Some people believe that genetically modified foods are necessary to feed the growing

population; others think otherwise, claiming that they are unsafe and harmful to the
environment. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Outline
Pros:
- Desirable gene insertion => foods with pharmaceutical or prophylactic properties =>
Especially suitable for a growing population as a way to forestall any widespread
disease or pandemic.
- May require less watering and tendering, can thrive in various conditions => A lifeline for
those in regions with a harsh climate and limited access to food.
- Improved resilience and durability => Withstanding extreme weather conditions or
infestations; longer shelf life => More stable food source for humans.
- Produce in greater quantity with an enhanced nutritional content => Sufficiently cater for
nutritional demands of a vast section of the population.
Cons:
- Unsafe:
+ Risk of toxicity.
+ Intake of novel foods may trigger allergic reactions of the human body.
- Adverse effects on the environment: impoverishing the ecology by threatening both flora
and fauna.
+ Pollination may occur between GMO plants and non-GMO plants => new and
unregulated GMO vegetation that may be lethal to insects and other species.
+ Demise of useful insects => Hampering the pollination of other plants.

Opinion: GMO foods:

- Should be supported as a way to cater for the growing population.
- Be cultivated in a strictly regulated environment to preclude any unwanted
crossbreeding.
- Preemptive measures as rigorous tests and trials => Ruling out any possibility of toxicity.

Vocab
1. Genetically engineered foods
2. Arable (adj): (of land) suitable for growing crops.
3. Genetic mutations
4. Crossbreeding / outbreeding / outcrossing (n): to cause a plant or animal to breed with
another plant or animal of a different type in order to produce a new variety.
5. Bioengineered foods
6. Nutritional all-rounder
7. Herbicide resistance / insecticide resistance
8. Infestation
9. Pharmaceutical and prophylactic properties
10. Gene pool (n): all the genes of a particular group of people or animals.
11. Half-bred (adj): (of an animal or plant) produced from two different types of animal or
plant.
12. Transgenic (adj): A transgenic animal or plant contains one or more genes that have
been added from another type of plant or animal.
13. Inclement weather
14. Shelf life
15. Nutritional deficiencies
16. Preemptive measures
17. Depauperate (adj): poorly or imperfectly developed.
18. Improve yields
19. Toxicity
20. Allergenicity