Genetically Modified (GM) Food Controversies: Harmful or Helpful

We can only imagine the effects of the GM food because we do not have much information about their health risks or the risks of allergenic reactions to our body. Almost all of us are careless about what kind of food we consume because we seldom recognize what group of nutrition is needed for keeping health, such as vitamin, protein, carbohydrate, fat, etc. Moreover, GM products have been spreading in this century. Perhaps, it could replace natural products. GM food will bring controversial issues, which have advantages and disadvantages side-effects.

Some suggest that the disadvantages of GM food are negligible because scientists can arrange and avoid negative impact of this food. They can do it since just as they can create GM food and design GM food so as not to have bad effects. Also, this product will solve the world’s hunger for the future. Unfortunately for us, this point is not scientifically proven since there is little scientific study for it.

Those who argue that it is beneficial for economic values say that GM food promised to answer the crisis of comestibles. GM food can improve nutrition which is done by inserting new genes to plant or animal cell target. For example, rice does not provide naturally all the necessary nutrients for a healthy diet. Because of that, researchers have created “golden rice” containing a high amount of vitamin A. Moreover, they have added iron too in order to complete nutrition in one meal. Another example is producing crops which are resistant to pest. It will help farmers not to use chemical pesticides and to reduce their cost. For consumers, it may avoid toxin from pesticides because of potential health hazards.

This argument does have a point; however, there is inadequate safety testing technology to assess potential harm. The lack of data is due to some reasons, including the difficulty of safety evaluating crop. GM food is more complex and its composition varies according to differences in growth and agronomic condition. Also, insertion of genes into the genome can result in unpredictable effects, which need to be eliminated. This may lead to the development of unknown toxic or allergenic component which can not be analyzed exactly. Allergies are a major concern with GM food, especially if ingredients are not labeled in packaged food. In addition, in November 2008, a result of Greenpeace said that Monsanto Company who produced strain of transgenic maizena caused decreasing fertility in mice. Although GM peas seem to have no harmful effects on animals, that doesn’t mean they are safe for humans.

For all these reasons, it has now emerged that there are questions that must be answered by people who have responsibilities making GM food. How are we to proceed and to avoid causing unexpected effects on human health and the environment? To answer this, we need time and extensive research. We need more and better testing methods before creating GM food available for human consumption.

Photo sources:
1. http://geneticallymodifiedfoods.weebly.com/
2. http://hubpages.com/hub/Big-Concern-About-GMO-How-Can-Genetically-Modified-Food-Impact-Human-Health
 3. http://safeveg.com/?p=21