Question

In: Biology

Lewis quotes a consumer rejecting genetically modified foods as saying “I will not eat food that...

Lewis quotes a consumer rejecting genetically modified foods as saying “I will not eat food that contains DNA!” (Lewis 381). Explain the misconception of this statement.

Solutions

Expert Solution

We know that all kinds of food sources such as plant, animal, etc are made of cells and DNA is an essential component of cells, therefore all kinds of food irrespective of whether it is genetically modified food (GMF) or non-GMF have DNA . Hence the misconception that GMF contain something (called DNA) that is very foreign to our body is wrong. We can also understand it in another way, we as living beings can mostly consume food that comes from living source and has basics nutrients such as proteins, sugars, etc required by our body. So every food we eat that contains these nutrients (protein) contains DNA, whether it is a GMF or not. Now if this misconception is about the fear that consuming GMF can change your DNA, then this fear is also misplaced because enzymes in our digestive system break apart the DNA in our food and it is no longer functional. It is also important to keep in mind that the genetic modifications made to the plant or any other food source have no way of manifesting themselves into a human genome.

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