Genetically Modified Foods and Organisms

The people’s interest in where their foods come from and how they are processed has increased steadily with growing health concerns and ecological problems. As the amount of genetically modified (GM) crops have increased rapidly in recent years, the debates on whether GM foods are truly beneficial or not have become prevalent.

Scientists around the world are making their sentiments known. Over eight hundred scientists around the world signed an open letter to all governments, the UN, the World Trade Organization, and the U.S. Congress calling for a ban on genetically modified organisms, seeds, and foods (Batalion). The Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit science advocacy group that works to create safe, healthy, and sustainable future; Britain’s Medical Association; and American Academy of Environmental Medicine have expressed their fears and concerns through publishing an article in the medical journal Lancet and drafting the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, which is “an international treaty governing the movements of living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology from one country to another”, according to Convention on Biological Diversity website (Tvedten).

Why are they, the renowned scientists, so opposed to Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)? Or before that, what is GMO really? According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, GMO, or genetically modified organism, is defined as “an organism whose genome has been engineered in the laboratory in order to favour the expression of desired physiological traits or the production of desired biological products.” They are created in an unnatural way to increase the yield of the crops and as an attempt to create superior organisms. It poses numerous concerns related t...

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...in two ways: economically and ecologically. With built-in cold tolerance, salinity tolerance, and drought tolerance, GMOs have higher yields and are more productive (Whitman). In addition, the pest resistance, herbicide tolerance, and disease resistance features made GMOs more environmentally friendly as they do not require as much herbicides and pesticides as other naturally grown organisms do (Panse).

Though there are some pros, the argument against the use of GMO clearly trumps whatever benefits GMO provides. Because the genetic engineering is a relatively new field in science, more experiments and research should be done to avoid future problems that can be avoided and smart choices should be made for the future generation; scientists should continue pursuing sufficient knowledge and understanding on the complexity of GMO and their adverse effect on human life.