Buy essay Can America Tip the Scale?

With the introduction of genetically modified food there appeared a dispute if it is safe to use such products. The problem is that very few tests were made to prove its safety. And even fewer tests were made on animals. What is the essence of genetically modified products? To put in a simple way, it is just changing genes of an original plant or an animal in order to get the same product with advantages of another living being or a plant: for instance, grapes which is frost resistant and could be grown in the cold climate. Of course the idea is wonderful. But on the other hand it took the nature billions of years to construct organisms perfectly adapted to environment. Everything in the bodies of living beings and plants is perfectly balanced. Scientists now try to make not an evolution but a revolution modifying genes of animals and plants. There is no way to calculate all the possible outcomes of such intervention into divine business. For instance, the Corn Refiners Association produces HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) and claims that this product is absolutely safe and is substantially equivalent to usual table sugar: “After studying current research, the American Medical
Association (AMA) today concluded that high fructose syrup does not appear to contribute more to obesity than other caloric sweeteners…” (American Medical Association press release, The Corn Refiners Association. This product is used in producing of various kinds of foods and beverages because of many advantages it provides. It has the same level of sweetness as table sugar, makes fruit and spice flavor better in such products as ketchup, yogurt, it makes chocolate bars softer and prolongs their freshness. Most experts on HFCS agree on the opinion that it is safe to use it. Thus in 1983 the FDA of the USA officially stated that corn syrup is safe for health. But there is only one problem: there is no published evidence of a thorough and properly done investigation conducted in specialized scientific facility, including animal tests with histological, toxicological, nutritional methods: “High fructose corn syrup is one of the most misunderstood products in the food supply.” (David S. Ludwig, The Corn Refiners Association).

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Without such investigation consumers cannot be sure of probable allergic reactions after using GM products. Thus current testing methods need radical improvements. Most animal tests are made on rats and must include: rats’ ability to digest, feed conversion efficiency, decreasing/increasing of urine output and other clinical parameters, the weight and histology of the digestive tract, the individual feed intakes and other specific features. For example, such test for GM maize resulted in the decision that PAT-protein containing in it may represent substantial risk for a human’s health and even life because of increased allergen content.
This problem was widely discussed in Europe and European consumers managed to lobby this question in the highest ranks of governmental structures. The correspondent laws were adopted as for the right of a consumer to know what product he buys: either with GMO or without it. This information must be printed on the package of any product. This law is arbitrary in many European countries. It is up to manufacturer’s honesty whether to tell the truth or not: the product really may not contain any GMO or it is just a commercial trick for increasing of sales. In some countries the maximal available content of GMO in a product is not more than 0.9 percent for a product to be considered GMO-free. Consumers of many countries now struggle for this level to be reduced down to 0.1 percent. All these evidences vividly show that the consumers’ opinion can tip the scale and change the course of events.
But what of the American consumers? Are they really concerned with the problem of GMO or they just do not care? The health of the nation is in danger. This is a proven fact. More and more people suffer from excess weight, allergic reactions on many factors, cancer, problems with digestion. This may be caused by extensive use of genetically modified food, e. g. fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry, and grain. We are now facing the dilemma: either to continue using cheaper products with GMO or to reject them and become a healthier nation. Of course great national corporations prefer to impose the idea of GMO products being safe for use because it brings them huge profit. But we all must bear in mind that we must not risk the health of our children and grandchildren. Nobody knows what new kinds of diseases may appear due to our uncontrolled use of genetically modified products. We all know about the influence of radiation on all living beings. It leads to mutations, mostly to negative ones. But mutation is a random phenomenon. Genetic modification is similar to mutation. However scientists claim that genetic modification is a controlled process. But how controlled can it be if the scientists do not still completely understand the genetic mechanisms of living beings? Of course the science itself is nothing without experiments. But the experiments with the health of the nation are at least irresponsible. And the civil duty of every member of the independent American society is to make a contribution into the process of rejection of using genetically modified food, at least until the problem is settled down through numerous scientific experiments, proving safety of GMO usage.