Genetically modified foods: harmful or helpful

Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?

Research proposal for finding out the usefulness and harmfulness of consumption of genetically modified foods

The usefulness and harmfulness of the consumption of genetically modified foods is a continuing debate. Genetically modified foods have been used to tackle the problem of food shortage due to the world's ever growing population. It leaves the question of whether there are other ways that can be used instead of the genetic modification of organisms to tackle the problem of food insecurity.

Statement of purpose

The main problem of this research is whether the consumption and production of genetically modified foods poses more harm than good to the people and other aspects of their social life. There are advantages which seem to tackle a major issue in the world today which is food security. The question of whether tackling one major problem justifies exposing ourselves to other smaller problems arising from the consumption and production of genetically modified foods should be ignored.

Background

Since the introduction of genetically modified foods into the market, there have been debates with regards to how useful or harmful the consumption is to the consumers and their environment. Genetically modified foods are products that are obtained from organisms which have had their genetic codes changed through genetic engineering which enables them acquire traits that are desirable. There have been debates over the whether it is ethical to alter the genetically modified foods and whether or not their consumption possesses a risk to the health of those who consume them and also how aspects of the human life, that is economic, and environment, is affected by its production. I was inspired to pursue this research to the find out whether the genetically modified foods pose more harm than good when I read that Australia had banned the planting of Genetically modified food crops from 2003 to 2008 and also when it was reported that India had put on hold the production of its first genetically modified food crop, egg plants, due to safety concerns over the effect of its production on the people and the environment, (BBC). There are a lot of people dying from hunger and from hunger related complications which could be solved if there was enough food.

Significance of the study

My reason for pursuing this study is to gain further insight into the subject of genetically modified foods. I also hope to provide people with easy access to information that has been researched correctly so as to provide them with education in relation to the production, advantages and disadvantages of the genetically modified foods.

Objective and Hypothesis

With regards to the debate that surrounds the production and consumption of genetically modified foods, it is important for the pros and cons of these foods be examined against the side effects of their consumption and production so as to enable people decide on their own whether their consumption is worth overlooking the harm that they pose on the planet and its occupants.

Objective

To find out the beneficiaries of the production of genetically modified foods.

To find out which countries use genetically modified foods.

To come up with ways through which people can be educated on the benefits of the production of genetically modified foods.

To find out what goes into the production of genetically modified foods.

To find out how effective the methods used to test the safety of genetically modified foods in ruling out the possibility of harmful side effects.

To find out the benefits and harm that arises from the use of genetically modified foods.

Hypothesis

The production of genetically modified crops seems to show more proven benefits than proven side effects and which will benefit the entire human race as well as the earth in the long run.

Methodology

The research will entail the use of the internet and other publications that address the benefits and dangers posed by the consumption and production of genetically modified foods. This information will be used in coming up with a number of benefits as well as the dangers posed by the consumption of these foods. The reason why I will use this research method is because the collection of the information through interviewing of various individuals who specialize in these fields would take a long time and would prove expensive to carry out. This research will require approximately two weeks for searching for publications which highlight the benefits and dangers posed by genetically modified foods. This time will also be used to look for viable websites and online publications.

Problems expected

Due to the lack of tests or rather test results disproving the claims of danger posed by the consumption and production of genetically engineered crops, the will be a hard time finding literature that proves that genetically modified foods are a hundred percent health. I also expect to find that there is scarcity in publications on genetically modified food toxicity. There are no peer-reviewed publications of clinical studies on how genetically modified foods affect the human health and even tests performed on animals are few and a bit far in between.

Conclusions and Recommendations

In conclusion, the use of genetically modified foods debate will be here for some time until alternative methods of providing food security are found or the problems that arise from its consumption are tackled. I would recommend the education of the masses as well as provision of informative and detailed literature about the genetically modified foods.

Research Paper

Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?

The debate concerning the benefits or dangers that the genetically modified foods pose on the body and environment is one that will continue for a long time unless the public is educated about every aspect of the crops. Genetically modified foods are foods which are obtained from plants or animals whose genetic codes have been altered so as to give them desirable traits. These traits can be to enable the organism grow faster or become bigger or become resistant to diseases or pests that would otherwise afflict them or reduce their rate of reproduction. Genetic modification is not a new thing to the world, the only difference is that nowadays, it is achieved through genetic engineering while in the past; it was achieved through breeding and cross breeding to achieve the desired results. Breeding however took years to achieve the results desired while in using genetic engineering, the process takes much less time. Genetically modified foods came into the market in the early 1990's as a way through which food production could be increased to cater for an ever increasing population but until now, debates concerning their effect on human lives are still taking place and with no indication of ending any time soon (Klintman 247).

The benefits of genetically modified foods

Genetically modified foods are a solution to the problem of feeding the world's rapidly growing population. Genetically modified crops tend to be bigger in size and grow at a faster rate than normal plants which mean that food will be available so as to feed the people. This in turn means that the amount of land that is used in the production of a certain quantity of food is reduced without necessarily reducing the quantity of crop produced.

Genetically modified crops are pest resistant which means that crop production is not reduced to the destruction of crops by pests. This increases production of food which helps in feeding the population and reduces the amount of money spent on buying pesticides as well as the losses associated with the destruction of crops. It in turn means that there is less pollution and contamination of the crop before it is harvested and sold. Some pesticides used during the rearing of crops can end up contaminating the food and being consumed by people with tremendous risks to their health and the surrounding environment. The use of drought and salient tolerant seeds means that there is complete utilization of land resources and also that farming can take place in these areas. The same use of cold tolerant seeds means that production takes place all year round which means that there is a constant supply of food.

Genetically modified foods can be used in the production of vaccines for human diseases which if left untreated or prevented can prove fatal. Many poor countries cannot afford to get vaccines or refrigerators for keeping the vaccines at an optimum temperature. Poor infrastructure also makes it difficult to travel to health care centers to get inoculations. Potatoes, for instance, are used in the production of cholera vaccines since it was found that a part of the cholera bacterium which the human body recognizes could be used as a vaccine and the genes that comprised the bacterial part could be put in potatoes and shipped to many areas in need of health care as they could withstand long shipping and storage. When cooked, some of the genes survived and helped the body make antibodies that were essential in protecting them against cholera (Cook 87).

Protection and preservation of the environment through increased yields and reduced use of chemical pesticides and herbicides. This is because genetically modified foods grow at a faster rate and in bigger quantities which means less forest land is cleared for agriculture and the natural habitats and biodiversity is preserved. The crops are also made pest and disease resistant which means that less pesticides and herbicides are used which could pollute the environment and the underground and surface water. Drought resistant crops and seeds mean that there is less water that is needed in the growing of the crops thereby preserving the limited water supplies.

The genetically modified foods are more nutritious as they can be infused with important minerals and vitamins that are essential for preventing malnutrition. An example is the creation of the golden rice that contains beta-carotene which is converted to vitamin a in the human body. This leads to rice that is nutritious enough to keep a person healthy. This is important as rice is the staple food in many parts of the world and plain rice does not provide enough nutrition for the body to remain healthy. Genetically modified foods are also healthier and depending on the type of food contain less quantity of artificial sugars as well as fat. They also have higher fiber quantities (Fumento 173).

In the future, genetically manufactured crops may be used to produce edible vaccines against infectious diseases. The production of Norwalk virus and the Hepatitis B virus can be produced in genetically modified sweet potatoes. This will in turn ensure the cost of production of vaccines is reduced availing it to the poor in developing nations and therefore ensuring widespread vaccination.

Agribusinesses pursue profit without concern for potential hazards to the environment and the consumers. This means that they will focus more on how quickly their products are selling instead of finding ways of reducing the risks that are involved with the consumption of the product.

Genetically modified foods might have an unintended harm to other organisms. For instance, in the developing of pest resistant crops, it is impossible to determine if the endotoxins that are being used to target specific pests will kill more than that particular pest alone. This means that there could be insects that could also get killed which are important to other plants and therefore affecting the bio system of the area. This can also end up affecting the food chain resulting in the death of other organisms which are reliant on the organisms that was killed. The genetically modified crops that have their own pesticides also cause other unintended consequences among which could be other pests which are resistant to pesticides. The same applies to crops that are designed to be resistant to viruses resulting in the occurrence of new strains of super viruses due to the genes of viral resistant plants being passed on to other plants. There is a possibility of loss of regional biodiversity due to single mono-crops being imported and transplanted into ecosystems that are foreign to them.

Gene transfer to non-target species through the process of cross pollination is also a risk that arises from genetic modification of crops. Seeds and pollen from the genetically modified crops can be dispersed to other plants, like weeds giving them whatever traits that the genetically modified crops possess. They thus bring about genetic pollution which can bring about weeds which can be resistant to herbicides and therefore causing another problem in the rearing of the crops. An example is when the American export of rice that was intended for Europe had to be cancelled when some of the crop produced was found to be contaminated with genes that were not approved probably from cross pollination with crops that were produced conventionally, (Charles).

There is also a concern that allergic reactions may rise due to genes transfer can bring with it allergic reactions to the new crop they are transferred to. As a result, concerns of allergic reactions come about due to fear of allergies one having for one particular organism may be introduced into another organism that one is not allergic to and become increased. This is only in the case whereby protein introduced possesses allergenic properties and is introduced to the edible part of the particular plant. Due to the difficulty of predicting allergens, there should be careful selection in gene donors so as to avoid widespread consequences. An example is the soybean that had the traits of the Brazil nut was shown to induce an allergic reaction in individuals who were allergic to the Brazil nut (Streit 1758). This would mean that other genetically crops could bring about allergic reactions in consumers without them necessarily consuming the crop they are allergic to, directly.

Another concern is that the use of genetic markers in the process of genetic modification to determine the successful embedding of the desired genes can bring about resistance to antibiotics. These genes are normally scrambled before they get used but it is feared that they may be contributing to resistance to antibiotics. Bacteria in the digestive tracts can pick up antibiotic resistant genes present in genetically modified foods and it may bring about an increase in the problem of bacteria adapting to antibiotics (Villar and Bill 5).

Should the use of genetically modified crops increase, there is bound to be an increase in the gap between the rich and the poor as the rich will be the ones able to afford the genetically modified crops and the poor will have to depend on the other conventionally grown crops. This is also applicable to the companies that deal with the production of the genetically modified crops wanting to produce more products to sell and therefore try to find ways in which the products may be popularized to encourage its use (Kaplan 283).

Agricultural-biotech companies wish a profitable return on their investment in the process of genetic modification. This will mean that the cost of purchasing these super seeds will be high thus making them unavailable to the poor who really need them.

Patent infringement will come into play due to the approach that is used in the industry to draw compositional comparisons between conventional and genetically modified crops. They are referred to as substantially equivalent when they do not have a significant different. It is for this reason that genetically modified crops are regarded to as safe as the conventional crops. There is also the issue of the patent holder companies using their control of their own genetically modified foods to control the market in such a way that they can make the most profit from it. They defend their actions by saying that it helps them control or rather prevent seed piracy (Villar and Bill 8).