"Bring on Enviropig?: Can Genetic Engineering Make Meat a More Sustainable Food?"
http://www.justmeans.com/Bring-on-Enviropig-Can-Genetic-Engineering-Make-Meat-a-More-Sustainable-Food/34120.html
http://www.justmeans.com/Bring-on-Enviropig-Can-Genetic-Engineering-Make-Meat-a-More-Sustainable-Food/34120.html
From Ellen Sabina, Justmeans Sustainable Food Blog
Published October 10, 2010
Summary
A team of scientists created a new pig breed in Canada. The scientists engineered it to have the same meat product. They have the same fat and protein. Enviropigs are made by injecting a Phytase enzyme into a fertilized egg of a pig. Phytase enzyme break d
own indigestible phytic acid, Phytase, which is found in grain. It was altered to leave less toxic manure. Therefore, it was more environmentally safe. It is good for the environment because less methane and other gases are produced. These gases contribute to Global Warming. Most of the big factory farms will like the Enviropigs because they can make more money off of them. But the pigs are still in review with the FDA if it is edible. There may be health issues or side effects because they were genetically engineered. The first genetically engineered pigs were since 1999, but none of them were tasted. No one wants to test the food. Even though the FDA is pushing back the idea now, it will not be easy to avoid the idea in the next decade. There will be more genetically altered meat. China is investigating the Enviropigs and is thinking about selling genetically altered animals as food in the future.
own indigestible phytic acid, Phytase, which is found in grain. It was altered to leave less toxic manure. Therefore, it was more environmentally safe. It is good for the environment because less methane and other gases are produced. These gases contribute to Global Warming. Most of the big factory farms will like the Enviropigs because they can make more money off of them. But the pigs are still in review with the FDA if it is edible. There may be health issues or side effects because they were genetically engineered. The first genetically engineered pigs were since 1999, but none of them were tasted. No one wants to test the food. Even though the FDA is pushing back the idea now, it will not be easy to avoid the idea in the next decade. There will be more genetically altered meat. China is investigating the Enviropigs and is thinking about selling genetically altered animals as food in the future. Opinion/Reflection
I think the ideas of genetically altered animals as food are bad because not many people would want to eat them. I wouldn't want to eat it because of the possible health problems. Maybe after they get it checked out or know for certain it is the same as the Yorkshire Pig, but if they don't, I wouldn't trust them. Food is a serious business so I wouldn't mess with it. If they sell the genetically altered meat, I would go with the other protesters and protest about the mistake they are making. It is just a terrible idea to enforce. I hope the FDA drags on about it a long time.
Questions
1) Would you agree to genetically altering animal meat for food? Explain.
2) How are Enviropigs made?
3) Do you think we will ever see an Enviropig meat in a store?
4) How long is it until the FDA approves the meat?
5) What kind of problems will come with the genetically enhanced animal meat?
By James Jung
I think that although the genetically altered pig is an interesting idea, I would never try it myself. I would need test after test to show that this pig is safe for me to eat. I still wouldn't know if it would even taste the same. It may be safe to eat, but I still have to like how it tastes for me to eat the pig.
ReplyDelete3. I do not think that there will be an Eviropig in the store any time soon. First, the pigs have to be FDA approved, then there have to be all the skeptical people to be proven that the pig will be marketable. It could take years to get the pigs into the store even if they were approved right away. The pigs have to be grown and then from them, make more genetically altered pigs. This could take a while to get the Enviropigs in the store. Maybe in the future, they'll be in a grocery store near you.
Here is another link talking about the Enviropig.
http://news.guelphmercury.com/News/article/692604
I think that genetically altering a pig is interesting, but I don't think it is a very good idea. I don't think I would eat the pig unless it was tested. The pig would have to be free of all contaminants before I ate it. Also the pig would have to taste good for me to eat it. I hope they get more information about this enviropig to see how healthy it really is.
ReplyDelete1. Would you ever eat an enviropig? Why or Why not?
2. How do you think the enviropig would taste? Do you think it would be better or worse than a regular pig? Explain.
3. What do you think people would say about this enviropig after hearing about it for the first time? Explain.
It's very interesting to me that we are willing to change the genetic structure of pigs to protect the environment. It shows that some people really care about the environment. I don't eat anything that comes from a pig so it wouldn't affect me if the pigs don't taste good. I also think the name is clever.
ReplyDelete3) I think that we will see enviropigs in a supermarket fairly soon. The FDA is unsure about it so far, but once we run tests and discovery how to make the enviropigs taste better we will start to see them in supermarkets and grocery stores.
It's incredible how scientists are now thinking of making genetically engineered enviropigs. However I don't know if it's ethical to intentionally make pigs for human use. I don't think I would want to eat it because I like my food to be sanitary and there's no certainty that the pig is going to be healthy and won't have any side effects. I think the pigs would not be so popular around people because they would be something new. Also the scientists are not even sure if it's edible yet.
ReplyDelete4) I think it will take a long time, because engineered pigs have been created since 1999 and the FDA still haven't tasted them yet.
This is a link to another article about enviropigs.
http://unexplainedmysteriesoftheworld.com/archives/canada-on-the-verge-of-approving-enviropigs-millions-of-canadians-will-soon-be-eating-mousepig-hybrids