Genetically modified foods or GM foods are “foods produced using plant or animal ingredients that have been modified using gene technology.” (Ross). For example, rice can be enriched with vitamins by inserting genes from other plants containing the desired vitamins. Plants can also be modified to withstand certain environmental factors they normally wouldn’t by deriving those genes from plants that can. This new technology offers a lot to the world of agriculture. Despite all the good the new technology has to offer there is a lot of controversy over whether genetically modified foods are safe. There are a few different concerns around health issues in light of this new technology.

Toxins, antibiotic resistance and allergies are currently the major concer

The first concern of antibiotic resistance is of special interest to me. Antibiotic resistant bacteria kill more people every year than road accidents. (Halle). I can see the concern here. The marker genes used in genetic engineering confer resistance to antibiotics commonly used in human and veterinary medicine. Some scientists believe that eating gm foods containing these marker genes could encourage gut bacteria to develop antibiotic resistance. According to the FDA the chances of this happening are very low. First, studies show that strands of antibiotic resistant genes, once in the digestive tract, are degraded by digestive enzymes. If by chance there are a small number of strands that are not degraded the chance of the antibiotic resistant gene being adapted by the digestive tract are again very low. Further, if this does happen the few strands have a very small chance of counteracting the orally ingested antibiotic.

ns about genetically modified foods. Many of the arguments I have read lead me to believe there is presently no real threat that gm foods have on human health.

If by chance counteraction did happen the person could just be given a higher dose of the antibiotic. However low the risk of antibiotics not working, health care regulatory agencies still have antibiotics that are not clinically significant to animals and humans. These antibiotics come from outside the realm of genetically modified foods. The likely-hood of antibiotic resistant bacteria being ingested and be

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