What is GM foods?

What is GM Food?

Genetically Modified Food is food which has had its genetic makeup altered through the use of recombinant DNA technology, that is, by combining genes from different organisms to create a transgenic organism.

This is done by first isolating a gene of interest in an organism and extracting it. This is then inserted into the genome of the recipient. As the same protein coding system is used in the DNA of every living thing, the new gene will be read and used by the recipient organism.

Both plants and animals food products can be genetically modified. Past successful experiments with genetically modified animal food products met with much controversy however and GM Foods are largely limited to plant crops.

Genetically Modified Foods were first introduced onto the market in the 1990s. They are for the most part plant products. The cultivation of GM Food has greatly increased over the years and GM Food is now grown in the US (63%), Argentina (21%), Canada (6%), Brazil (4%), China (4%), South Africa (1%).

Early GM food was primarily focused on increasing crop protection from pests. Other concerns included increasing the shelf life of products (e.g. the FlavrSavr), making food resistant to virus (e.g. Hawaiian Papaya) and introduce nutrients and vitamins into food (e.g. Golden Rice).

Advantages of GM food:

The first commercially grown example of a genetically modified (GM) crop was tomatoes made more resistant to rotting, which was first introduced during the early 1900s. They have a longer shelf life and therefore are easier to ship. Usually, GM foods are for the better; they are more resistant to weeds, pests and diseases, while having a better texture, nutritional values and taste. If they are more resistant to pests, which mean that less pesticides can be used, therefore reducing environmental pollutions.

On the other hand, some people reject the idea of GM food and may not want to consume GM products. But as there are laws says that whenever a product is GM, it must be properly labelled. This gives people a choice. There are also committees within countries which help represent the concerns citizens make.

For example, there is the flavrsavr – the tomatoes which does not degrade as fast as normal tomatoes do. They modified it so that the enzyme responsible for rotting is not produced.

BTcorn is another GM food, which is modified so that ...

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For example, there is the flavrsavr – the tomatoes which does not degrade as fast as normal tomatoes do. They modified it so that the enzyme responsible for rotting is not produced.

BTcorn is another GM food, which is modified so that it produces its own insecticide which makes is less likely for it to be attacked by pests.

Disadvantages of GM food:

Even though the intention for GM foods was not to cause harm, many were concerned about the side effects of consuming GM food over a long period of time. Some people reject the idea of mixing genes from different organisms; for example, a vegetarian might refuse to eat tomato genetically modified with a cow’s gene. Another disadvantage is that there may be potential human health impacts, e.g. allergens, resistance to antibiotics, change in our genetic coding and can cause new diseases. Also, in some other countries, labelling is not compulsory, and that gives the citizens no choice.

Also, GM crops cannot reproduce by themselves. Without humans planting more GM crop, the species will stop reproducing. This means that GM foods are changing the biodiversity and being depended on humans. But are we doing the right thing? Do we have enough knowledge to know what we are doing and do we have the right to do so? Our future generations depends on what they eat and do now, and if after 30 years, they find out that because feeding long-term on GM food causes a particular disease, it may already be too late to fix it, as most people will be carrying the problem gene.

Some large companies which produce GM food already have a patent of a particular food type. This contributes to manipulation of agriculture, making the price of food increase, and less food for poorer countries which are unable to pay for such fees. These actions causes a few large companies dominate the world food market.

Controversy

The safety of GM Food has been a major source of controversy with many believing that it may have possible side effects. Organically grown food is generally perceived as being safer than GM food. Although has yet to been conclusive proof disputing the safety of GM Food, the debate over the safety of genetically modified food remains a point of contention.

The arrival of GM Food has also been hailed as an answer the growing world hunger crisis as there is an increased crop yield. More crops could also be genetically modified to grow in tougher conditions (e.g. Africa). Some scientists argue however that there is enough food to feed the Earth’s growing population and claim that the hunger crisis caused by politics, waste and the unequal distribution of food resources. It is argued that it is not because of the lack of sufficient food that there is a hunger crisis and the growing of GM Food is unlikely to solve the problem.

Precautionary Principle

The genetic modification of an organism often has unanticipated consequences, which may affect both the modified organism and the environment around them. Genetic modification has often been claimed to reduce the biodiversity of plant crops. An example of this is the claim that BT corn has been found to have cross-pollinated with other varieties of corn and passed on its genes. Some scientists have criticized the findings of said study however, arguing that the experimental design was flawed.

Our View

Although the safety of GM Food and the effect it has on the environment has undergone much speculation, there has yet to be actual proof that shows this to be true. While the possible decrease in biodiversity of the organism being genetically modified is also cited as a negative side-effect of GM Food, some scientist argue that the opposite may in fact be true and the introduction of a genetically modified organism into a population can actually increase the organism’s biodiversity.

The Hunger Crisis may also well be caused by the unequal distribution of resources due to politics and waste, such a problem would take a long time to fully address however. With millions of people starving each day, the hunger crisis is a serious problem that demands an urgent solution. The growth of GM food can thus be used to act as an effective immediate short term solution.

Not only can GM food help alleviate the starvation caused by the world hunger crisis, some GM food can also make vitamins and nutrients more widely available (e.g. beta carotene, a precursor to Vitamin A in Golden Rice). It can also make our food immune to virus and diseases (e.g. Hawaiian Papaya).

While opponents of GM food may have valid points when they argue about the side effects GM food may bring, we believe that the importance of the concrete advantages the modification of plant DNA bring far outweighs the possible negative effects of GM Food and support the growth and use of genetically modified food.

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