism or by the editing of the
genome by using artificially engineered
nucleuses in 1992 China became the first
country to formally commercialize
transgenics with the launch of a virus
resistant tobacco plant number eight who
manufactures GMOs there are six
pesticide and GMO corporations that own
and control the world’s seeds pesticides
and biotechnology industries these big
six are BASF Bayer DuPont Dow Chemical
Company Monsanto and Syngenta out of
these half a dozen corporations Monsanto
became the world’s largest conventional
seed company in 2005 founded in 1901 in
Saint Louis Missouri
by John Francis Queenie Monsanto evolved
from selling food additives like
artificial sweeteners to being a leader
in the evolution of Agriculture and an
ever-present government agency lobbyists
and with nearly 15 billion dollars in
annual revenue Monsanto is also a
leading producer of genetically modified
crop seeds and herbicides number seven
what are GMOs in following the approval
of the commercial growth of several
genetically modified crops by the u.s.
in 1996 the amount of surface area
attributed to these crops has increased
one hundredfold the most prevalent types
of GM crops grown in the United States
are corn soybean cotton canola papaya
sugar beets and alfalfa these crops are
used in a variety of different ways for
example cotton is used not only to yield
cotton but also cottonseed which is used
as a cooking oil in margarine shortening
and to fry foods furthermore according
to the Center for Food Safety
three-quarters of all processed foods
contain genetically modified ingredients
such as crackers cookies chips etc as of
2015 over 90% of all soybean cotton and
corn acreage in the United States is
being used to grow genetically modified
crops
number six what are the benefits of
using GMOs the purpose of genetically
modified organisms is to create a
distinct advantage for the producer or
the consumer that would otherwise not
occur in nature these advantages can
appear in the form of lower prices and
bigger produce advantages such as
durability and nutritional value GMO
crop growers benefit from the seeds as
their crops have a higher resistance to
pests plant diseases and herbicides
thereby allowing for a higher volume of
crops consumers could soon profit from
GMOs in a whole new way as seed
producers have begun selling products
with health and taste benefits companies
like pioneer and Monsanto are producing
soybean oils that are free of trans fats
and enriched with omega-3 fatty acids
furthermore you will soon be able to eat
apples that won’t go Brown and potatoes
that won’t bruised or go Brown as the
Arctic Apple and jr. Simplot companies
in ate potatoes will soon be released on
the market number five are GMOs safe to
consume the safety debate surrounding
genetically modified organisms is
extremely polarizing as scientists and
activists heartily disagree on the topic
in the United States the Food and Drug
Administration has never safety tested
genetically engineered food they’ve
decided that it’s up to the biotech
producers to determine the safety of the
product on the other hand large groups
of activists collectively view GMOs as
nothing more than frankenfoods with the
potential to cause environmental and
health problems the implications are
that genetically modified organisms
could cause allergic reactions in humans
and their form must be tested prior to
market release that being said according
to the American Association for the
Advancement of science crop improvement
that uses genetically modifying
techniques is safe number four do GMOs
affect the environment a major cause for
concern for farmers is the spread of
altered genes from modified crops to
traditionally farmed crops through
airborne pollen this would directly
affect them
as many countries worldwide ban or
highly regulate the import of GMO
products one featured benefit of
genetically modified crops is that they
are highly resistant to pests and
therefore do not need to be sprayed with
pesticides as often unfortunately this
has led to an increase of secondary
pests thereby leading to an increase of
insecticide use negating the original
benefit another argument against GMOs is
that the use of agro chemicals has an
unintended impact on the environment and
biodiversity this argument is supported
by a multitude of reports which show
that the use or increased use of agro
chemicals leads to a decline in
dependent populations such as milkweed
and monarch butterflies as it stands
there are a multitude of concerns
regarding the environment and the
uncharted spread of genetically modified
crops number three who controls the GMOs
there is widespread controversy
surrounding the patent ownership and
production of seeds the genetically
modified seed market is valued at nearly
fifteen billion dollars making it an
extremely profitable and valuable
industry one way biotech giant Monsanto
controls its business is through its
herbicide resistant seeds for example
their soybean seeds are resistant to the
herbicide Roundup a Monsanto product
making them highly valuable as they lead
to larger crops and higher sales of
Roundup in addition Monsanto typically
requires farmers who purchase their
products to sign a contract promising
not to harvest the seeds from the
resulting crop thereby ensuring
continued business as of 2007 the 10
biggest seed companies controlled over
65% of all seeds by proprietary or
intellectual property laws concerning
the seeds number 2 where are GMOs banned
one company leading the way is Whole
Foods an American food supermarket chain
which requires its providers to be GMO
free or GMO labeled by 2018 in April
2015 the American fast food chain
Chipotle announced that they would only
use products from non-genetically
modified
white organisms in their food Chipotle
is the first major restaurant chain to
start identifying GMOs on their menu as
demand for GMO free products continues
to grow that being said product
offerings will not be completely GMO
free as Chipotle will continue to sell
soft drinks with corn sweeteners and GMO
grain fed meat yet this is not limited
to restaurants because as of January
2015
member states of the European Union can
now decide to opt out of GMOs and can
now restrict or completely ban the
production of GMOs within their country
this is in addition to the many
countries worldwide which have an import
or production ban on GMOs such as Norway
Brazil and Saudi Arabia number one
should GMOs be labeled the European
Union is among the toughest regions as
it not only requires the labeling of
GMOs but also the traceability of every
step of the production and supply chain
this is in sharp contrast to the United
States which as of November 2014 had
only three states pass a law requiring
food be labelled GMO though only
Vermont’s labeling law has actually been
slated to go into effect at a concrete
date in 2016
according to DuPont spokesperson James
Lou’s Ark the American chemical giant
believes that labeling would not only be
costly but also confusing to the
consumer chemical agricultural and large
food companies have spent over 100
million dollars on anti GMO labeling
campaigns in a handful of American
states where there were ballot
initiatives on GMO labeling as of 2013
64 nations had enacted mandatory
labeling laws on genetically modified
food yet as of May 2015 the United
States and Canada have no such laws
finally as world hunger increases only
time will tell what the effect GMOs have
on humans and the environment did these
facts surprise you to vote for which
news story is covered next
head over to watchmojo.com slash suggest
and be sure to hit that subscribe button
for more newsworthy top 10s published
every week
you
chains in America decided to ban
genetically modified organisms from its
menu in 2015 the hot topic of GMOs is
back on the world stage welcome to
watchmojo.com 10 crucial facts you
should know about genetically modified
foods number 10 what are GMOs the
acronym GMO stands for genetically
modified organisms whereby a
microorganism plant or animal has been
genetically altered using advanced
genetic engineering techniques such as
genome editing humankind has been using
a form of genetic modification
since 12,000 BC in the form of selective
breeding and the domestication of plants
and animals by cultivating organisms
with certain desired traits generation
after generation of farmers was able to
breed selectively superior products
furthermore in the 20th century
scientists started using bacterial or
microscopic gold particles to insert new
genetic material into foods the flavor
saver
a genetically modified tomato was the
first genetically modified food item
approved for humans to eat given a
license from the United States Food and
Drug Administration in 1994 the tomato
was more resistant to rotting and
ripened slowly its production eventually
ceased in 1997 with research revealing
that the public’s opinion towards
genetically engineered crops changed
during the years number 9
how GMOs created the dawn of the
genetically modified organism followed
the creation of the first recombinant
DNA molecules by American biochemist
Paul Berg in 1972 recombinant DNA is
created by combining one piece of DNA
with another creating a modified
sequence that would not otherwise occur
in nature in order to genetically modify
an organism scientists use a variety of
mechanisms including mutation insertion
or the deletion of genes within the
organism furthermore the process by
which this can occur is by the
transformation of the genetic material
of the organism or by the editing of the
genome by using artificially engineered
nucleuses in 1992 China became the first
country to formally commercialize
transgenics with the launch of a virus
resistant tobacco plant number eight who
manufactures GMOs there are six
pesticide and GMO corporations that own
and control the world’s seeds pesticides
and biotechnology industries these big
six are BASF Bayer DuPont Dow Chemical
Company Monsanto and Syngenta out of
these half a dozen corporations Monsanto
became the world’s largest conventional
seed company in 2005 founded in 1901 in
Saint Louis Missouri
by John Francis Queenie Monsanto evolved
from selling food additives like
artificial sweeteners to being a leader
in the evolution of Agriculture and an
ever-present government agency lobbyists
and with nearly 15 billion dollars in
annual revenue Monsanto is also a
leading producer of genetically modified
crop seeds and herbicides number seven
what are GMOs in following the approval
of the commercial growth of several
genetically modified crops by the u.s.
in 1996 the amount of surface area
attributed to these crops has increased
one hundredfold the most prevalent types
of GM crops grown in the United States
are corn soybean cotton canola papaya
sugar beets and alfalfa these crops are
used in a variety of different ways for
example cotton is used not only to yield
cotton but also cottonseed which is used
as a cooking oil in margarine shortening
and to fry foods furthermore according
to the Center for Food Safety
three-quarters of all processed foods
contain genetically modified ingredients
such as crackers cookies chips etc as of
2015 over 90% of all soybean cotton and
corn acreage in the United States is
being used to grow genetically modified
crops
number six what are the benefits of
using GMOs the purpose of genetically
modified organisms is to create a
distinct advantage for the producer or
the consumer that would otherwise not
occur in nature these advantages can
appear in the form of lower prices and
bigger produce advantages such as
durability and nutritional value GMO
crop growers benefit from the seeds as
their crops have a higher resistance to
pests plant diseases and herbicides
thereby allowing for a higher volume of
crops consumers could soon profit from
GMOs in a whole new way as seed
producers have begun selling products
with health and taste benefits companies
like pioneer and Monsanto are producing
soybean oils that are free of trans fats
and enriched with omega-3 fatty acids
furthermore you will soon be able to eat
apples that won’t go Brown and potatoes
that won’t bruised or go Brown as the
Arctic Apple and jr. Simplot companies
in ate potatoes will soon be released on
the market number five are GMOs safe to
consume the safety debate surrounding
genetically modified organisms is
extremely polarizing as scientists and
activists heartily disagree on the topic
in the United States the Food and Drug
Administration has never safety tested
genetically engineered food they’ve
decided that it’s up to the biotech
producers to determine the safety of the
product on the other hand large groups
of activists collectively view GMOs as
nothing more than frankenfoods with the
potential to cause environmental and
health problems the implications are
that genetically modified organisms
could cause allergic reactions in humans
and their form must be tested prior to
market release that being said according
to the American Association for the
Advancement of science crop improvement
that uses genetically modifying
techniques is safe number four do GMOs
affect the environment a major cause for
concern for farmers is the spread of
altered genes from modified crops to
traditionally farmed crops through
airborne pollen this would directly
affect them
as many countries worldwide ban or
highly regulate the import of GMO
products one featured benefit of
genetically modified crops is that they
are highly resistant to pests and
therefore do not need to be sprayed with
pesticides as often unfortunately this
has led to an increase of secondary
pests thereby leading to an increase of
insecticide use negating the original
benefit another argument against GMOs is
that the use of agro chemicals has an
unintended impact on the environment and
biodiversity this argument is supported
by a multitude of reports which show
that the use or increased use of agro
chemicals leads to a decline in
dependent populations such as milkweed
and monarch butterflies as it stands
there are a multitude of concerns
regarding the environment and the
uncharted spread of genetically modified
crops number three who controls the GMOs
there is widespread controversy
surrounding the patent ownership and
production of seeds the genetically
modified seed market is valued at nearly
fifteen billion dollars making it an
extremely profitable and valuable
industry one way biotech giant Monsanto
controls its business is through its
herbicide resistant seeds for example
their soybean seeds are resistant to the
herbicide Roundup a Monsanto product
making them highly valuable as they lead
to larger crops and higher sales of
Roundup in addition Monsanto typically
requires farmers who purchase their
products to sign a contract promising
not to harvest the seeds from the
resulting crop thereby ensuring
continued business as of 2007 the 10
biggest seed companies controlled over
65% of all seeds by proprietary or
intellectual property laws concerning
the seeds number 2 where are GMOs banned
one company leading the way is Whole
Foods an American food supermarket chain
which requires its providers to be GMO
free or GMO labeled by 2018 in April
2015 the American fast food chain
Chipotle announced that they would only
use products from non-genetically
modified
white organisms in their food Chipotle
is the first major restaurant chain to
start identifying GMOs on their menu as
demand for GMO free products continues
to grow that being said product
offerings will not be completely GMO
free as Chipotle will continue to sell
soft drinks with corn sweeteners and GMO
grain fed meat yet this is not limited
to restaurants because as of January
2015
member states of the European Union can
now decide to opt out of GMOs and can
now restrict or completely ban the
production of GMOs within their country
this is in addition to the many
countries worldwide which have an import
or production ban on GMOs such as Norway
Brazil and Saudi Arabia number one
should GMOs be labeled the European
Union is among the toughest regions as
it not only requires the labeling of
GMOs but also the traceability of every
step of the production and supply chain
this is in sharp contrast to the United
States which as of November 2014 had
only three states pass a law requiring
food be labelled GMO though only
Vermont’s labeling law has actually been
slated to go into effect at a concrete
date in 2016
according to DuPont spokesperson James
Lou’s Ark the American chemical giant
believes that labeling would not only be
costly but also confusing to the
consumer chemical agricultural and large
food companies have spent over 100
million dollars on anti GMO labeling
campaigns in a handful of American
states where there were ballot
initiatives on GMO labeling as of 2013
64 nations had enacted mandatory
labeling laws on genetically modified
food yet as of May 2015 the United
States and Canada have no such laws
finally as world hunger increases only
time will tell what the effect GMOs have
on humans and the environment did these
facts surprise you to vote for which
news story is covered next
head over to watchmojo.com slash suggest
and be sure to hit that subscribe button
for more newsworthy top 10s published
every week
you
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