The Effect of Genetically Modified Food on Health, Environment and Economy

Introduction

The topic I have chosen for my essay is “Do Genetically Modified Food (GMFs) affect our health, the environment, and the economy?” As I care about my body and I am therefore mindful of what I put into it, and I would like to understand better to formulate my own opinion.

So, what is GMF? A quick explanation, it means “food that has been made either for human beings or animals using recent technology in biotechnology, genetic engineering etc.” It is interesting to note that genetically modified food has been around for an awfully long time, “since around 10,500 to 10,100 BC. It all started with the “manipulation of food with the domestication of plants and animals through artificial selection, this is a process of breeding animals for their desirable traits.” Now I want write about  the top 10 facts about GMO Foods:

1. There are “10 commercialised types of GMO crops in the United States of America (USA)”
2. More than 60 countries worldwide have either banned or restricted the use and production of GMOs
3. The US planted 75 million hectares of biotech crops in 2018
4. Close to 90% of field corn in the US is genetically modified
5. It’s estimated that 77% of papaya grown in Hawaii is bioengineered
6. About 94% of soybean is genetically modified
7. 40% of dairy products in the US contain rBGH
8. The GMO statistics from 2019 reported that the total acreage of GM crops worldwide was 191.7 million hectares
9. Since GM crops were introduced in 1996, pesticides have increased by 404 million pounds
10. Hybridization in areas with both genetically modified and wild plants can reach 33%

“More than 15 years after their commercial release, GMOs are still a debated topic regarding their safety.” There has been a great deal more talk and opinions about genetically modified foods organisms as they become the subject of discussions, debates, and arguments in academic, research, media, and scientific circles in the last 5-10 years. Some of it bad and some not. There are differing schools of thought, those who insist that GMO is harmful to one’s health (they cause cancer and increase health issues like allergies etc.) and the other that says that GMO does not affect one’s health, they are better for you and that it is going to change the world for example, growing of food due to the exploding world population.

A great deal of research has been done about GMO’s and the effects it has or does not have on a person’s health or the environment. What has contributed to that of GMF is the fact that they contain required characteristics like the required “nutrition content”. This been said, there is an issue of safety which is of concern because various research that are being done have contradicting results.

What we know so far? GMO foods cause such panic because there has been contradicting research results. They are hard to identify from non GMO (because of labelling not being very good) and most food are GMOs, so it is very hard to get rid of. We need GMO foods to help us keep up with population growth and people are panicking about what is being put into the foods to do this and how it can affect them not only now but in later years, longer term effects. These days there is more access to information but there can be alarming information which is now leading to this divide in how people view GMO’s. I think that the problem is that people are worried about how they are putting this added nutrition into the foods and with what are they using to create this nutrition for example any long term effects, if any.

Analysis, Interpretation and Discussion of Findings

What is Genetically Modified Food (GMF) or Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)? Genetically modified foods are foods that have are produced by “organisms whose DNA has been changed through genetic engineering as opposed to the natural traditional crossbreeding method. Crossbreeding is a process of mating two organismsanimals from different breeds.” “Food that is produced from or using GM organisms are often referred to as GM foods'. There is much debate between countries as to what constitutes a GMO because of it varies widely between countries, international bodies, and other communities and because things have changed significantly over time.

What are the most common GMF nowadays?

• “Squash”
• “Soybean”
• “Corn”
• “Cotton”
• “Papaya”
• “Canola”
• “Alfalfa”
• “Sugar beets”
• “Potato” 
• “Apples”

These GM foods are often used as processed ingredients in everyday foods. Most people eat these foods every day and do not even realise that they have been genetically modified. But why are people putting GMO in food products? Farmers put GMO in their crops to improve the yield produced and to help with the resistance of plant disease and a higher tolerance of herbicides. this helps make food prices cheaper which can help with our economy because if farmers produce larger quantities from one harvest, then production costs will lower and therefore food costs should become lower and benefit the economy. This also helps it have a longer shelf life. This can also help with large population growth and reduce the risk of food shortages. The goal for GMO’s is to also eventually alter the allergic potential in foods thus improving the efficiency of the foods for people who have allergies to those certain foods. Because there is a need for more food, the population explosion, it has been said that “more than 95% of animals used for meat and dairy in the United States of America eat GMO crops. Independent research shows what the DNA in the GMO food does not transfer to the animal that eats it.”

Why are people buying GMO modified food products? They are supposed to be healthy and have more nutrients in the products. For example, “rice high in beta carotene, also called golden rice, was once developed to help prevent blindness in regions where local diets are chronically deficient in Vitamin A.” They are also supposed to have a longer shelf life which will be beneficial because your food will not go off as easily and quickly and be wasted. For example, genetic modification can be used to simply improve or enhance the flavour and appearance of foods, like a” non-browning apple.” 

There is growing concern about the world’s population and questions are being asked if we have enough food for this expanding population? It has been said that the world’s population is “expected to reach 10 billion by 2050”. Groups say that GMO is the answer to this problem because crops that have been bred or fertilized and can be produced by GMO to increase the rate of production, known as high yield crops. With the expanding population, it will be necessary to produce high-yielding crops. There have been reports that GMO has saved the “Haywain papaya population from a deadly virus and it might be able to do the same for some agricultural products in countries like Uganda (potatoes) and Brazil (soyabeans).”

Is It Harmful, if so, Why? If not, What are the Benefits of It?

GMF is supposed to be quite new and like anything that is new there will always be conflicting issues and points of view surrounding the use consumption thereof. Are GMF’s safe to eat? There is no data to indicate that GMOs are bad for us or our health. But, before we judge this, it is important to consider the benefits. The foods are said to be more nutritious than the foods found in and around the market. Through the GMF process it is possible to add some particular nutrients to food which make them better. “Some improvements have been recorded, especially in countries where rice contains vitamins as an added nutrient. Another point is that from “enriching some crops, genetic engineering is also used to remove some allergens that is in the food, by doing this, it has been said that large numbers of people who cannot benefit from each these foods due to allergic reactions are now able to eat them without any reactions.” If this is true and is being done and the appropriate measures put in place then, and I think only then GMF might pose no or minimal risk. However, opponents of GMF worry that genetic changes may affect human health in ways we are not sure of in the long term. For instance, “there is concern that the nutrients from these products may damage tissue or not metabolize as effectively. Furthermore, it is not possible to know the long-term effects of consuming GMO products.” Most developed countries believe that GMOs aren’t safe due to the lack of credible independent long-term feeding studies. Some of these include the EU, Australia, and Japan.

What impact does GMO have on the environment, if any? Reports suggest that GMO has been beneficial to the environment with one report indicating that on “a global scale GMO crops have actually had a positive impact on the environment. With a reduction of fuel use has led to a significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and an increase in soil quality.” A report suggests that most GMO crops grown today have been developed to help farmers prevent crop loss. The most common traits found in GMO crops are:

• “Resistance to insect damage”
• “Tolerance to herbicides”
• “Resistance to plant viruses”

For these crops that are normally resistant to insect damage, farmers will then use or apply less pesticides to protect their crops so less bugs eating the crops. These crops that are resistant to the herbicides help farmers control weeds without doing damage to their crops and “therefore do not need to till the soil, which they normally have to do to get rid of the weeds'. All these factors assist with soil health, lower fuel, and labour use. This therefore with some studies show a positive economic and environmental impact. However, there are some potential concerns like:

• 'A reduction in insect biodiversity when crops are resistant to insects'
• “Unanticipated effects on other crops or animals”
• “Creating more weeds or harder-to-kill invasive species etc.”
• It is therefore important to do tests and make sure that there is no negative impact on the environment.

Is GMO biodegradable? GMO’s can be seen as biodegradable; they produce biodegradable plastic which is not only positive for GMO’s but will help with pollution linked to plastic in the future. “GMO plants has an added gene from bacteria that naturally produces biodegradable plastic called PHBV. This is the first step for plants to produce biodegradable plastic and improving with our plastic pollution problem, but this would probable that up to 10 years to see this happening.” The problem is the cost of producing biodegradable plastic from the bacteria costs “five times for that from crude oils so this will be competitive” but it will be much more beneficial if scientist can do it.

Last concern, but not the least is disclosure debates about labelling.  Food manufacturers have previously been opposed to labelling on packaging because they say that it misleads us the public (us the consumers) to thinking that food that has been genetically modified is not safe to eat. According to “countless studies, some international bodies have concluded that eating genetically modified food does NOT pose health risks.” There is a growing confusion and inconsistency around labelling that has “Non-GMO” or “GMO-free” labelling in marketing of food products for example water or salt, which do not contain any organic substances and GM material are being marketed and labelled being “healthier.” Our supermarkets are full of great food marketing but how much of that marketing is misleading? Who is the target market? The poor unsuspecting customer who just wants to buy healthy food and live a healthy life. Do we even know what the labels really say? Do we really have a good or clear understanding of all the stuff that is put on labels? I at times do not think we do. Labels should educate the public, us as consumers; the labels should be done in clear and simple language that we as the public can understand. Yes, I am sure that labelling will increase the cost and we need to understand this. This will benefit us in the future. The US has of “January 1st, 2022 implemented a new disclosure standard around GMO labelling on food products.”

Conclusion

GMF has the potential to reliably feed the ever expanding world population and science finds no reason to predict that this method is riskier than the age old traditional method. It has been said that GMF can also protect our environment which in today’s environment, it is also about climate change and how we can protect our environment.

It is and I don’t think will every be easy to resolve contentious issues about or regarding GMF. However, it is important to note that there are potential risks associated with their consumption, the benefits might in a way outweigh the risks, this can be said in about many other things too as we do not know the long term affects it will have on us.

The questions we need to ask ourselves, how does this affect our food choices, making the right food choices and how do we know what the risks are? Will good labelling assist us? I do believe it will if they keep it simple so everyone can understand what is in the product. We as the consumers need to know what content of the food we eat.

“Research has suggested that as “GMF stand today, there are no health benefits to eating them over non GMF GMO foods.” This might however change in the future as technology develops and becomes more sophisticated as we see with most things in the future. Most research on GMO products shows no evidence of harm. “However, the scientific community acknowledge that the existing research is neither unanimous nor conclusive. Many scientists continue to raise concerns regarding the use of GMO products, for which most studies have not assessed the long-term risks or benefits.” “Because of money and politics affects everything now days, it is also difficult to understand what makes GMF safe or not safe.” Right now, all GM foods currently on sale have met or do meet the certain safety standards, criteria, and requirements. For some of us, these might not be enough to convince or reassure us to buy GMF’s.

We need to keep in mind that, that GMF’s may offer some benefits that we did not know about for example, better and more affordable access to healthy food or higher crop yields. This also leads to improved profits for farmers which should in theory bring the cost of food products down.  At this stage there is no conclusive yes or no for me about GMF products, more research needs to be done on the potential long-term effects on us humans. If we see food prices start to drop because it is easier for the farms to produce more crops or food, people might have a change of mind. If there is a way to help produce more food for people who are starving across the world, then maybe the people’s minds would change. The long term effects of GMF, we don’t know just yet. Does it cause cancer or make cancer worse; we do not know. I sometimes think maybe it does because of the hormones and things added to our food as so many more people are getting cancer, but this is just a personal view. For now, I will be more conscious about reading the labelling and be on the lookout for labels that indicate GMF products to make sure I stay enlightened and healthy.

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