GMO also known as genetically modified organisms. You might wonder what they are, but it is the face of biotech agriculture today. They are in every food product from Pop Tarts to Granny Smith apples. This revolutionary agricultural science made popular by Monsanto is in 93% of all corn and soy planted in the US.
Genetically modified foods have been on the market for over 20 years now. GMO production is taking the genetic information of one plant and embedding it into another living being. This way scientists can make nourishment crops remain fresher, become greater, and have the crop make their own pesticides. There have been only a handful of studies done to test the safety and health risks of consuming GMO foods. They were once deemed to be safe for consumption. In 1992 the FDA ruled GMO foods safe for consumption without any scientific data to back it up. When GMO foods were first introduced, they were widely accepted. The attitude towards GM foods has been negative in recent years. Health-conscious consumers have gravitated towards non-GMO foods.
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There are many potential health risks associated with consuming genetically modified foods. “The results of most studies with GMO 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” (Dona and Arvanitoyannis, 164). These health risks should be enough for the FDA to ban GMO foods but sadly that is not the case. There are also environmental impacts that GMO crop production have on the ecosystem. “Not only could this result in contamination and possible damage to crops that humans have come to depend on, but such cross-pollination could end up having a negative effect on the ecosystem” (Odekon, 654). There are also potential allergen risks that come with GMO production. The reason being is that the imported genes produce a new protein which has never been present before. That new protein could trigger an allergic reaction in some people.
The general public has become the lab rats for the safety of GMO foods. The studies that suggest that GMO foods are safe for consumption did not use adequate test subjects. “Yet many of the studies that ‘show’ that GM crops are safe for people to eat use animals such as chickens, cows or trout that have very different physiology to humans” (Carman and Parletta, 5). This shows that biotech companies are altering studies to make them have favorable outcomes for GMOs. “For example, in a study that my colleagues and I did, we found that pigs (which have a similar digestive system to humans) had far higher rates of severe stomach inflammation than pigs fed an equivalent non-GM diet” (Carman and Parletta, 6). This study shows the potential risks GMO foods can have on humans.
Allergens and toxins are a big concern of GMO farming. “Among the concerns include the potential of altering the natural metabolism of the plant or animal in such a way that causes it to produce new allergens or toxins” (Odekon, 654). This could be terrible for the environment and human consumption. For example, a gene from a Brazilian nut was inserted into the DNA of a soybean which produced an allergen. Thankfully this soybean was not put on the food market for sale. Another issue with GMO foods is the global fight for market share. “…many biotech companies rush their crops to market without the proper testing necessary to determine the short-term and long-term impacts of these crops on ecosystems and human health. That leads to the third underlying assumption; whereas there are many scientists willing to claim that consuming genetically engineered foods is harmless, the reality is, the jury is still out on their safety and efficacy” (Odekon, 654). There need to be more in-depth studies done on genetically engineered foods to determine their long-term health effects on humans.
Genetically modified soybeans can cause negative health outcomes. “For example, soybeans grown to be resistant to herbicides often contain fewer isoflavones than regular soybeans. Isoflavones are believed to protect women from several types of cancer” (Odekon, 654). Long term consumption of genetically engineered soybeans could lead to poor health. The negative health outcomes not only affect adults but children as well. “There are also several studies that link consumption of genetically modified soybeans with illnesses in newborn babies” (Odekon, 654). These studies should be widely published so consumers know of the dangers of GMO foods.
The main purpose of genetically engineered crops is to produce new proteins. The first type of protein makes plants resistant to herbicides like glyphosate which is an ingredient in the weed killer Roundup. The goal is when you spray the crop the weed will die, and the crop will survive. Due to huge amounts of glyphosate being applied to farmland, some weeds have become resistant and do not die when sprayed. Biotech companies are now engineering crops to be resistant to two or more herbicides.
Another downside of GMO crops is that they are antibiotic resistant. “If these antibiotic resistant DNA sequences are taken up by bacteria in the gut of animals and people, it could make those bacteria resistant to antibiotics, which could considerably worsen our current medical problems with antibiotic-resistant bacteria” (Carman and Parletta, 4). This could lead to certain antibiotic drugs not treating illnesses in humans due to their consumption of GMO foods that are antibiotic resistant.
There is also the concern of new toxins being introduced with GMO foods. “For example, potatoes containing a Bt toxin that had been approved for human consumption were found to cause damage to the microscopic structure of the small intestine in mice” (Carman and Parletta, 5). This shows that GMO potatoes could cause dangerous health issues for humans. A majority of the crops consumed in the US today are genetically engineered.
The biotech industry is known to alter studies to produce favorable results towards GMO crops. “We found that 47 crop varieties had been approved by government regulators for animal or human consumption with one or more of these GM genes. However, we could not find any published histopathology studies for 81% of them” (Carman and Parletta, 6). The studies are also not being properly conducted. In the studies, the animals were not fed long enough to develop negative side effects. The negative side effects were also not investigated further. Industry studies done by researchers in the biotech industry are less likely to find harm in GMO foods than independent researchers. This clearly shows that there is a lack of evidence to deem these GMO crops safe for human consumption.
Genetically engineered crops could have a negative impact on the environment. “Not only could this result in contamination and possible damage to crops that humans have come to depend on, but such cross pollination could end up having a negative effect on the ecosystem” (Odekon, 654). Toxicity is also another issue surrounding GMO foods. The chemicals and pesticides used in GMO production are toxic towards bees, butterflies, and birds. Biodiversity is put at risk with GMO crops. When GMO crops are planted in monocrop style, heritage seeds are not used.
GM yields may make the regular pest spray outdated. This is because pests will develop resistance to the spray because of the widespread planting of GMO crops. Superbug pesticides have not yet been made, nor have superbug anti-infection agents been made. The health risks for humans through superbug diseases or by eating GM foods is severe, and the outcomes that may come about can possibly be hazardous.
Biotech crops are the fastest growing portion of the agriculture industry globally. “In 2011, nearly 10 percent of the Earth’s arable land (160 million hectares) was used to grow biotech crops” (Odekon, 654). Plants that are genetically engineered to fight diseases are saving a lot of crops like the Hawaiian Rainbow papaya. Herbicide-tolerant crops allow farmers to use less or no tilling farming methods. Potatoes that are genetically engineered to resist bruising and apples that resist browning are reducing food waste. Another benefit of GMO crop is that their nutritional content can be altered. Rice that has been genetically modified to produce high levels of vitamin A has helped reduce vitamin deficiencies worldwide.
The agricultural industry touts that there are many benefits of GMO foods. “GM crops provide producers with opportunities to lower production costs, enhance crop production, and increase profits by using inputs more efficiently” (Han and Harrison, 700). These all sound like amazing benefits that could produce a better food supply. Biotech companies are also developing crops that have higher vitamins and minerals as well as antioxidants. GMO crops can be engineered to be resistant to certain pesticides. Crops can also be engineered to be disease resistant. GMO crops are also drought resistant which makes for a better harvest. GMO soybeans are healthier because they produce oils with no trans-fat and higher levels of Omega 3. They also are attributed to better taste, resistance to disease and pests, and faster output of crops. Cows that consume GMO feed have a higher resistance to disease and overall better health.
Genetically engineered foods also benefit the environment. They help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This goes back to tilling in which less of it means less tractor related emissions. GMO corn fights harmful pests that eat at the corn supply. They control the pest population very effectively.
Genetically engineered foods help reduce food waste. Most people throw away an apple if it turns brown after being sliced and left out. There are now GMO apples that do not brown after being sliced and left out. This also helps reduce the amount of corn that is thrown out. That is because the corn is not eaten up by worms.
The technology of genetic engineering helps make some crops safer to eat. For example, the Innate potato produces the carcinogen acrylamide. When this potato was genetically modified, the acrylamide was eliminated making it safer for consumption. GMO crops also help reduce the carbon footprint of crops. Each time farmers need to return into the field, to furrow or apply pesticides, they are consuming non-renewable energy sources. Roundup Ready make weed control a lot simpler and lessens the number of time ranchers need to shower herbicides.
GMO farming helps the environment in many ways. Reductions in pesticide use can lead to greater conservation of beneficial insects and help to protect other non-target species. Reduced tillage helps to mitigate soil erosion and environmental pollution. It has been claimed that growing Bt could help to significantly reduce the use of chemical pesticides and lower the cost of production to some extent.
There are many negatives and positives associated with GMO foods. While they are helpful to the environment, they also can be harmful. GMO foods also help with sustainability. They also help reduce food waste. While scientists have split views on the safety of GMO crops the one thing that is for sure is that they are here to stay.
Works Cited
- Artemis Dona, Ioannis S. Arvanitoyannis. (2009) Health Risks of Genetically Modified Foods. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 49:2, pages 164-175.
- Carman, Judy, and Natalie Parletta. ‘Is Genetically Modified Food Safe for Us and The Environment’. Nutridate , vol. 28, no. 2, May 2017, pp. 211–226.
- Odekon, Mehmet. 'Genetically Modified Organisms'. The SAGE Encyclopedia of World Poverty. Second Edition ed Vol. 2. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, Inc, 2015. 654-655. SAGE Knowledge. Web. 23 Feb. 2019, doi: 10.4135/9781483345727.n336.
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