Genetically Modified Food Speech Essay

Attention Material :How awesome would it be if your pet glowed in the dark? Or your family had a zebra-dog? How about a family dog that could take out the entire neighborhood in one lick? Now how about owning this dairy cow? Looks normal but its not. All these animals have been genetically modified and their genes have been altered. The cow is injected with a growth hormone rBGH to increase it’s milk production, only problem, that hormone has been found to cause different types of cancers as well as a number of other health hazards. This hormone has been banned in Canada and Europe but sadly in American this hormone linked to 3-4x higher cancer rates was approved by the FDA in 1993 after the consumer tested it for 90 days on 30 rats. Today, we are seeing the long-term affects of drinking this potent milk. Before the genetically modified food explosion only 1:11 individuals had cancer, today 1:2 men and 1:3 woman will develop cancer and nearly half of you can expect it in your lifetime. Today 2/3rds of all foods in your local grocery store are GM and in 2013 it will have raised to 90%. The problem here is that GM foods are hardly ever tested before consumed, they have a number of associated health problems and they are not labeled so you cant pick to not eat them or not. Credibility Material: I have always been interested in GM organisms but a few years ago my professor at IU intreguied me with the effects of GM foods. Today, I’ve done countless hours of research on the subject and wrote many papers about it. Thesis Statement: Today I want to inform about GM foods Preview: Today I want to inform you about GM foods, what they are and why we should push for labeling of GM foods in our grocery. Transition: To begin, allow me to inform you about GM foods. BODY I. GM foods are everywhere but what are they? Are they good, bad, or okay? Should I eat them or should I not? A. Genetically Modified (GM) foods are food items that have had their DNA changed or altered entirely through genetic engineering creating completely different variants. 1. GM products include medicines and vaccines, foods and food ingredients, feeds and fibers. B. GM foods first appeared on the marked in 1990 C. Between 1997-1999 GM food ingredients suddenly appeared in 2/3rds of all U. S. processed foods 1. If you consumed soy sauce with Chinese, popcorn at movie or occasional candy bar you’ve undoubtfully consumed this new food. a. Nearly every American has eaten GM foods but only 26% believe they have. b. No labeling and no regulation 2. â€Å"Potentially, GM could breed new animal and plant diseases, news sources of caner and novel epidemics in human health†, Dr. Wald, Prof of Biology at Harvard University. Transistion: Now that we know what GM foods are, lets discuss the health concerns associated with them. II. There are extensive health hazards that have been shown to be caused by modified foods. A. Study done in 1999 showed GM foods have decreased levels of vital nutrients- esp. those that protect us from heart disease and cancer. B. Modified proteins exist in GM foods, new proteins never before eaten by humanity. 1. Foreign GM ingredients produce allergies a. 25% of Americans have mild adverse RXNs to foods and at lease 4% have life threatening allergies to food. b. Soy allergies have doubled since GM soy introduced. â€Å"c. No labeling of GMO in foods and people experience allergies they were unaware of-Anaphylatic shock 2. In last decade, percent of children in U. S. affected by serious food allergies has significantly increased. a. Today 6-8% children under 3 yrs old affected. C. As we ingest transgenic human/animal products there is no real the impact of human evolution. 1. Research mice show increase in birth defects and shorter life spans when feed GM soy. a. Mothers feed GM soy- nearly all babies died (10% died in control) b. Males developed changed testicle color. c. Infertility when feed GM corn. 2. Other animal studies indicate serious health risk associated with GM foods; fertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, insulin regression, changes in major organs and gastroninteitinal region. a. There are more than casual associations between GM foods and adverse health affects b. Confirmed in animal studies-consitancy and association between GM foods and disease 3. Number of autoimmune diseases are enhanced by foreign DNA fragments not fully digested in stomach and intestines a. DNA fragments are abundant in bloodstream. b. Potentially mix with normal DNA. Transition: Considering these factors about GM foods, let me explain why I think it is so very important that these GM crops be labeled. III. In other countries, GM crops are almost always labeled but in the U. S. no GM foods are labeled. A. Unlabeled GM foods can cause serious health problems for those with allergens to it. 1. Most people by a tomato and aren’t worried about their soy allergy but with GM foods and ingredients, soy genes can easily be placed or accidently cross pollunant 2. Many unlabeled GMO’s in our food are causing people to experience allergies they were unaware of- a. It’s possible that they can go into anaphylactic shock. b. DEATH. B. There are no regulated health safety tests. 1. FDA only requests that firms conduct their own test of new GM products a. FDA makes no reviews of those tests. b. No long term effects of eating GM foods. 2. Louis Pribly, an FDA microbiologist explains, â€Å"Companies tailor tests to get the results they need. † C. Why labeling and what you can do. 1. Choose hormone-free beef and rBGH-free Dairy products a. Foods that carry â€Å"USDA-certified organic† label contain no artifical hormones. 2. Lack of labeling of GM foods violates the 1st Amendment of the Constitution, â€Å"Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act requires added substances to be labeled. † a. Without labels, our public health agencies are powerless to trace problems of any kind back to their original source b. Crisis? c. Why do you think labeling hasn’t occurred yet? Because, the manufacters of GM crops would lose buisness. Would you buy GM foods if you had a choice? Probably not. CONCLUSION Summary Statement:In conclusion, I hope that everyone gained some knowledge towards the effects of genetically modified foods and why it needs to be taken more seriously when involving peoples health. Concluding Statement:â€Å"Its like playing Russian roulette (referring to the lack of testing done on GM foods) with public health, We have became involuntarily guinea pigs in vast genetic experiences,† Louis Pribyl, FDA microbiologist. Be a Voice, Sign a petition for GMO’s labeled in our foods, get the knowledge & protect your future generations. Sign The World Science open letter to all governments calling for GMO’s to be properly labeled in our foods. Who wants to become sick from food they eat? We have the right as Americans to know what is put in our food. Don’t We? Work Cited Works Cited Admin. (2010, Apr 29). GM. org. Retrieved Feb 24, 2011, from Genetically Modified Foods: http://www. gm. org/category/gm-foods/ Batalion, N. (n. d. ). Genetically Modified Food. Retrieved Feb 22, 2011, from Raw-Wisdom. com: http://www. raw-wisdom. com/50harmful. Boston University College of Engineering. (2010, Feb. 12). Low Levels of Antibiotics Cause Multidrug Resistace in ‘Superbugs’. Retrieved Dec. 5, 2010, from Science Daily: http://www. sciencedaily. com/releases/2010/02/100211151647. htm GMO Dangers. (2010). Retrieved Feb 24, 2011, from Institute For Responsible Technology: http://www. responsibletechnology. org/ The National Agricultural Library. (n. d. ). (USDA) Retrieved Feb 22, 2011, from United States Department of Agriculture: http://www. nal. usda. gov/.