Genetically Modified Organisms ( Gmo ) - 3037 Words

In today’s society biotechnology and food science is constantly evolving and changing. A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism that has been modified through genetic engineering techniques. The process of genetic engineering involves taking desirable traits of plants and crops, and combining and crossing the crop to develop new verities. The process of genetic engineering is typically very long, and can take years to achieve (Key et al., 2008). Typically, the most frequent genetically modified crops on the consumer market today are soybean, corn, and cotton (Herman 2003). With the evolution of food technology, and the use of genetically modified organisms growing, public awareness and concern about the safety and health†¦show more content†¦Overall, it is important that food, whether developed by conventional means or through biotechnology, such as genetic modification be safe and free from major health risks for the American society. As of today, the general public remains largely unaware of what genetically modified organisms actually are, and what advantages and disadvantages the use of this technology has to offer. The purpose of this paper is to assess the public opinion of genetically modified plants and to examine human research on the advantages and disadvantages of the use of genetically modified organisms in nutrition. Consumer Acceptance With the growing use of genetically modified organisms across the nation today, and in the effort of assessing human research, consumer attitudes and opinions worldwide are something very important to be aware of. According to Burton et al., (2001), the overall consumer attitudes in general for food safety has been increasing across the nation. Burton et al., (2001), examined the consumer attitudes to genetically modified organisms in food, and the extent to which these attitudes translate into the willingness for the individual to pay to avoid food products containing genetically modified organisms. It is hypothesized study that overall, society has recognized that there are certain benefits to using genetically modified organisms in food; however, with the increased use of GMOs in food, the anxiety and mistrust of consumers is