You might have been noticing different labels on food items screaming things like such as "vegan" to "gluten free" to "all natural. Food industry is trying to be transparent by stamping labels on food packages. There is also a passionate debate going over labelling food items with GMO-Genetically Modified Organisms so that consumers have a choice.The term refers to any plant or animal that has been genetically altered with DNA from other plants, animals, bacteria and viruses. The GMO controversy has brought up many questions and each time we find answer to one question, it seems, a new one has come up. You might be wondering why should I care about GMO? Who is eating them? What are the benefits or risks of consuming GMO? How it affects the agricultural farms and the environment.
Is GMO a new technique? Yes and no. Humans have been breeding and crossbreeding varieties of food for a various reasons. But, genetic modification is different from crossbreeding because it is done at the gene level. The genomes(complete set of DNA) of widely grown crops, such as rice, potatoes, bananas, and wheat have been sequenced by scientists. Scientist can insert a gene or genes from a donor organism with desired characters into an organism that does not have the trait. This results in the formation of a new species known as transgenic. Advanced molecular biology can delete, modify, and insert any genes with precision. This modification at gene level makes crops drought and infestations resistant, increase production or add more nutritive value to the same crop.
More than 60 percent of the processed food in grocery stores contain one or more genetically modified ingredient. Several varieties of corn, squash, canola, soybeans, and cotton are genetically modified. If the processed food you’re eating has corn syrup, corn oil and soy meal or sugar as one of the ingredients, chances are they are derived from genetically modified crop. Even your favorite soda may be sweetened with high-fructose syrup from GMO corn. Critics fear that these genetically engineered products may disrupt the functioning of other genes and could create toxins and allergens in foods. Claims are made that these crops are reaching our homes before their effects are fully known. The fact is that GMO products are tried only on animals to see their effects. Thus, the effects of genetically modified crops are not fully known on human beings because chemical compounds present in food behave differently in the human body. The long term effect of using GMO have not been studied well. Some findings reported that GMOs can cause allergies and cancer among human beings. Some research indicated that rats fed on GMO developed tumor. Now, world is debating over the labeling food items with GMO. Anti-GMO activists say that if GMO is better, safe and no different than organic food, why not label it for consumers.
On the contrary, if GMOs are banned completely then we would need additional 300 million acres of farmland to meet the food production need. So, farmers might have to clear forests and wetlands. Changing climate, drought, storms, unpredictable weather, microbe attack and crop diseases are taking a toll on crop production. Genetically modified crops can solve these issues. Today, the main goal of agriculture is growing food efficiently to meet the demands of ever increasing world population.
Moreover, transgenic products undergo screening for potential toxins and allergens before they hit the supermarkets. Biotechnologists monitor the levels of nutrients, proteins, and other related things to make sure that the GMOs are substantially equivalent to the traditional plants. Contrary to often-repeated claims, FDA has said labeling food products for GMO is not required because there's no significant evidence showing that it brings changes in food's quality, safety, "or any other attribute." Since there is no significant evidence that the GMOs, that regulatory authorities have approved, are harmful either to health or to the environment, it can be argued that these crops can help with thin resources and inadequate food production.
So, what should I do as a consumer ? Business leaders, scientists and other opponents of genetically modified crops are wrestling on this topic but many popular beliefs often do not reflect scientific evidence. All we need is trustworthy and accurate scientific results to make a decision. I personally believe that popular opinion lack intellectual consistency somewhere and, may just be pseudoscientific claims. People those seem to be experts lack credentials. So, the best bet is to eat locally grown food as much as possible. What is your stand?
Is GMO a new technique? Yes and no. Humans have been breeding and crossbreeding varieties of food for a various reasons. But, genetic modification is different from crossbreeding because it is done at the gene level. The genomes(complete set of DNA) of widely grown crops, such as rice, potatoes, bananas, and wheat have been sequenced by scientists. Scientist can insert a gene or genes from a donor organism with desired characters into an organism that does not have the trait. This results in the formation of a new species known as transgenic. Advanced molecular biology can delete, modify, and insert any genes with precision. This modification at gene level makes crops drought and infestations resistant, increase production or add more nutritive value to the same crop.
More than 60 percent of the processed food in grocery stores contain one or more genetically modified ingredient. Several varieties of corn, squash, canola, soybeans, and cotton are genetically modified. If the processed food you’re eating has corn syrup, corn oil and soy meal or sugar as one of the ingredients, chances are they are derived from genetically modified crop. Even your favorite soda may be sweetened with high-fructose syrup from GMO corn. Critics fear that these genetically engineered products may disrupt the functioning of other genes and could create toxins and allergens in foods. Claims are made that these crops are reaching our homes before their effects are fully known. The fact is that GMO products are tried only on animals to see their effects. Thus, the effects of genetically modified crops are not fully known on human beings because chemical compounds present in food behave differently in the human body. The long term effect of using GMO have not been studied well. Some findings reported that GMOs can cause allergies and cancer among human beings. Some research indicated that rats fed on GMO developed tumor. Now, world is debating over the labeling food items with GMO. Anti-GMO activists say that if GMO is better, safe and no different than organic food, why not label it for consumers.
On the contrary, if GMOs are banned completely then we would need additional 300 million acres of farmland to meet the food production need. So, farmers might have to clear forests and wetlands. Changing climate, drought, storms, unpredictable weather, microbe attack and crop diseases are taking a toll on crop production. Genetically modified crops can solve these issues. Today, the main goal of agriculture is growing food efficiently to meet the demands of ever increasing world population.
Moreover, transgenic products undergo screening for potential toxins and allergens before they hit the supermarkets. Biotechnologists monitor the levels of nutrients, proteins, and other related things to make sure that the GMOs are substantially equivalent to the traditional plants. Contrary to often-repeated claims, FDA has said labeling food products for GMO is not required because there's no significant evidence showing that it brings changes in food's quality, safety, "or any other attribute." Since there is no significant evidence that the GMOs, that regulatory authorities have approved, are harmful either to health or to the environment, it can be argued that these crops can help with thin resources and inadequate food production.
So, what should I do as a consumer ? Business leaders, scientists and other opponents of genetically modified crops are wrestling on this topic but many popular beliefs often do not reflect scientific evidence. All we need is trustworthy and accurate scientific results to make a decision. I personally believe that popular opinion lack intellectual consistency somewhere and, may just be pseudoscientific claims. People those seem to be experts lack credentials. So, the best bet is to eat locally grown food as much as possible. What is your stand?
