Genetically modified (GM) food is food whose genetic design has been changed for particular reasons (Ralston, 1) such as being more tolerant or nutritious. GM products were introduced around the world in the 1990s, and the most general examples of them in the USA are corn, cotton and soybeans. For example, in 2012, the rate of GM soybeans was 93 % of all soybeans consumption in the USA ('Consumer Info'). Many scientists researched a genetically modified organism (GMO). Also, GM technology is developing rapidly. However, the results of the studies are controversial, and no scientists can predict how GMOs will affect our world in the long run. From studying the effects of GM foods on humans, animals and the environment, it is clear that the regulation for the development of genetic engineering (GE) techniques for foods is necessary.
GM crops have potential benefits such as the reduction of the cost for growing, more nutritious fare and the possibility to thrive in climate change. First of all, the modern GE method is to insert a single or a couple of new genes into a crop to carry proper objectives like toughness or nourishment, and some of them originate from different species (Brody, 2). For one thing, the products whose gene is modified to be unaffected by insects can allow farmers to decrease the use of insecticides so that the production cost can become lower than non-GM plants, and growers can cultivate them more (Brody, 3). The second example of worth is the prospects for healthfulness. Golden rice is created with the gene from corn to generate beta-carotene to cope with the critical shortage of vitamin A (Folger, 4) that could help people avoid losing their sight and fatalities (Brody, 3). Another example of the advantages of transgenic crops is the ability of tolerance. In Africa and Asia, there are many countries which are influenced severely by climate change, and people require the organisms that can survive in drought or high-temperature environment (Brody, 3). As an illustration, Tanzanians, who are burdened with drought, cultivate maize whose gene is transformed into resistance to drought. As a result, people in Tanzania will satisfy their hunger even though they were opposed to the concept of GMOs (Sydney, 9-10).
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On the other hand, there are various concerns with GMOs: the risk of allergy, cancer and the diminishment of weed diversity. First, there are no long-standing scientific examinations of the healthy and harmful impacts on the human organisms ('Grocery Manufacturers Association'). According to a joint commission of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), they determined two capable risks of GM provisions relating to allergy: allergenic peculiarity and allergic responses ('Evaluation of Allergenicity'). It is informed that Star Link corn whose gene is modified to resist insects brought customers allergic reactions including skin troubles, stomach problems and other serious symptoms ('Life-Threatening Food?'). Second, some of the weed-killer resistant plants, one of the GM crops, are produced by blending the chemical substance called 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) (Brody, 3). In 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) permitted to utilize manufactures containing 2,4-D after the animal examinations detected the likelihood of the growth of cancer risk (Rettner, 2). This implies that the transgenic plants which possess the gene inserted 2,4-D increase the danger of malignant tumors for humans. Third, GM plants make disturbance of biodiversity. For instance, GM crops whose gene is altered to resist herbicides decline weed multiplicity around the farmland, and this impact causes to cut down the range and feeds for other essential species ('Are GMO Crops'). Specifically, a transgenic crop which is a tolerable weed-killer simply allows the farmers to spray the herbicides against insects. When glyphosate, which is one ingredient of agrichemicals, is dispersed at the riverside, it can prompt the fatality of amphibians (Neves).
According to a 2018 Pew Research Center report, 49% of adults in the USA regard that GE foods are 'worse’ for human condition, 44% mention ‘neither better nor worse’, and 5% trust ‘they are better' ('Public Perspectives'). As mentioned above, there are several considerable advantages and apprehensions of GM provisions, and they involve numerous organisms including human beings, animals and nature. Therefore, it is necessary to regulate the progression of GM foods marketing properly. Additionally, consumers need to learn the effects of GMOs from positive and negative sides to avoid groundless judgements.
In conclusion, GM foods have diverse profits and worries as written above. Moreover, their influence is extensive. It is explained that people will demand the green revolution, which indicates the approach to the evolution of agriculture (Pingali, 3), in order to retain aliments even though the number of populaces all over the world will reach two billion (Folger, 2). In the green revolution, GE technologies are crucial for more effective and vigorous harvests. Nevertheless, it is uncertain whether GMOs are safe or harmful for humankind and its surroundings. Hence, the appropriate regulation for GM foods business is fundamental as well as the long-term exploration of them.
Works Cited
- 'Are GMO Crops Better for the Environment?' Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, May 2015. gmoinquiry.ca.
- Brody, E. Jane. ‘Are G.M.O. Foods Safe?’ The New York Times, 23 April 2018.
- ‘Consumer Info About Food from Genetically Engineered Plants’, FDA, 1 April 2018. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-new-plant-varieties/consumer-info-about-food-genetically-engineered-plants.
- 'Evaluation of Allergenicity of Genetically Modified Foods.' Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and World Health Organization, January 2001. fao.gov.
- Folger, T. (2014, October). The Next Green Revolution. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/foodfeatures/green-revolution/
- 'Grocery Manufacturers Association Position on GMOs'. Grocery Manufacturers Association, 23 September 2013. gmaonline.org.
- Neves, Jessica, Agostino, D. Adam. Zolondick, Alicia. 'Environmental Impact of GMOs'. 20 April 2016. blogs.umass.edu.
- 'Public Perspectives on Food Risks'. Pew Research Center, 19 November 2018. pewresearch.org.
- Ralston, Robin. ‘Understanding Genetically Modified Foods’. The Ohio State University, 23 Funahashi 6 August 2016. https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/HYG-5058.
- Rettner, Rachael. ‘New GMO Controversy: Are the Herbicides Dangerous?’ 19 August 2015. https://www.livescience.com/51917-gmo-herbicides-health.html.
- Sydney, Abraham. 'Climate Change, Agriculture, and Adaptations: Policy Recommendations for Conservation Agriculture'. Climate and Society, 16 January 2019. https://digitalcommons.carleton.edu/climateandsociety/vol1/iss1/3/.
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