Misplaced concern over genetically engineered food
Are genetically modified foods harmful? Many people seem to believe so. A 2014 consumer survey found that 80 percent sought out non-GMO products, with 56 percent saying non-GMO was key to brand buying (1). As per another survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, 57 percent of Americans indicated that it is typically hazardous to consume genetically modified foods (2). According to The Hartman Group, Bellevue, Wash, the proportion of shoppers shunning genetically modified foods has tripled over the past decade. Forty-six percent of consumers surveyed last year said they actively avoid bio-engineered ingredients, compared with 15 percent of consumers surveyed in 2007 (3).
Some public interest organizations and environmentalists claim that GMOs are not natural. Furthermore, numerous organizations support the mandated labeling of genetically engineered foods due to health concerns. Such legislation, in turn, encourages interest in non-GMO food items. Jon Entine of the Genetic Literacy Project says, “We’ve eaten about 7 trillion meals in the 18 years since GMOs first came on the market. There’s not one documented instance of someone getting so much as a sniffle” (5). The World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science have also determined that there is no convincing evidence against GMOs. Thousands of studies support this notion (6). However, many do not have faith in these assurances. People are lured by skeptics who assert that there is more to the tale. In fact, they are of the opinion that certain studies have revealed hazards connected with GMOs. Also, there are those who believe that Monsanto, the first firm to adopt biotech pharma company techniques for agriculture, is concealing the truth.
The anti-GMO movement advocates prudence and caution against genetically altered foods. However, activists who advise caution against GMOs do not evaluate the alternatives with the same diligence. Firstly, they criticize the proteins in GE crops as harmful, although they argue in favor of the medications and insecticides used in non-GE crops. In many cases, non-GE crops contain the same proteins as GMOs. Secondly, studies show that other crop development technologies, including some championed by the same non-GMO activists, are more disruptive to plant genomes.
Concerns around herbicides, monocultures, and patents in GE agriculture are valid. However, genetic engineering is a process that can be used in different ways to create different things. There are several nice examples in the USDA’s database of modified plants. On the list are corn plants that can flourish in dry conditions, plums that don’t get viruses, apples that don’t turn brown, and potatoes with fewer natural toxins. Telling lawmakers, food corporations, and seed companies that we want better GMOs is the best way to protect genetic engineering from the evils of the herbicide industry. GM crops are beneficial in many aspects. For instance, the new genes might protect the crop from the effects of pesticides by making it less tasty to pests while making the crop grow faster. GMOs are especially great news for poor people because genetic modification can make crops easier and more common to grow, thus lowering the cost of food.
Today, 90% of the corn grown in the United States has been changed genetically. That means it grew from a seed whose genes were altered. Scientists are also working on high-calcium carrots, tomatoes with antioxidants, allergy-free nuts, bacteria-resistant oranges, wheat that requires less water, corn, cassava with more minerals, and a plant that looks like flax but makes healthy fish oil, amongst other options. Another GM crop that could change people’s lives is a new strain of rice called the “golden rice” with more vitamin A in it. This rice could help prevent blindness, which affects about 500,000 people a year, primarily children. However, advanced GE products, like the “golden rice”, are not available because many oppose GMO testing, approval, and commercialization.
Genetic engineering can do a lot for our health and our planet. So we, as consumers, need to broaden our understanding of GMOs. On the one hand, we have a group of ill-informed activists and environmentalists who are fighting a war against genetic engineering. On the other hand, there are corporate giants whose interests lie in making money by killing weeds rather than investing in fruitful products that might upset a chosen few. But if we were to make an informed decision regarding GMOs, food choices would be better than ever for the next generation. They are less likely to go hungry or get sick than any person who has ever lived. Let’s not give in to fear but win the battle with facts.
References
1. https://www.nongmoproject.org/product-verification/
2. https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2015/07/01/chapter-6-public-opinion-about-food/
3. https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/14368-non-gmo-project-growth-extreme-and-consistent
4. https://www.thespectrum.com/story/opinion/2014/05/30/let-world-eat-without-fear/9796055/
5. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-truth-about-genetically-modified-food/
Bibliography
2. https://reason.com/2014/05/28/dont-fear-genetically-modified-food/
Author: N TEJAS
About Author: Student of IPM 01
#GMO #genetics #enlighteningiim #genetics #organic