Genetically Modified Foods

            Food is one of our most basic needs in that we cannot live without it. It provides us the energy to our nerves, muscles, heart and other glands that we need to live. Food also supplies the nourishing substances that our bodies require to build and repair tissues. With the many modern advances in the field of genetic engineering it is possible to make foods more nutritious, more visually attractive and various other desirable traits for human consumption. .
             Despite the many benefits that genetically modified foods possess, it has caused some concern amongst the consumers as many believe that it is harmful not only to themselves but also to the environment. Genetic engineering is a new and in many ways inadequately understood form of technology that makes many consumers doubtful of the actual positives that this form of technology presents and fear the possible repercussions.
             One of the main uses of this technology is to make food more visually appealing, but some people fear that these new genetically modified foods are a counterfeit freshness and the actual nutritional content of the food may decrease over the period of time, although the food still appears to be fresh.
             Many people also believe that the introduction of genetically modified foods may produce new toxins, with potentially devastating results for humans, as in 1989 when a dietary supplement killed thirty-seven people and left a further one thousand-five hundred people permanently disabled as well as five-thousand people who became ill after developing a blood disorder as a direct result from this supplement.
             The consumption of genetically modified foods may also lead to antibiotic resistance. Scientists believe that GM foods may contribute to the decreasing effectiveness of antibiotics against diseases.
             Another aspect that is contained within this topic is the labelling of genetically modified foods. Many companies do not label their products as being genetically altered, as they fear these labels will decrease the product number sales of their company.