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Food Security: GMO Food

Genetically modified foods (GM foods), also known as genetically engineered foods (GE foods), or bioengineered foods are foods produced from organisms that have had changes introduced into their DNA using the methods of genetic engineering. Genetic engineering techniques allow for the introduction of new traits as well as greater control over traits when compared to previous methods, such as selective breeding and mutation breeding.

Event:GMO food influence

  • There are many scientists that speculate that genetically altered foods can trigger allergic, asthmatic, or inflammatory reactions in some people.

  • There is a fear that GMO foods may create new toxins that lead to diseases and antibiotic resistance.

  • The results of most studies with GM foods indicate that they may cause some common toxic effects such as hepatic, pancreatic, renal, or reproductive effects and may alter the hematological, biochemical, and immunologic parameters.

  • Research shows not labeling GMO foods is deceiving consumers

Land area used for genetically modified crops has risen sharply since 1996

System’s main components

The main components of the system are GM food researchers and scientists; farmers who grow GM food; GM seed producer companies, such as DuPont Pioneer and Monsanto; factories to process and package food; supermarkets that sell GM food, such as Whole Foods or Safeway; and customers who buy food.

Scientists develop genetically modified seeds

GMO food companies like Monsanto sell the seeds of GMO crops to farmers for profit.

Farmers buy GMO seeds and plant GMO crops in large quantities

Customers buy genetically modified crops at supermarkets and eat them.

Supermarkets get GM crops from factories and sell them

Factories sort, pack and clean up GMO crops

Main relationships

Monsanto is a US agricultural chemical and agricultural biotechnology company, Monsanto regularly lobbied the US government on matters concerning "Foreign Agriculture Biotechnology Laws, Regulations, and Trade". 2 Monsanto is a member of the Washington, D.C.-based Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), the world's largest biotechnology trade association that provides "advocacy, business development, and communications services." Technologists conduct GMO food research and create. Farmers buy Monsanto's GM food seeds and sow them. Farmers send their crops to factories, which are processed, cleaned, sorted, and packaged. Supermarket headquarters go to factories to buy large quantities of genetically modified foods and sell them in supermarkets.

System’s goal

The goals of each player in the system are different. Scientists are responsible for researching and creating the seeds of genetically modified food, Monsanto is responsible for obtaining consent from the government and selling the seeds to farmers with the help of other agencies' marketing tools, farmers are responsible for planting genetically modified seeds and selling them to large supermarkets, and supermarkets are responsible for the farmers' genetically modified food. sold to the public.

Iceberg Diagram

Research Methods

I scoured the web a lot, including GMO Problems and Solutions By Jon Yaneff on the downsides of GMO food and Down to Earth's Ways to Avoid Genetically Modified Food which provides a lot of useful solutions.
Problem Statement

  1. How might we make customers consciously buy genetically modified foods in wholefoods?

  2.  Because it gives customers the option to choose GMO or organic food

  3. Customers can see improvements as they qualify to quickly determine what type of food they are buying.

  4. The situation could be even worse for food companies and supermarkets, as they have to pay to label all GM food packaging as GM.

Secondary Research（Online & News Articles）

Canola, corn, and soy are in a lot of foods. So are ingredients derived from them, such as baking powder, beta carotene, cellulose, citric acid, corn starch, lactic acid, lecithin, riboflavin, miso, soybean oil, soy protein, soy sauce, vitamin E (tocopherol), and xanthan gum. 

Numbers of GMO crops

Primary Research（Interview）

Andy

Often buy crops to cook at home

Peter

Try to find more organic crops, think organic food is healthier

Jenny

The physique is not very good, and I am afraid that long-term consumption of genetically modified food will be harmful to the body

  • Interviewees agree that organic foods are healthier than GM foods

  • Interviewees say organic food is harder to come by

  • But the more important reason is that it is not known which are GM crops and which are not.

  • There are so many genetically modified foods, so sometimes I want to buy organic but make the wrong ones.

Insight

System

The whole process of the system from the seed producer to the farmer planting to the supermarket sale works well. But I think some functional obstacles are that although the
genetically modified crops developed by the first scientific and technological personnel can increase the yield, they do not have very many safety guarantees. Planting GM food; third, farmers are unaware of the dangers of GM crops, or use large amounts of herbicides to grow high-yield GM crops to harm the environment. After some investigations, there is a lot of controversy about GM crops. Many articles claim that GM foods are not harmful. However, there is very little actual research on the effects of GM foods on human health. Some solutions lie in putting GMO labels on the packaging of GMO foods to alert buyers. But in the end, most GM foods are not willing to spend money on the labeling on the packaging.

People & Culture

Governments, seed manufacturers, farmers and supermarkets can make changes to the system. The government needs to make more demands to investigate genetically modified foods and control the manufacturers. Manufacturers stop monopoly and control farmers through price. Farmers choose not only to grow genetically modified food alone. Supermarkets should label the packaging of genetically modified food to remind buyers.
There is also the participation of buyers, although there is no right, but it is still very important.

Proposed solution

  1. I'm going to push the "leverage" that keeps customers informed, trying to keep them all informed（a.In effect, pushing this "leverage" means getting Whole Foods to label all GMO foods to alert customers.  b.I think the empowered person is the pro-organic celebrity who, through her/his advocacy and promotion, influences Whole Foods to label the food.）

  2. The impact is that it costs the food company or Whole Foods some cost to complete the label, but it gives customers the choice of the type of food they buy.

  3.  Monsanto may resist change because it might make sales of their GM seeds lower, but this resistance can be overcome.

  4. I don't think it can be completely successful, because supermarkets are not necessarily willing to spend, and Monsanto and farmers may also resist, but if the influence of celebrities leads to the demands of much social personnel, it can be partially successful.

Solution Catalyst

The lever I'm trying to push is convincing supermarkets to label GMO foods

 

This allows customers to have the right to purchase information, they can choose whether to buy genetically modified food,

I want to publicize and promote by reaching out to celebrities who don't support GMO food so that more people understand the importance of labeling and then use the power of the masses to persuade supermarkets to label GMO food.

Who we contact

Presenting a Solution - Iceberg Diagram

Presenting a Solution- Stock and Flow Diagram

Presenting a Solution - Concept Map

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