Genetically Modified Foods - Essay Example

Genetically Modified Foods Introduction "The term GM foods or GMOs (genetically-modified organisms) is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques." The main reason for modifying these plants in the laboratory is to enhance its desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional value. The enhancement of the above mentioned traits was earlier done through breeding, but conventional plant breeding methods are often inaccurate and time consuming. (Whitman, 2000) GM foods can be directly or indirectly consumed by humans or animals. Genetically modified foods are basically genetically engineered foods. Farmers are involved for making better quality foods which are pest resistant and more nutritious. It can be produced with lesser gestation period and taste better than the natural produce. Traits of different plants are used to produce a better and richer quality of food. "Thirteen countries grew genetically-engineered crops commercially in 2000, and of these, the U.S. produced the majority. In 2000, 68% of all GM crops were grown by U.S. farmers. In comparison, Argentina, Canada and China produced only 23%, 7% and 1%, respectively. Other countries that grew commercial GM crops in 2000 are Australia, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Mexico, Romania, South Africa, Spain, and Uruguay. Soybeans and corn are the top two most widely grown crops (82% of all GM crops harvested in 2000), with cotton, rapeseed (or canola) and potatoes trailing behind. 74% of these GM crops were modified for herbicide tolerance, 19% were modified for insect pest resistance, and 7% were modified for both herbicide tolerance and pest tolerance. Globally, acreage of GM crops has increased 25-fold in just 5 years, from approximately 4.3 million acres in 1996 to 109 million acres in 2000 - almost twice the area of the United Kingdom. Approximately 99 million acres were devoted to GM crops in the U.S. and Argentina alone. In the U.S., approximately 54% of all soybeans cultivated in 2000 were genetically-modified, up from 42% in 1998 and only 7% in 1996. In 2000, genetically-modified cotton varieties accounted for 61% of the total cotton crop, up from 42% in 1998, and 15% in 1996. GM corn and also experienced a similar but less dramatic increase. Corn production increased to 25% of all corn grown in 2000, about the same as 1998 (26%), but up from 1.5% in 1996. As anticipated, pesticide and herbicide use on these GM varieties was slashed and, for the most part, yields were increased." (Whitman, 2000) According to Aigner, genetically modified plants are unwanted by both consumers and farmers. The minister for the environment, Sigmar Gabriel, has suggested that Germany follow the example of "countries like France that have imposed a unilateral ban on GM maize cultivation". Furthermore, Gabriel recommended that national policy be reviewed before the start of spring planting. According to a report in GMO Compass (2009), despite the several debates and bans, the cultivation of genetically modified plants continues to increase worldwide. In 2008, GM crops rose by a figure of 9.4 per cent to occupy 125 million hectares. GM plants are employed in 25 countries, of which Bolivia, Burkina Faso and Egypt are the newest. For soybean, the area occupied by GM varieties expanded to 65.8 mil. hectares (2007: 58.6), maize to 37.3 (35.2), cotton to 15.5 (15.0), and rapeseed to 5.9 (5.0). GM varieties represent 72 per cent of the global production of soybean and 47 per cent of cotton. These figures are taken from the yearly report by the agro-biotechnology agency ISAAA (International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications) on the cultivation of GM plants. The report was published on 11 February in Nairobi (Kenya). Genetically Modified Crops Across the World An "estimate says that there are almost 30000 different products on grocery store shelves are "modified." That's largely because many processed foods contain soy. Half of North America's soy crop is genetically engineered." (Butcher, M. 2009) It is to be noted that the first genetically modified soybeans were planted in the United States in 1996. Also, the world's leading soybean producers are the United States (37%), Brazil (26%), Argentina (18%), and China (8%). A few more names are as follows: Corn Soya bean Sugar Cotton Canola Alfalfa Rice Rapeseed Honey Sugarcane Sweet corn Potatoes, etc Advantages of GM Foods North Disease resistant- Biologists are making efforts to produce disease resistant foods. They have succeeded in introducing an anti freeze gene from cold water fish into potatoes and tobacco. This has improved the crop and it can be grown in adverse cold conditions which normally would have killed the seedlings. 1) Pest resistant- There are heavy losses to the farmers due to pests both financially and mentally. Crops get wasted once attacked by pests and the hard word put in by the farmers is also of no use. Due to this farmers have to use pesticides. Buyers are not interested in buying crops which have been sprayed by these chemicals because of potential health hazards. Growing of GM foods help farmers reduce the use of fertilizers hence reducing the cost and improving the quality of produce. 2) Nutrition- There is lack of food in the third world countries. The staple food in African countries is basically rice. Rice does not contain all the essential vitamins and nutrients. Scientists have created a new strain of golden rice which is enriched with other minerals and vitamins. This can help the people get better nutritive food. Disadvantages of GM Foods 1) GM foods can change the microbial content of the soil. This might ruin the balance of the natural soil. 2) It gives an upper hand to the countries producing GM foods. It is a kind of a monopoly for the developed countries. The seeds are very expensive and the developing and underdeveloped countries are in the clutches of the developed countries. 3) By this technology transferred gene can contaminate to other organisms. This may lead to disasters. Case study of GM crops in Kenya The BBC News (April 2010) reported that a shipment of genetically modified (GM) maize was blocked (40,000 tonnes) at the Kenyan port of Mombasa following protests by environmentalists. It was alleged by Anne Maina, a spokeswoman for the Kenyan Biodiversity Coalition that the Kenyan government had not followed the precautionary measures on the maize which was imported. Patent According to Vangipuram (2010), "Under the current patent regime, farmers are not allowed to save their seeds for next year's harvest. They must continue to buy from Monsanto, year after year. If their crop fails, they go bankrupt and have no recourse." Ethics "It is a common knowledge that biotechnology is one of the most innovative and fast developing technologies in the 20th century with an even brighter perspectives for the 21st century. Is it ethical to produce GM foods This is a topic of debate. We have already come across the advantages and disadvantages of growing GM foods. As the population is increasing there will come a time when space for living will become scarce. Food will have to be grown in places where conditions are not very suitable like in very cold areas or near the sea where the waters is very saline. GM foods will help get better produce in adverse conditions. In countries like Africa, food will be available and people who die because of hunger can be saved. Late ripening of food and having more nutritional value is also a feature of GM foods which help them in storage and transportation. There are different opinions on GM foods of different people. Some are in favour of producing GM foods as they believe it will solve the problem of hunger, scarcity of food and malnutrition. GM foods are being served in the United States of America for more than a decade without any labels. Others believe it is unnatural. It is expensive also and hence it cannot be used by small farmers. Since it involves transfer of genes people believe that it can transfer genes into them also. Insects are developing a resistance for these genes. It adversely affects the environment. It changes the microbial content of the soil. This might ruin the balance of the natural soil. People believe that this is 'playing God' and should be stopped. They believe that GM crops should be properly labeled and then served in the market. So it has a mixed reaction on the ethical point of view. Are GM Foods Healthy to Eat "On May 19th, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) called on "Physicians to educate their patients, the medical community, and the public to avoid GM (genetically modified) foods when possible and provide educational materials concerning GM foods and health risks." They called for a moratorium on GM foods, long-term independent studies, and labeling. AAEM's position paper stated, "Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food," including infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system. They conclude, "There is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects. There is causation," as defined by recognized scientific criteria. "The strength of association and consistency between GM foods and disease is confirmed in several animal studies." More and more doctors are already prescribing GM-free diets. Dr. Amy Dean, a Michigan internal medicine specialist, and board member of AAEM says, "I strongly recommend patients eat strictly non-genetically modified foods." Ohio allergist Dr. John Boyles says "I used to test for soy allergies all the time, but now that soy is genetically engineered, it is so dangerous that I tell people never to eat it." Dr. Jennifer Armstrong, President of AAEM, says, "Physicians are probably seeing the effects in their patients, but need to know how to ask the right questions." World renowned biologist Pushpa M. Bhargava goes one step further. After reviewing more than 600 scientific journals, he concludes that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are a major contributor to the sharply deteriorating health of Americans. Pregnant women and babies at great risk Among the population, biologist David Schubert of the Salk Institute warns that "children are the most likely to be adversely effected by toxins and other dietary problems" related to GM foods. He says without adequate studies, the children become "the experimental animals." The experience of actual GM-fed experimental animals is scary. When GM soy was fed to female rats, most of their babies died within three weeks - compared to a 10% death rate among the control group fed natural soy. The GM-fed babies were also smaller, and later had problems getting pregnant. When male rats were fed GM soy, their testicles actually changed color-from the normal pink to dark blue. Mice fed GM soy had altered young sperm. Even the embryos of GM fed parent mice had significant changes in their DNA. Mice fed GM corn in an Austrian government study had fewer babies, which were also smaller than normal. Reproductive problems also plague livestock. Investigations in 2 other states of Haryana, India revealed that most buffalo that ate GM cottonseed had complications such as premature deliveries, abortions, infertility, and prolapsed uteruses. Many calves died. In the US, about two dozen farmers reported thousands of pigs became sterile after consuming certain GM corn varieties. Some had false pregnancies; others gave birth to bags of water. Cows and bulls also became infertile when fed the same corn. In the US population, the incidence of low birth weight babies, infertility, and infant mortality are all escalating." (Smith, J. 2009) Conclusion - Where do we cross the line There is a general belief that genetic engineering has a lot to prove in future and therefore, we should not ignore the technology which has great benefits. However, it is necessary to make use of the technology with care and caution to prevent the human health and environment from the harmful effects of this powerful technology. This is in consideration of the fact that it's a great boon to solve the problems of world hunger and malnutrition, though protection of the environment should be given utmost importance. Infact, a check should be adhered to on creating unnecessary organisms which are of no use. Since there is very little data on the health risks of GM foods, we need novel methods and concepts to probe into the nutritional and metabolic differences between GM and non-GM crops and to find out whether the techniques used for developing GM crops is safe or not. (Pusztai, 2001) References: Butcher, M. (2009) Effects of Genetic Engineering, [online], Available: http://www.disabled-world.com/fitness/gm-foods.php [14 May 2010] GMO Compass (2007), [online], Available: http://www.gmo-compass.org/eng/regulation/labelling/92.gmo_labelling_labelled_goods.html Pusztai, A. (2001) Genetically modified food: Are they a risk to Human/Animal Health, [online], Available: http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/pusztai.html [19 May 2010] Smith, J. (2009) Are Genetically Modified Foods Healthy to Eat, [online], Available: http://www.holistichealthsecrets.com/alternativehealth/genetically-modified-gm-foods/are-genetically-modified-foods-healthy-to-eat/ [15 May 2010] Vangipuram, P. (2010) Beware of GM crops, patent regimes, [online], Available: http://expressbuzz.com/States/andhrapradesh/beware%20of%20gm%20crops%20patent%20regimes/148797.html [19 May 2010] Whitman, D. (2000) Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful [online], Available: http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php [14 May 2010] Read More