Research and Describe Genetic Engineering, GMO Foods

GMO Foods
Kirsten Ford
Professor Ostrander
December 1, 2017
GMO Foods
Ever since my Grandmother was diagnosed with a serious disease that some believe was caused by exposure to GMO foods. I have been interested in exploring the pros and cons of food supply manipulation and food safety as it affects the health of all of us.
Genetically modified organism has been defined as an “organism or microorganism whose genetic material has been altered by means of genetic engineering” by dictionary.com (n.d). In general, the objective of genetic manipulation in organisms is to improve them or correct any defects. Therefore, it can be said that genetically modified foods falls in the category of GMOs, which have been altered for growth enhancement or improvement of certain traits for the purpose of making them desirable. Since its evolution, genetically modified foods have become common with their production increasing each year. However, this increase in GM food production has been controversial for a long time. Because of the controversies surrounding the genetically modified foods, there is a vast majority of research which has suggested that they are safe for consumption and they have the potentiality of feeding millions of people who go hungry across the world. Despite that some criticisms on genetically modified foods have been rejected, not all of them pass that test of rejection and the pro-GM scientists are unscientific in their rejections. After a careful analysis of all, both sides, it is evident that there is need for deployment and safety testing of GMO foods.
Various scientists have given their view on the issue with some asserting that equating to Frankenstein’s story with a conclusion that “things have started to crawl out of the lab.” The pro-GMO scientists are expressing their despair in the relentless efforts to confront what appeared to be fiction over the health concerns of GMO’s. Their frustration comes from the continuous debate, which should have ended several years ago when scientists presented exonerating evidence. What was happening four decades ago is still on. The opponents of this technology are giving opposing complaints with assertions that naïve science is involved in pushing it forward. They continue to argue that crossing of breeds can be exotic generations later, which will result in potential toxic plants that may distort the testing. Most of the scientists who are raising serious concerns about the safety of GMO foods assert that their efforts are not succeeding because of insufficient funds and the organizations that provide funds, only favor researchers who are exploring the use of genetic modifications. Scientists who point out potential risk concerning GMO foods or who report experimental findings that indicate other risks face vicious attacks from pro-GMO scientists in regard to their credibility.
Whether which side is right or wrong, there is one aspect of the GMO that is undeniable; despite the increasing stream of evidence that support the safety of GMO foods for consumption, their hot debate on their use is continuing and is getting louder in some countries. Based on this, the major question surrounding the issue of GMO foods is who is right, critics or pro-GMOs. A careful analysis of evidence provided from both parties, one can get a clear path out of the dilemma that it has presented.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Based on the bulk of research on GMO safety issue points that the benefits of GMO foods outweigh the health risks though this claim remains to be theoretical. The pro-GMO scientists argue that it has reduced food prices across the world and has lowered the production costs for farmers. Another benefit that has been pinned on GMO foods is that it has increased food production across the world. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture organization, the world has to increase food production by 70 percent by 2050 to keep up with the increasing population. With climatic changes affecting food production, especially in arid areas, genetically modified crops will be able to withstand conditions in such areas and be disease resistance.
Despite these promising results, most of the countries across the world are banning and restricting GMO foods within their jurisdictions. In the United States of America, nearly all crops are genetically modified, but only two crops are accepted in EU (BASF’s Amflora potato and Monsanto’s MON810). However, MON810 has been banned in 10 E.U. countries while four nations have banned Amflora. Some of the GM corns have been approved in the E.U. but they have been rejected. Across Asia, various countries have yet to approve some GMO crops like the insect-resistant rice whose yields are high. In the African continent, where millions of people are hungry, a significant number of countries have rejected the approval of GMO foods despite the lower costs associated with them. For example, Kenya has banned GMO foods altogether. Currently, no country in the African continent has plans of approving Golden Rice, which has been engineered to contain more vitamin A than other crops such as spinach. Vitamin A is believed to be contributing to more than a million deaths and more than half a million irreversible blindness in most of the developing countries.
Arguments
Throughout history, human beings have been breeding crops altering their genomes. An example that has been engineered for millennia is wheat. For more than 6 decades, scientists have been utilizing “mutagenic” technology to alter the DNA of plants using various chemicals to create strains of peanuts, wheat, pears and rice that have become the backbone of agriculture. This path has received little objection from various parties and has no potential risks.
Selective breeding results in a large number of genes being alte...