By Cat Kemp
Although the consumption of meat and animal products can be seen throughout the entirety of human existence, with the rising population and increasing demand for food and animal products, genetically engineered animals with poor living conditions have taken over the industry. Genetically modified food has gained popularity with the new technology available. This may involve moving genes from one species to another or tweaking the genes already present within an animal. For example, this has been used on cows and goats to make their milk only hold specific proteins. However, the transfer of genetic material within different species provides serious health risks for both species without any benefit for the animals. Some risks include spreading viral diseases within animals that may have never been exposed before and even onto humans. However, the risk of genetically modified meat and dairy on humans has not been researched enough to determine the exact risk of consumption. In pigs, an experiment was done in an attempt to make them grow to be fatter for meat production. This involved injecting human growth hormones into innocent pig embryos, which caused the pigs to be arthritic, partially blind, and infertile. Additionally, because the practice of genetic manipulation is relatively new in the scientific community, there are very few regulations within the use for farming. Thus, the poor treatment of various animals will continue without serious speculation.