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Genetically Modified Foods Research Paper

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Genetically modified foods have been a topic of controversy for many years. It all started in 1973, when Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen first found out how to remove a gene from one strain of bacteria and insert it into another (Rangel). Many people believe we should use genetic modification to our advantage, as it seems to have many benefits. Others believe that there should be caution when genetically modifying organisms. In my opinion, The positive effects that genetic modification has far outweigh the possible negative effects.

One of the main reasons that people use for not eating healthy is the price. Genetically modified plants can definitely help with this problem. According to a UC Santa Cruz study, "Bigger yields to create more efficient use of land, less uses of herbicides and other pesticides." The study also says that the shelf life can be extended due to genetic modification (Edwards et al.). All of these factors can lead to lower prices for the consumer. A higher shelf life means that grocery stores don't have to waste as much, and higher yield means that less land is required for the same amount of products. …show more content…
Many genetically modified plants can reduce the amount of water required to grow. This means that it countries like Africa, where water and food are scarce, food can be grown using less water. "In 2011, 160 million hectares of biotech crops were grown" (Diehl). 160 million hectares covers 10% of the earth's land. This proves that not only can genetic modification be used to solve world hunger in theory, but it actually

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