miércoles, 28 de diciembre de 2011

Genetically engineered food is food which is enhanced by the addition of genes from different species to make them better. Genes are, in the most basic interpretation, codes that are responsible for certain characteristics, the production of certain enzymes or to create a certain appearance, and in the case of genetically engineered food the genes are often put in place to create enhanced versions of regular food. Since it is quite a costly process to develop, genetically engineered food is patented by large corporations that are responsible for their research and development.Pest resistance is one of the prominent benefits of genetically modified foods. Due to insects and pests, farmers lose a lot of money and lose a lot of crop globally. The aggregated loss is gigantic when it comes to the global level. Therefore, the genetically modified foods were introduced with the characteristics of pest resistance. As an example, some plants and flowers are pest resistant by nature. T he scientists have taken the gene responsible for making such plants pest resistant and have added it to the foods we eat. Then the foods get the pest resistant ability, while producing more crops. In addition to that, the farmer is at advantage as he / she does not have to spend on chemicals and mechanisms for pest control. On the other hand, the consumers receive clean and healthy foods that have not been in touch with deadly chemicals and as well .Tomatoes are the other food stuff believed to yield far superior benefits of organic food than its conventional cousin; this is according to a decade long study carried out by the University of California, Davis. Organic tomatoes are grown in an environment that has a lesser nutrient supply as nitrogen enriched chemical fertilizers are not included. Thus because of this fact there is a greater increase in the formation of antioxidants like quercetin which there is a 79 increase and kaempferol which is 97 higher in organic to matoes. This is essentially good news as antioxidants are vital for overall good health as they have fight carcinogenic properties such as free radicals.

Such studies have reinforced the theory that the benefits of organic food are not a mere perception and it is in fact far superior to conventional food that depends on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The fact being that non organic food are more susceptible to be contaminated with chemical fertilizers and pesticides and more sustainable methods are overall better for ones health as well as for the environment. There again there is another school of thought that says that organic foods are harmful and the benefits of organic food do not outweigh conventional food stuff and is unsuitable for consumption as they do not use strong fertilizer and pesticides which could result in a possibility that the food could be contaminated with harmful bacteria and parasites, despite the debate by both parties any strong or h armful impact on the health is unfounded. However the benefits of organic food is widely gaining ground and many consumers believe that organic foods have the ability to promote good health due to the lack of chemical additives and that the flavor of the food is far superior to non organic food, and definitely the more eco friendly option.

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