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Introduction
Proper nutrition is essential for protecting and maintaining the health of every person. Food consumption is a primary way to gain nutrients; with that, proper nutrition lies on proper practice of food consumption. Therefore, it is important to note the kind of food taken for consumption if one is to practice the ways of proper nutrition. A careful examination of the kinds of food taken for consumption is essential for taking in the right nutrients.
In contemporary times, food production has imposed a significant effect on the nutritional factor of food. Some modes of food production have enabled the addition of certain vitamins and minerals, while others have modified food tastes, which may have presented impacts on nutrition. An important innovation emerging from innovations in food production is the genetically modified organism (GMO). GMOs used as food products differ from conventional ones in that such possess features attainable only through genetic modification. Genetic engineering for GMOs has enabled modifications ranging from color, taste and reproduction prospects. Yet, GMOs prove controversial in the realm of food nutrition, since critics have raised speculations and insights on the potentially negative effects of genetic modifications on the health of a person. Thus, this study aims to explore on whether GMO food products have negative nutritional effects on the health of consumers. A perusal of literature on the matter is essential to investigate whether or not GMOs presents health risks
Review of Related Literature
Studies conducted by experts in biotechnology make up the body of literature used for this study. The effects of GMO food products in the nutritional health of consumers are central to the concern of the literature. As per brief and general summation of the literature, contemporary scientific developments have yet to establish potentially negative effects arising from the consumption of GMO food products, although it is necessary to maintain a precautionary attitude in approaching the matter, given the uncertainty of harmful effects that may suddenly take place in the future.
Myhr and Traavik (73-79) spoke about the issue on the rapid commercialization of food products made with GMOs. There is a general agreement within the field of biotechnology that the question on whether GMOs could cause negative health effects remain unanswered. Thus, prejudices against GMOs on grounds of health and nutrition issues are ultimately unfounded in nature. Yet, such does not discount the possibility that harmful effects may arise out of genetic modification of food products. GMOs, therefore, may still contain negative health effects that have yet to come under discovery by experts in biotechnology. Consonant to the lack of findings proving that GMOs are harmful to the nutrition of consumers is the fact of severe shortage of risk-aversive mechanisms. Since GMOs have successfully penetrated the global food market, it is quite alarming to find out that there are not many preemptive regulations in place that reminds people of the possibility of negative health effects from GMOs. The possibility that further innovations in genetic modification of food products may cause negative consequences to nutrition remains, so it is essential to come up with precautionary measures that would protect consumers against such risk. Precautionary measures may come in the form of policies set by the government or ethical actions initiated by biotechnologists or manufacturers of GMO food products (Myhr and Traavik 73-82).
Paparini and Romano-Spica (85-101) directly raised the main question of whether GMOs present health risks or not. Considering that developments in the field of genetic modification are still ongoing, it is not a wonder to consider the possibility that some GMOs may have harmful health effects. While there is recognition of the view that science has not yet found answers on whether GMO food products could harm the health of consumers, it does not mean to say that policymakers should just remain lax on the matter. Genetic modification of food is an activity that encounters innovation as time passes. The strong demand for food products drive genetic modification activities on food production, sometimes to the point that repetitive processes lead to the emergence of new techniques and processes in producing new types of GMO food products. Yet, in identifying whether GMOs may pose concrete risks against the health of consumers, it is important to take note of the interaction between consumers, the environment and GMO food products. In that kind of relationship, what counts is the fact that every actor may impose effects on the health of consumers. For instance, the consumer may have himself at fault for gaining negative effects from consuming a food product made with a new kind of GMO, since he did not take the extra mile to research on said product. The environment – involving the producers of GMOs, biotechnologists and experts in relevant fields, weather conditions that may alter the quality of GMO food products, and agents that market GMO products, hold the responsibility of regulating potential risks in GMO production, given that they possess adequate knowledge on the subject matter. The agents in the environment affecting both the consumers and the GMO food products hold the authority of regulating potential risks due to their extensive knowledge on the matter at hand (Paparini and Romano-Spica 85-120).
Brewer and Rojas (1-15) noted the importance of gauging the reaction of people towards the nutritional values or health risks from GMO food products. Concerns over the impression on GMO food products as potentially risky to the health of consumers due to their modified nature has risen and has thus affected public reactions. Verily, many people harbored concerns that GMO food products may pose harmful effects to health and nutrition, even though there have not been a scientific result justifying any dangers yet. Food safety over GMO food products has also generated concerns over issues in regulation, and nutrition due to chemicals and microbiological factors. Findings reveal that people have become more wary over unfounded impressions that GMO food products might cause harm to their health and that those may have lower nutritional qualities compared to food produced naturally. With that, it is noteworthy to state that consumers have harbored anxious reactions when it comes to the consumption of GMO food products. Concerns over matters like pesticide poisoning in plants, ingestion of harmful hormones in meat products and the like has led biotechnologists to seek more concrete answers on the issue (Brewer and Rojas 1-15).
De Vendomois, et al. (715-726) released a compelling study pertaining to the possible harmful effects of GMO food products. To test the effects of three types of GMO food products – maize products NK603, MON810 and MON863, rats were used as test subjects, given their mammalian features that could somewhat come close to the structure of human beings. Prior to testing, however, the study made clear that it is practically impossible to generalize the effects of all kinds of GMO food products. The evaluation of GMO food products should come on a case-to-case basis, since not all such products are the same in terms of structure and contents. Thus, the assertions made by biotechnologists that there is no concrete evidence pertaining to any harmful effects of GMO food products find basis on different kinds of case studies. Yet, the assertion that GMO food products could possibly impose risks on the health of consumers has relevant insights on the study at hand concerning the three types of GMO maize. Based on the test, the effects of the products depend on two things – the sex of the rats and the amount of dosage given. Kidney and liver metabolism finds difference in terms of sex, and that is where the effects of the three kinds of GMO maize have come into play. Findings on the experiment have shown that the three types of GMO maize have induced the rats into varying levels of hepatorenal toxicity. The study found that the three kinds of GMO maize have different types of pesticide residues whose effects are still currently unfounded in human or animal diets. It is in that wise where the issue of conducting further studies on the matter stands as a highly important measure, as such may reveal concrete evidence on potential risks associated with particular GMO food products (De Vendomois, et al. 715-726).
Paarlberg (609-612) highlighted the premise that there is an absence of concrete evidence supporting the suspicion that GMO food products could impose harmful health effects. However, the application of Precautionary Principle in health sciences mandate the argument that it is best to stay away from consumption of GMO food products as a matter of evading possible negative effects – a statement agreed by Myhr and Traavik (73-80). Paarlberg (609-612), for his part, noted that European farmers do not produce GMO food products not just because of the Precautionary Principle, but also because they do not see any potential benefit in doing so. In other words, the demand for GMO food products is not as strong as in other nations producing such. The productivity of European farmers do not require any boost coming from any use of GMO food products. As such, use of GMO food products does not present any strong benefits to European farmers and consumers alike. Yet, in the case of Africa, food production technology is not as advanced in European nations. Thus, food production in Africa goes by a laggard pace, thus necessitating the use of GMO food products in stimulating the food market in the continent. Imposing the standards used in European markets on GMOs could only harm African food producers and consumers than enable them to become more productive. In other words, the production of GMO food products is essential to stabilize the African food market, given its relatively backward technology in food production. The lack of viable options to replace the potency of GMO food products in the African market at present enables such products to thrive further in the continent, notwithstanding any possibility that harmful effects on health may arise. It is thus imperative to research and devise mechanisms that would lessen the reliance of the African market on GMO food products without harming its food market. In that way, the Precautionary Principle would not have a costly application in Africa (Paarlberg 609-612).
At the policy level, Varzakas, Arvanitoyannis and Baltas (335-350) have underlined the present concern aimed towards GMO food products. What remains important in the scope of food security is the nutritional value of food products. Consumers have to ingest the right amounts of nutrition from food in order to continue sustaining themselves towards healthy living. However, doubts on food production have risen due to the emergence of crises pertaining to illnesses incurred from food consumption. Contamination of food during the production phase has caused several illnesses such as foot and mouth disease, bird flu and other diseases. Those incidents have lowered the confidence of people towards food production, given the idea that possibilities of pandemic breakouts or any other similar instances may arise from faulty processes in food production. With that, doubts on the credibility of GMO food products have become stronger, despite the fact that biotechnologists have yet to find concrete findings linking GMO food processing with any harmful effects to the body. In view of the fact that GMO food production remains a controversial issue in food production, more extensive efforts to research on the potentially harmful effects of such products has become highly important, especially with the continued prevalence of such products in the world market. At the same time, it has become important to devise alternative measures to GMO food production in boosting food production, in general, to maintain the observance of the Precautionary Principle emphasized by Myhr and Traavik (73-80; Varzakas, Arvanitoyannis and Baltas 335-350).
Synthesis
Given the literature provided for the subject matter at hand, the premise that GMO food products are harmful to the health of consumers is still unfounded to this day. Although there is no dispute to the fact that there are doubts on the credibility of GMO food products as those that are safe to eat, there is still no proof that any kind of GMO food production could lead to harmful health effects (Varzakas, Arvanitoyannis and Baltas 335-350). Nevertheless, it does not mean to say that any health risk related to GMO food production and GMO food products per se is not likely to rise. Biotechnologists and other experts in the field of GMO food production acknowledge the possibility that further discoveries pertaining to harmful effects of GMOs in food consumption may arise as studies continue. A crucial recommendation raised in light of that issue is the observance of the Precautionary Principle. As stated in the discussion of the literature, the Precautionary Principle does not intend to induce people to boycott GMO food products completely, it encourages people to become wary of such products by being more careful in assessing details such as the ingredients, components and the manner of production those products have passed through. The consumers ultimately hold the responsibility of watching the kind of food they consume, since they have the freedom to pick the kind of food products they want to purchase. Yet, in the case of low-income areas like Africa, the prevalence of GMO food products as cheaper and more practical options for consumption makes the practice of Precautionary Principle costly (Paarlberg 609-612). In that sense, it becomes difficult to urge consumers from low-income areas to switch to food types other than GMOs, since the severe limits of their income constrains them from making better choices.
Conclusion
Biotechnologists and other experts in the field of GMO food production have yet to detect any solid evidence of harmful health effects brought by such products. Yet, an important thing to stress in that regard is the fact that there may be possibilities of discoveries on harmful effects in the future, hence the importance of observing the Precautionary Principle. The Precautionary Principle, however, is only amenable for places where the standard of income does not constrain consumers within choices including only cheap and abundant GMO food products. Europe, for instance, has made the move to block GMO food products, seeing that the use of such in production and consumption does not produce constructive benefits. However, in the case of Africa, the production of GMO food products is beneficial for the continuity of food security in the continent, although the low-income nature of the nations within said continent leaves people no choice but to purchase affordable but genetically modified options. Given the possibility that harmful health effects may arise from other kinds of GMOs, policymakers and organizations should push through with efforts to create food production mechanisms serving as alternatives to GMO food production. Although it is difficult to conceive a concrete plan at this point, the idea should revolve around two important factors – health and affordability. Food production should focus on producing food that has proven health benefits while being affordable to income-constrained consumers at the same time. Producers should also avoid production mechanisms that may make food production easier but with side components that could harm the health of consumers to ensure a healthy way of maintaining food security.
Works Cited
Brewer, M., and Rojas, M. "Consumer Attitudes towards Issues in Food Security." Journal of Food Safety 28.1 (2008): 1-22. Print.
De Vendomois, Joel, Roullier, Francois, Cellier, Dominique, and Seralini, Gilles-Eric. "A Comparison of the Effects of Three GM Corn Varieties on Mammalian Health." International Journal of Biological Sciences 5.7 (2009): 706-726. Print.
Myhr, Anne, and Traavik, Terje. "The Precautionary Principle: Scientific Uncertainty and Omitted Research in the Context of GMO Use and Release." Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 15.1 (2002): 73-86. Print.
Paarlberg, Robert. "GMO Foods and Crops: Africa’s Choice." New Biotechnology 27.5 (2010): 609-613. Print.
Paparini, Andrea, and Romano-Spica, Vincenzo. "Public Health Issues Related With The Consumption Of Food Obtained From Genetically Modified Organisms." Biotechnology Annual Review 10 (2004): 85-122. Print.
Varzakas, Theodoros, Arvanitoyannis, Ioannis, and Baltas, Haralambos. "The Politics and Science behind GMO Acceptance." Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 47.4 (2007): 335-361. Print.
