GM FOOD

Crop plants created for consumption using latest technology are usually identified as GM foods or GMOs (genetically-modified organisms). There are many different types of GM foods such as soybean, corn, maize and canola among food crops and cotton among non-food crops.

Desired traits like increased resistance are used to modify the nutritional content, and usually done through breeding. Even though these GM foods have brought about beneficial impacts on the society, there still exist certain disadvantages these foods caused.

Advantages of GM food:
Statistics have shown that GM foods have lead to an increase in the farm income globally, $33.8 billion in the first ten years, and also in the increase of food production. Additionally, news has stated that since GM foods are pest resistance, it had helped to save the use of pesticides by 8 per cent. There was also a drop in the carbon dioxide emission as there was a reduced usage of the need for spraying and tiling.

GM foods also contain desired traits and desired vitamins and minerals. Through GM foods, it could allow a large proportion of countries, especially those from the Less Developed Countries (LDCs) to gain access to food with nutrients, and at the same time, reduce the possibility of hunger and starvation, which is caused by the uneven distribution of production capacity.

One example would be the ‘Golden Rice’ which contains 30 times more beta carotene (pro-vitamin A). The “Golden Rice 2” was then produced, containing more than 30 times more beta carotene than the first variety. As the normal rice that the people consume does not contain sufficient nutrients to prevent malnutrition, these Golden Rice seeds would be provided by non-profit organisations to the LDCs. This could then save thousands of children going blind.

Another example is Cassava boosted with additional iron, proteins and vitamins. Cassava, a starchy tuber, is a staple food of more than 250 million sub-Saharan Africans. A beta carotene-enhanced cassava is created by inserting genes that impart higher levels of the pro-vitamin.

Since GM foods do not require the use of pesticides, it alleviates the peoples’ fear of consuming food which had been previously sprayed by pesticides of herbicides. GM foods hence reduce the chances of potential health hazards and the pollution of the air. GM foods also cost much cheaper, making it more affordable for the people living in the LDCs, minimising the problems due to lack of proper food.

Disadvantages of GM food:
The consumption of GM foods could bring about negative effects on the human health such as allergies and resistance against antibiotics; it can also cause disorders in the immunity system and viral infections. All these could be caused due to the gene transfer method, which was realised by the experiment that was carried out by Arpad Pusztaria. Also, experiments that were carried out showed that DNA we receive through food may be transported to our cells. This could cause the DNA to be passed on to foetus in the woman’s womb if she’s pregnant.

The introduction of new GM foods may also result in unexpected side effects upon consumption. One such example would be the GM potatoes which contained lectin. Some consumers who were allergic to lectin, and were not informed of the ingredients in the GM potatoes, suffered from unexpected health problems. Also, although the extra vitamin A in GM foods had saved many people from going blind, it was estimated to cause about one million deaths a year and 500,000 cases of blindness.

Not only do these GM foods affect human health, it also has adverse effects on the environment, resulting in the extinction of certain species. One example is the Monarch butterflies. Their deaths are caused by the consumption of the fallen pollens from the GM plants. This prevents them from growing in the larvae stage, resulting in the death of these species.

Even though it is stated that GM foods could increase the farmer’s income, it may also widen the gap between the rich and the poor. Despite the fact the non-profit organisations could provides GM seeds to the third world countries, it is not a long term solution. Over time, the price of these GM seeds may rise so high that people from the third world countries are unable to purchase them, leaving only farmers from the more developed countries purchasing and growing them. As such, the gap between the richer and poorer countries would be very significant over a period of time.

Another problem is that many people have yet to accept GM foods as part of their lives. The 2008 trial by Leeds University, whereby potatoes were genetically modified to resist a parasitic worm, provoked anger from local residents and the potatoes were destroyed by environmentalists. One reason is due to the fear of health risks posed by GM foods, as stated above. Also, a study conducted by Eurobarometer in 2008 which surveyed 25,000 EU citizens found that 54 per cent of Britons were opposed to bio-technology in food production. From this, we can see that GM foods still has to go a long way before being accepted by the people.