Benefits Of Genetically Modified Foods

Genetically modified foods or GM food are foods produced by organisms that have undergone changes in their DNA via genetic engineering. A fruit which scientists are beginning to genetically modify is bananas. There are two major drives which are pushing scientists to consider genetically modified bananas, the first of these is: disease resistance, bananas are victims to fungal diseases; two examples are the panama disease and Black Sigatoka. Panama disease is caused by the fungal plant pathogen: Fusarium Oxysporum Cubense. This bacterium affects the root system of the plant, it then continues to spread through the plant via the vascular system, causing the leaves to wilt and yellow until eventually the plant dies. There is no cure for panama disease and it has the ability to kill entire banana plantations, it was responsible for killing banana farms in South and Central America. Black Sigatoka, which is caused by the fungus Mycospharella, is a leaf spot disease, severely infected leaves either completely die or reduce the fruit production of the plant. Since commercial bananas today are seedless, they are thereby sterile and unable to crossbreed to create resistance to these fungal diseases. Leaving scientists with the option of genetic modification. The second factor that is influencing scientists to genetically modify bananas is the lack of nutrients within bananas found in Uganda. Uganda’s predominant food source is bananas; and it is known that people living in Uganda are often not receiving enough iron or vitamin A, so the solution was the micro-nutrient program. Which means genetically modifying their major food source (bananas) so they are receiving more of the nutrients they lack.

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...d bananas and other foods is beneficial but there are also some aspects of the technology that people are questioning. The benefits include things like the lead on effects disease resistance; making GM foods eliminates the use of harmful pesticides; which consequently reduces farming costs (as pesticides are expensive). Using genetic modification, the nutrients within foods can be increased to benefit undernourished populations and societies. Despite these benefits people are concerned about the safety of eating these genetically modified foods and also the costs it is taking to produce them. People worry that the introduced genes could come from a source known to cause allergies or a source that humans have never consumed before, therefore there is the possibility of us becoming suspect to any diseases they carry. Overall, GM foods consist of both pros and cons.