The Plight of Genetically Engineered Food Essay -- Analysis, Ronald an

I was one of those people who believed that there was something chemical or artificial about genetic engineering. To be quite honest, I had never really thought about the process of GE and I think that is the problem with the average consumer. After reading the book Tomorrow’s Table by Pamela C. Ronald and Raoul W. Adamchak, I realized just how far my perception was from the truth. Genetic engineering is directly related to organic farming, which strives to create more nutritious, better tasting food without the use of chemicals. The book describes organic farming as â€Å"better farming through biology† through the use of living organism (Ronald & Adamchak, 13). The widely accepted method of farming in the US involves using chemicals like pesticides and fertilizers. It is strange to think that we, as a society, have become so accustomed to consuming foods exposed to pesticides, yet many are unwilling to eat GE foods. Genetic engineering has been used for over thirty ye ars without any evidence of harming anyone. Over one billion acres of GE crops have been grown and distributed throughout the world without a single legitimate case of health risk (Ronald & Adamchack, 52). This is in contrast to pesticides, again a widely accepted presence in farming, which is believed to poison (and sometimes kill) several thousand people each year, albeit, mostly farmers who have a more direct exposure (Ronald & Adamchak, 87). It is unsettling how little attention is paid to a chemical presence which has been documented to harm, whereas genetic engineering, a biological process is feared and unfairly judged. I am sure this peculiar result is due to how little the average person understands about genetic engineering of food, and the way it has been pres... ... people; the right people, so that it can achieve the most good for the largest amount of people. Without proper government involvement and implementation to ensure farmers and consumers benefit, the development of such technology has little use (Ronald & Adamchak, 150). This technology needs to be directed at the public good, and not private interests of corporations. Tomorrow’s Table helped me understand a lot about genetic engineering that I did not previously. I think this book would be an excellent resource for those who are unaware of the process and about GE foods. I think that overall, based on what I have read, GE technology is a positive tool that can help solve or at least alleviate many of the problems we will face in the coming fifty years and beyond. This is farming for the next phase of our society and I think is crucial in order for it to thrive.