GMOs, Advantages and Disadvantages

Genetically Modified Organisms, Advantages and Disadvantages

Genetically modified organisms, better known as GMOs, have caused controversy for many years now. The great debate in the United States is whether GMOs should be regulated or even banned all together due to the health risks they may possess to humans and the environment. However, some may say the benefits outweigh the risks since GMOs yield for larger revenue, more food for the masses, and resistance to pesticides. Both the advantages and the disadvantages of GMOs will be discussed to determine whether or not they should be regulated.

To understand why there is controversy surrounding GMOs, it is important to understand what they actually are. Even though there is extensive media coverage on GMOs, a large portion of Americans are unaware of what they truly are. According to a study done by Rutgers University, fifty-three percent of those surveyed said they knew very little about genetically modified foods and twenty-five percent said they had never heard of them (Motta 2014). A GMO is an animal, plant, or organism that has had its’ genetic material manipulated by genetic engineering. Crops such as corn, alfalfa, cotton and soy are often genetically modified along with a long list of other crops as seen in the chart to the right. Tampering with crops is nothing new, farmers have been doing this for thousands of years but GMOs on the other hand are fairly new. GMOs were ruled to be patented by the United States Supreme Court in 1982 and in 1988 GMO seeds were created (Chassy 2007) . They allowed for crops to pesticide, disease, antibiotic, and herbicide resistant. This meant that crops could grow at a higher yield for a lower cost.

The fact that GMOs are relatively new accounts for a large amount of the controversy regarding whether or not they are dangerous to human health.

Although many researchers claim that there is no harm in eating foods that are genetically modified, extensive research has not yet occurred. There could be long term health affects that we are not informed of yet so until then, many will say that GMOs are safe to consume. It would not be surprising if in twenty plus years new studies develop on health aliments of those who consumed foods contain GMOs in large quantities. Since it can be difficult to not consume foods containing GMOs due to the lack of labeling, it is hard to estimate how many GMO products we eat in a day. This image below does a nice job of breaking down the percentage of GMOs in crops such as soybeans, cotton, and corn.

So far, soy allergies have elevated in the United Kingdom by fifty percent. People reacted to genetically modified soy in a skin prick allergy test but not natural wild soy (Benbrook, Phillip, Landrigan 2015). This is just a glimpse to what is to come in terms of health risks when it comes to consuming genetically modified foods. Studies done on rats have shown even more dangers and prove that these foods are safe for human or animal health. For example, rats fed genetically modified soy products had reproductive problems and infant mortality. Male rats had changes in testicles, and half the offspring of mother rats died after three weeks when they were fed soy that had been genetically modified (Ermakova 2007).

It is frightening that rats had these reactions and considering that humans share a large portion of DNA with rats we also put ourselves at risk when genetically modified products enter our bodies.

GMOs also posses many risks to the environment. Contamination and cross pollination are two of the main concerns when it comes to danger of GMOs in the environment. Many none GM farms have been contaminated with GMs and this is a problem for those who wish to grow crops without using GMOs (Rees 2006). Another issue is super weeds that have come about that are resistant to herbicides. It is almost impossible to eradicate these weeds and they have the ability to spread rapidly. Money is then spent trying to control these weeds when it should be spent on growing quality foods. GMOs also threaten crop biodiversity. A large amount of genetic material has been destroyed due to GMOs and will continue to be destroyed until there is some sort of regulation and control.

With all of these harmful disadvantages to the environment, it is hard to understand why the government is not more adamant on regulating the use of GMOs. There are many reasons why GMOs have not been banned in the United State. To many, the benefits outweigh the negative drawbacks and GMOs are seen as helpful. For one, GMOs allow for larger quantities of crops to grow at a much lower price. This is obviously beneficial to companies such as Monsanto who are very focused on revenue. Money aside, more crops means more food to feed our growing population in efforts to reduce hunger. GMOs are also pest resistant, as stated above, which can be an advantage in some cases. This too allows for more food to grow without being destroyed by pests and without having to be treated with pesticides. A main reason the government is reluctant to regulate or ban GMOs is because there is no evidence stating that they are harmful to human health. Although this can be hard to believe, all we can do is put trust into those who are supposed to protect us.

In my opinion, genetically modified foods should be labeled because there are many people out there who do not wish to consume foods that have been modified and should not have the stress of figuring out whether their food has been manipulated or not. There are still enough people in our country who are not bothered by eating GMOs that revenue would not be greatly damaged. I believe that some sort of compromise needs to be made in order to calm the mass of people outraged by the use of GMOs and this compromise would be to set a regulation in place since a ban is highly unlikely to happen. However, some progress has been made and some foods are labeled as being GMO free with the NON GMO Project Verified logo.

There are now over six-thousand Non-GMO Project Verified products in grocery stores and I have high hopes of this number expanding.

The Non-GMO project is a step in the right direction in my opinion and is the closest thing we have right now to regulation. This project was created in 2007 and has quickly become one of the most trusted labels for the avoidance of GMOs with the butterfly serving as the logo. Their mission is to provide consumers with trusted and verified non-GMO options while educating those who wish to know more about genetically modified products. I agree with this project that consumers have the right to know what is in their food and it is up to them whether or not they wish to support genetical engineering. With proper education and awareness, more people will most likely come to the decision that GMOs should not be consumed. By supporting projects such as the Non-GMO project, we can help them grow allowing them to flourish and provide the population with information and even more verified options. https://www.nongmoproject.org/

In conclusion, the controversy surrounding genetically modified organisms does not seem to be dying down anytime soon unless regulations are agreed upon. Despite the disadvantages such as environmental dangers, health risks, and loss of biodiversity, GMOs still play a part in feeding the masses and allowing for more sustainable crops to grow. I personally do not agree with the use of GMOs and suggest that foods that have been genetically modified need to be clearly labeled because I would like to try and not consume them. Until they are banned, which is unlikely, this seems like the most logical and well suited decision. I have hopes that projects such as the Non-GMO project continue to fight for what they believe in and allow consumers to know what foods are free from GMOs. As time goes on, hopefully more projects similar to this will breakout and help the regulation of genetically modified organisms.

SOURCES Chassy, Bruce. "The History and Future of GMOs in Food and Agriculture." Cereal Foods World 52.4 (2007): 169-72.

Web. Gairdner, J. (2005). GMOs take a hold on uncle sam. Crops, , 20-21.

Goldbas, Abbie. (2014). GMOs: What Are They? International Journal of Childbirth Education, Irina Ermakova, “Experimental Evidence of GMO Hazards,” Presentation at Scientists for a GM Free Europe, EU Parliament, Brussels, June 12, 2007

Landrigan, Philip J., and Benbrook, Charles. "GMOs, Herbicides, and Public Health." The New England Journal of Medicine 373.8 (2015): 693-95. Web. Motta, Renata. "Social Disputes over GMOs: An Overview." 8.12 (2014): 1360-1376. Web. Rees, Andy. Genetically Modified Food : A Short Guide for the Confused. London, GB: Pluto Press, 2006. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 26 June 2017.