GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS

Genetically Modified (GM) or genetically engineered foods are made from plants that have traits in their DNA changed. It allows selected individual genes to be transferred from one organism into another, also between non-related species.


GM foods are developed and marketed because there is some perceived advantage either to the producer or consumer. This is meant to translate into a product with a lower price, greater benefit (in terms of durability or nutritional value) or both. Initially GM seed developers wanted their products to be accepted by producers so have concentrated on innovations that farmers (and the food industry more generally) would appreciate.

However, there are concerns that GM foods cause environmental hazards, human health risks, and economic concerns. Critics believed that private corporations are pursuing profits without concern for potential hazards and government is failing to exercise adequate regulatory oversight and there should be more stringent food labelling.

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IMPACT OF GM FOODS ON MANKIND

Pros of GM Foods

·Insect resistance is achieved by incorporating into the food plant the gene for toxin production from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (BT). This makes the GM foods permanently produce this toxin and thus require lower quantities of insecticides in specific situations, e.g. where pest pressure is high.

·Antifreeze gene has been introduced into several plants, giving the plants the ability to tolerate colder temperatures that normally would kill unmodified seedlings. E.g. strawberries

·Nutrition. Researchers are working to create a strain of "golden" rice that contains several vitamins and nutrients. This is significant because it could improve the diet of populations dependent on rice while reducing malnutrition in countries that don't have access to other crops.

Cons of GM Foods

·Environmental hazards consist of unintended harm to other organisms. For example, a study showed that pollen from Bt corn, corn bioengineered to resist the European corn borer, a crop pest which can cause significant damage to crops, caused high mortality rates in monarch butterfly caterpillars. Although the killing of insects may be the goal in pest resistance, it flows into other unintended species.

·Human health risks are an enormous concern. Two main concerns are that introducing foreign genes into food plants COULD have a negative impact on human health by introducing a new allergen or that ingesting these foods could cause problems with consumers' intestines.

·Economic concerns, and probably the most warranted, claim that the process of bringing a GM food to the market is a lengthy and costly process in which companies pursue a profitable return on their investment. The problem occurs when companies patent these new plants and raise the price of seeds.

REFLECTION

After reading the article "Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?" by Deborah Whitman, I was amazed by numerous advantages and criticisms for GM foods. The writer sheds some light on this subject and does an excellent job summarizing the issues involving GM foods.

The paramount concern is whether the GM foods is safe. As GM foods include different genes inserted in different ways, it is not possible to make general statements on the safety of all GM foods. This means that individual GM foods and their safety should be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Although GM foods are often the subject of controversy, I believe many people do not understand exactly what GM foods are and why their use is debated. People support the enhancement of desired traits by the traditional method through breeding, but conventional plant breeding methods can be very time-consuming and are often not very accurate. Therefore, genetic engineering can help to create plants with the exact desired trait very rapidly and with great accuracy.


In my opinion, the advantages of GM foods versus the cons are overwhelming. With the growth in world population and the increased in land usage for urbanisation, food supplies have been a major concern especially in third world countries. Although some believe GM foods impinge on consumers' health, I believe this is can be monitored and improved that make GM foods as good, if not better than, traditional food.

In conclusion, Genetically Modified foods have enormous potential to save money, eliminate poverty, reduce hunger and malnutrition, and promote innovative practices. However, we must proceed with much caution and detailed research, technology is constantly pushing the boundaries of what's possible. Consumers should weigh the positives with the negatives and embrace this innovative process to help rid the world of numerous problems.

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Sources:
Article "Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?" by Deborah Whitman released in April 2000


Prepared by:

Geoffrey Kok Yan Jie
Sec 1-7

29 January 2012