The social and ethical implications of genetically modified foods

Genetically Modified Foods: Rational for Topic Selection

Genetically modified foods are frequently in the mainstream media, making them a highly relevant topic of discussion in the areas of genetic science and gene technologies. As with most technologies and techniques related to genetic science, genetically modified foods are controversial and thus politically charged issues. It is important to be armed with facts before forming an opinion about whether or not genetically modified foods are acceptable, feasible, or ethical.

Biological Basis

Genetically modified foods refers to organic foodstuffs -- plants and animals -- "whose genetic material (DNA) has been modified in a way that does not occur naturally," (World Health Organization, 2013). However, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can also include medicines and vaccines (United States Department of Energy: Office of Science, 2013). The primary process used to modify the genes of organisms is called recombitant DNA technology; as the term suggests, recombitant DNA technology involves recombining DNA molecules in ways pre-determined by the scientists. Using recombitant DNA technology, select genetic traits from various different organisms can be actively selected. Locating those traits on the DNA is the most challenging step in the process of genetic engineering of foods, but gene sequencing technologies and related software applications are making the task easier (United States Department of Energy: Office of Science, 2013).

2c. Personal Viewpoint

Arguments in favor of the use of genetically modified organisms reveal potential benefits that are difficult to ignore. It is tempting to believe that genetic modification of foods will reduce poverty and malnutrition around the world, or reduce dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. However, there are currently more reasons to use caution with GMOs than there are reasons to embrace the technology wholeheartedly. For one, companies that produce genetically modified foods patent their products. This in itself can cause major problems in the future related to food availability and food security. Lawsuits against companies like Monstanto have proven that there are major legal and ethical concerns with patenting seeds. The fact that for-profit organizations could have greater control over food production is a frightening proposition, and could outweigh the potential benefits of theoretically improving crop yields worldwide. Moreover, the potential improvements in crop yields are as of yet still theoretical as the technology has not been used long enough to determine whether the results will be fruitful.

There are also no long-term studies proving that genetically modified foods are safe for consumption, or safe in terms of ecological sustainability. Currently, there are more ethical reasons to limit the use of genetically modified organisms until more is known about their long-term impacts on individual people, public health in general, and also on the global ecosystems. Genetically modified crops seem like a short-term solution to problems that would best be solved in other ways, such as eliminating the government corruption that causes poverty in the first place. The labeling controversy is another major ethical issue. Consumers absolutely have the right to know whether the food they purchase has been genetically modified.