Reference no: EM13798909

Abstract
For thousands of years people have developed plants and animals with the characteristics they want by selectively breeding the best plants and animals. The need for using genetically modified organisms is simply defined as sheer volume of consumers. In order to feed and provide other non-food products to individuals, current ingredients had to be altered to be able to fit the growing needs of the country. Genetic modification has a variety of uses pure science, research, medicine, food production, agricultural innovation. Genes work by coding instructions for making proteins and proteins are the chemicals that have a strong influence on biological functions.
GMO technology finds itself an enduring part of society, history and people. This is true because of the technology's ability to integrate itself with wild populations and even contaminate conventional crops, well beyond the decision for farmers to halt the planting of GM crops. There will be a decrease in the products derived from GMOs. Companies who use the GMO products like wheat will offer organic brands. They will also find different suppliers of the grains and vegetables to ensure the products are made and cultivated naturally. More and more companies will be looking for the alternate ways for consumers to buy their products, therefore replacing the GMO ingredients will be a necessity. This is could be even further enforced in the labeling legislation ratified. This circumstance is certainly not just limited to the United States consumers who purchase the goods. This also affects international trade and global relations.

EconomicIssues

Production, Consumption, Costs and Variables

Although a lot of consumers are aware that genetically modified foods have been linked to poor health outcomes, they still continue to purchase the products. Through marketing, certain points play on consumers more than others. Often times, malnutrition and starvation are characteristics that are zeroed in on. Tapping into the emotional side of the consumer is a popular strategy to get consumers to purchase a product. GMO products advertised as having enhanced nutritional qualities and therefore have the ability to solve world hunger. This is strictly a marketing or advertising point to encourage people to buy the products and promotes its usefulness. On the other hand, until labeling is enacted properly consumers may purchase products and are unaware of the genetically modified organisms it took to create or grow the product.

There is a price point difference between GMO and non-GMO foods when shopping at local stores. Choosing to buy certified organic or products that are not made from genetically modified organisms can be a little more expensive. Purchasing an all-natural product can have a bigger effect on the purchaser's wallet. However the price difference, individuals are choosing not buy the products that are originate from genetically modified organisms for several reasons. Whether it be health concerns or the strong urge to support local businesses owners over the monopoly seed-chemical companies, one thing is certain more and more consumers are willing to pay more for the organic or natural products.

Other countries that practice trade with the US have shown reluctance in purchasing genetically modified organisms as food sources. This means that the crops generated in the United States have the potential to no longer be globally accepted. As a nation that produces little exports to begin with, having global consumers lose interest in the crops due to questionable ingredients is not going to bode well for the economy.

Business Environment

With the production of Genetically Modified Organisms, the success of manufactures relies on the supply and demand laws. Consumers demanding the GMO or the non-GMO products will enforce what manufactures use to make the consumables. This sways the rate of consumption of each conventional versus non-conventional crops. This can be done by five % of the population consciously avoiding genetically modified foods, thus creating a tipping a point when the manufactures must re-evaluate ingredients (Smith 2012). With the advancement of technology the five percent of consumers is not a far off percentage to change the monopoly of GMO products. As such a hot topic, this information is spread very quickly on social media sites and through the internet.

Economic Trends

Genetically Modified Organisms in particular food sources have created a lot of upheaval in the past several years as negative research and press has been made available to the consumers. This has caused changes in legislation as well as shifts in the economy, specifically, food industry. Although this will continue to be a topic of interest for both citizens and government officials alike, the disadvantages and advantages of GMOs will continue to be used to persuade purchasers.
Losing trade options as well as in-house sales will decrease the expected revenue of the harvest. Michael P Hanson, a Senior Staff Scientist with the Consumers Union reports "the United States opinion on GMO's is causing it to be squeezed into an international trade corner" (Hanson 2014). With reluctant consumers, both on shore and overseas, limiting the market by producing GMOs in not an option for the American economy.

Acceptance of GMO

Some people believe that tampering with nature is intrinsically wrong, and others maintain that inserting plant genes in animals, or vice versa, is immoral. When it comes to genetically modified foods, those who feel strongly that the development of GMOs is against nature or religion have called for clear labeling rules so they can make informed selections when choosing which items to purchase. Respect for consumer choice and assumed risk is as important as having safeguards to prevent mixing of genetically modified products with non-genetically modified foods. In order to determine the requirements for such safeguards, there must be a definitive assessment of what constitutes a GMO and universal agreement on how products should be labeled.

GMOs benefit mankind when used for purposes such as increasing the availability and quality of food and medical care, and contributing to a cleaner environment. If used wisely, they could result in an improved economy without doing more harm than good, and they could also make the most of their potential to alleviate hunger and disease worldwide. However, the full potential of GMOs cannot be realized without due diligence and thorough attention to the risks associated with each new GMO on a case-by-case basis.

Attitude toward Change

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, public acceptance trends in Europe and Asia are mixed depending on the country and current mood at the time of the survey (Hoban, 2004). Attitudes toward cloning, biotechnology, and genetically modified products differ depending upon people's level of education and interpretations of what each of these terms mean. Support varies for different types of biotechnology; however, it is consistently lower when animals are mentioned.

These issues are increasingly important to consider as the number of GMOs continues to increase due to improved laboratory techniques and tools for sequencing whole genomes, better processes for cloning and transferring genes, and improved understanding of gene expression systems. Thus, legislative practices that regulate this research have to keep pace. Prior to permitting commercial use of GMOs, governments perform risk assessments to determine the possible consequences of their use, but difficulties in estimating the impact of commercial GMO use makes regulation of these organisms a challenge.

Human Mind Impacts

Despite the fact that the genes being transferred occur naturally in other species, there are unknown consequences to altering the natural state of an organism through foreign gene expression. After all, such alterations can change the organism's metabolism, growth rate, and/or response to external environmental factors. These consequences influence not only the GMO itself, but also the natural environment in which that organism is allowed to proliferate. Potential health risks to humans include the possibility of exposure to new

allergens in genetically modified foods, as well as the transfer of antibiotic-resistant genes to gut flora.

The use of GMOs in medicine and research has produced a debate that is more philosophical in nature. For example, while genetic researchers believe they are working to cure disease and ameliorate suffering, many people worry that current gene therapy approaches may one day be applied to produce "designer" children or to lengthen the natural human life span. Similar to many other technologies, gene therapy and the production and application of GMOs can be used to address and resolve complicated scientific, medical, and environmental issues, but they must be used wisely.