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Cell 1030
not a new thing, but specifically genetically modifying food is. GMO food is food that has been
genetically modified through plant breeding where desirable traits are put into the gene (Making
Sense 8), and genes that come from other sources can be put into plants. For example, a gene
from a cow can be inserted into a strawberry. There are many arguments for and against GMO
food, but most people agree that this method is faster, more accurate, and able to do more than
traditional methods, which may be why it is used in 23 countries (Making Sense 7).
Some examples of GMO food are golden rice and EAHB Ugandan sweet banana. Golden
rice produces beta-carotene, which helps people get Vitamin A. The creation of this rice is
justified because Vitamin A deficiency causes blindness in 0.5 million people every year. This
deficiency most significantly affects people in developing countries living in poverty. These
populations also rely on rice as a staple food source, so it makes sense that this golden rice is
distributed by governments free of charge (Making Sense 11). The creation of the genetically
modified sweet banana is justified because the fungus Black Sigatoka causes leaf spot disease
that reduces the yield of the plant by 50%. Modifying the banana makes it resistant to this
fungus, which is essential to eliminating the threat to food security because Uganda relies on
crop yields, reduce damage to crops after they are harvested…more tolerant to stress…improve
nutritional value” (Making Sense 10). The idea behind reducing damage is that the plants will be
protected from insects. When referring to stress, scientists mean cold, drought, and heat. One
argument for GMO foods is that land is become harder to produce food because of “overgrazing,
too much salt due to irrigation, and desertification” (Making Sense 20). Another argument is that
farmers don’t have to use as much pesticides which benefits the environment (Benefits
Margulis). Additionally, “changing the rate of ripening would seem to be a benefit to both the
farmer, by decreasing post-harvest losses, and the consumer by increasing shelf life” (Falk
1385).
Even after hearing these arguments, there are scientists that disagree and claim that the
risks outweigh the costs. One argument against GMO food is that it might have harmful effects
on the people eating the food. However, there is the counterclaim that “over a trillion meals
containing GMO foods have been consumed without adverse health effects” (Making Sense 18).
This is a difficult area because there are several studies with different results and conclusions.
More risks are that this type of genetic modification is unpredictable and can mutate (Risks
Rifkin). Furthermore, it is argued that genes are “inserted more haphazardly than in traditional
cross-breeding” (Risks Rissler). Others argue that it has damaging effects on the environment
and animals because of the cross-pollination between GMO crops and wild species (Halford 68),
one example being the Monarch butterfly (Falk 1385). Finally, some suggest that the use of
foreign genes can lead to increases in toxicity and allergenicity (Halford 70).
benefits to the developing world, the greatest being better nutrition where before their diet didn’t
sufficiently meet their nutritional needs. Also, I recognize that the population is rapidly growing,
which leads me to worry about the amount of food we are producing and food security for the
future. The Green Revolution in the 1960s tripled the world food production (Making Sense 20),
and I believe we need this again to catch up with our increasing population. Additionally, I
realize that the world is urbanizing at a greater rate than ever before. This means that there will
be a decrease in available land because more houses need to be built to sustain the growing
cities. We need GMO foods because they can produce more food and with less space. Finally, I
believe that genetically modifying food is critical because climate change is increasing extreme
weather and climate conditions which is negatively impacting plants. We need plants that are
able to combat these extreme conditions. Although I believe that the benefits outweigh the risks,
I believe that more research is needed to fully evaluate GMO food’s nutritional benefits,
Making Sense of GM: What Is the Genetic Modification of Plants and Why Are Scientists Doing
content/uploads/2016/11/MakingsenseofGM.pdf.
www.pbs.org/wgbh/harvest/viewpoints/risks.html.
www.pbs.org/wgbh/harvest/viewpoints/benefits.html.
Halford, Nigel G, and Peter R Shewry. “Genetically Modified Crops: Methodology, Benefits,
Regulation and Public Concerns.” Vol. 56, no. 1, 2000, pp. 62–73.
Falk, Michael C., et al. “Food Biotechnology: Benefits and Concerns.(Abstract).” The Journal of