GM FOODS

Tittle: The face of hunger
With the lack of access to nutrients, starving people are more vulnerable to diseases and death. Thus scientists are working on these enhanced crops to help with this problem.

•Tomato with 20% more antioxidants. Anthocyanins are antioxidants, which have been linked to many health benefits. Anthocyanins are added to cells at within the tomato’s flesh. The end result is a purple tomato with a threefold increase in antioxidants.

•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. The end result is a noticeably more orangery cassava root.

•Rice packed with 30 times more beta carotene (also called pro-vitamin A). The Golden Rice 2 contains more than 30 times more beta carotene than the first variety. The end result is a noticeably more brown rice.


Tittle: GM crops have a role in preventing world hunger, chief scientist says

On 18 Nov 09, a senior government scientist said that GM crops have a role to play in preventing mass starvation across the world caused by a combination of climate change and rapid population growth.

Professor Robert Watson, the chief scientific adviser at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), called for UK trials of GM foods, arguing that the Government needs to be more open with the public about the risks and benefits of genetically modified foods. He said that "Over the next 20 to 50 years, the population is going to increase from 6.5 to 9 billion. There will be more extreme weather, more demand for food, meat, and water, a changing climate: it is a very challenging situation, which, if we don't deal with it, could become a nightmare scenario," said Professor Watson. "We have to look at all the technologies, policies and practices, all forms of bio-tech, including GM." Thus we'll need seeds which are more temperature and pest-tolerant."

Although there might be a need for GM food, there is disapproval for the consumption for GM food. This can be seen from the 2008 trial by Leeds University, in which potatoes were genetically modified to resist a parasitic worm, had provoked anger from local residents and were destroyed by environmentalists. In addition to environmental fears about loss of bio-diversity and harm to other crops, consumers are also concerned about the possible health risks posed by GM food. Another example to show the disapproval is the study conducted by Eurobarometer in 2008 which surveyed 25,000 EU citizens found that 61 per cent thought that animal cloning was morally wrong. Meanwhile, a Gallup poll in 2005 found that 54 per cent of Britons were opposed to bio-technology in food production.

Thus a suggestion that was raised is that the Government should resume trials of GM crops, which halted in 2008, has generated criticism from environmental campaigners who point out that the growth of herbicide-resistant GM crops in countries such as Argentina and the US has seen dramatic increases in pesticide use and created pesticide-resistant "super-weeds"

Professor Watson acknowledged that the subject is controversial. "It is similar to nuclear power," he said. "We have to look at all the risks and benefits, real and perceived, and tell the public what we are trying to achieve."

However, Professor Watson emphasised that GM foods could only play one part in solving a world food crisis, stressing that improving farming in developing countries is also vital. He recommends ending farming subsidies in developed countries, which would make the price of food produced in developing nations more competitive. He also spoke of the need to improve infrastructure, such as loans for farmers, and improve African farmers' education.