"" Although GM foods could bring some benefits, I strongly believe that the possible dangers especially to the consumer and the environment greatly outweigh the benefits. I feel that GM foods should not be marketed to consumers until long-term studies have been conducted, and even then, strict labeling regulations should be established. .
Farmers have been breeding animals and plants with specific traits for nearly ten thousand years. The sheep, pigs, horses, cattle, wheat, barley, oats, and rye we have today are all modified to some extent as a result of human intervention (Ford 64). Although man has been varying the make-up of other organisms through breeding for thousands of years, a forum of distinguished scientists and educators called SCOPE explain that "the terms genetically modified and genetically engineered usually imply more direct manipulation of DNA by man through the processes of modern biotechnology."" They continue to define biotechnology as the use of science and engineering in the "direct or indirect use of living organisms, or parts or products of living organisms, in their natural or modified forms."" Genetic engineering is one branch of biotechnology which involves the "transfer of specific genetic information from one organism to another."" Hence, a genetically modified organism is an organism whose genetic information has been altered by any technique including genetic engineering. The phrase genetically modified food can be used to refer to any product that gets "some of its content from an organism that has been genetically modified- (Hachey). .
In 1865, Gregor Mendel, the father of genetics, presented his studies about the laws of heredity. James Watson and Francis Crick described the double helix structure of DNA in 1953. This new understanding opened up the prospect that the genetic coding of an organism could be altered to give the new characteristics in ways that natural evolution or selective breeding could not produce (History).