Introduction
Genetically modified foods are grown yet there is little information given about it. Scientists and the general public are arguing if the genetically modified food is safe for consumption or not. There is anxiety in the public domain over this matter because there is little scientific research done on it. Furthermore, there is no efficient technology to measure its toxicity. Thus, genetically modified foods are products of plants, animals or microorganisms whose genetic code is altered. Alteration of genetic makeup is done by the introduction of a foreign Deoxyribonucleic acid into the genes of the living organism. The method used for introduction is called gene splicing. Scientist or farmers carry out modification of genetic makeup because they want to acquire desired traits which will increase production or quality of the plant, organism or animal (Winter and Galleos 1).
Previously before genetically modified food was introduced, farmers used to improve their production through traditional breeding methods. Hence, despite complains given by scientists, members of the public and even federal governments, genetically modified engineering has provided ways in which farmers can improve their produce. The scientists have been able to do more than the traditional methods could do (Winter and Galleos 1).
History and timeline
Genetically modification foods were introduced long ago. In 6000 BC the Sumerians and the Babylonians came up with the idea of using yeast to make beer. In the 4000 BC the Egyptians and the Chinese came up with the use of yeast to make bread and use of lactic acid to make yoghurt. In 1852, there was the discovery of pollination. In addition during the 1800s there was the discovery of pasteurization, the invertase enzyme used in breaking a complex disaccharide into simple sugars like glucose. In the 1900s scientists came up with high producing wheat, recombinants of organisms, and the creation of genetically modified bacteria which was used to reduce the effects of extreme cold on potatoes. In 2000 Australia came up with cloned cows, golden rice which had carotene added on it: golden rice has been of great benefit to people that had deficiency of vitamin A (Biotechnology Timeline, table 1).
In the same year scientists came up with a lab rat. Australia also enacted an act that was used to restrict research, consumption and release of genetically modified foods. Between the years 2001-2003 scientists came up with a way to sequence a genetic makeup of a human being. In 2003 researchers were able to make a genetically modified root worm resistant to corn. From 2003 onwards a series of discoveries have been developed in genetic modification. Majority of the countries like Australia and America came up with regulation to restrict research, use and commercialization of GMOs. In the future third and second generation of crops are expected to enter into the market (Biotechnology Timeline, table 1)
Benefits of Genetically Modified Food
Examples of the benefits of genetically modified foods are given by a local newspaper. Genetic modification of food enables the farmers to create the desired effects needed by the consumers thus increase in returns. For example, tomatoes in New Jersey have undergone modifications to meet the markets demand. Some of the traits modified or introduced in the tomatoes are, juicy flesh, hard or soft skins or those that do not succumb to the effect of horn worm. These modifications have made it easy for farmers to get the desired characteristics much faster and efficiently than they would have done with traditional breeding methods (Lyons, para 1-4).
The reason why people rebuke genetically modified foods is because the methods they use are traditional. Traditional methods of measuring the risk of food show how the food affects the animals or human beings- this is not an effective way of measuring genetically modified foods. The reason behind this argument is that foods contain a lot of chemicals and it is impossible for animals to ingest large amounts food. The best measurement of the safety of genetically modified foods is using the convectional equivalence concept (Schauzu 2). Using this concept, genetically modified foods are the same to traditional food in terms of nutrients, allergens etc. hence it should be known that ingestion of any food be it genetically modified or traditionally bred will pose harm to the eater because both have chemicals. These chemicals are the ones that cause allergies or stomach upsets. According to research, foods known to cause allergies are, animal products like eggs or milk, peanuts or soya beans etc (Winter and Galleos 1).
The federal government put a lot of emphasis on scrutiny on genetically modified foods yet in the 1960s they allowed kiwi to cross the borders yet it was harmful to people. In the United State three agencies have been given the mandate to regulate and check the quality food produced. These companies are in the United States department of Agriculture. This agency has been given the responsibility of checking the risk of genetically modified foods and preventing traits from the food from going to non target plants. The United States protection agency has been given the mandate to restrict the selling, consumption and testing of organisms that produce harmful toxins. It also has the power to regulate the buying and selling of genetically modified organisms that produce toxic substances. As much as genetically modified food is passed through this test it ends up being approved to go into the market. This shows that it is safe to take them because they have passed through rigorous analysis and tests (Winter and Galleos 2)
Genetically modified foods are safe because FDA in conjunction with farmers that grow this foods, hold discussions to produce goods that are safe for the society to consume. Thus all the food that go into supermarkets, malls and food groceries pass through the hands of FDA: therefore, they are safe for consumption (Winter and Galleos 2).
Another misplaced accusation was that of potatoes that were genetically modified to contain lectin gene. According to scientists, lectin is known to have great benefits to human health. Lectin is capable of joining with carbohydrates at the same time glycoalkaloids from the body. It was reported that people had contracted diseases and ailments due to consumption of the corn. This forced the federal government to acquire samples of blood of the victims and take into the laboratory for assessment. It was discovered that 17 out of the 28 samples had no antibodies related to StarLink corn. Of the ten reaction cases 9 of them were found negative of StarLink corn. However, despite the negative results the corn was removed from the market because the scientists said that the corn had little effect on the health of its consumers. Though the research done on rats brought negative results, the researchers did not experiment it on other types of animals (Winter and Galleos 3).
Anther experiment done on transgenic rice showed negative results; because the people suspected that transgenic rice caused harm to human health, research was done to investigate this claim. Lab rats were fed with this rice and its effects recorded. At the end of the experiment it was discovered that transgenic rice had no effect on the rats. The results got from the studies were as follows; during the first month the male rats found in the T group had increased in body length. Furthermore, in the final stages of the project it was noted that the blood glucose level of the male rats in the ALT had fallen more than the other male of other groups. The females in the ALT groups had also experienced a rise in the blood cell number. Though there were changes, it was noted that it was within the normal physiological range of rats. Thus, the final results stated that transgenic rise had no effect on the rats nor humans (Jui, para 1).
Genetically modified food is better than traditional food in several ways. They have a longer life than convectional foods. They are also produced with fewer toxins and pesticide use. Traditional foods use a lot of pesticides and herbicides so as to kill weeds and pesticides. These chemicals enter the system of plants hence poses a great threat to human health if consumed. Genetically modified foods on the other hand use genetic engineering to produce superior plants. As a result, they are much safer than convectional food. In addition, they provide essential nutrients to people who take it. Also it will help to increase produce for the farmers. Ismaeli an employee at World Bank once said that
Biotechnology will be a crucial part of expanding agricultural productivity in the 21st century. If safely deployed, it could be a tremendous help in meeting the challenge of feeding an additional three billion human beings, 95 percent of them in the poor developing countries, on the same amount of land and water currently available (GM Crops, para 10).
Conclusion
Though genetically modified foods have created a lot of divisions and arguments, there is not enough evidence to link them to harm. It is therefore important to develop proper and unbiased methods to measure the safety of foods. Genetically modified foods have been wrongly accused and given a wrong picture. This food has allowed people to gain nutrients they could not access. Farmers produce have now increased due to this methods and majority of them have managed to improve their lives
Works Cited:
Biotechnology timeline. A Food Biotechnology Timeline, 2012. Accessed on 4th May, 2012 < http://www.biotechnologyonline.gov.au/foodag/timeline.html>
GM Crops. Should We Grow GM foods. Accessed on 4th May, 2012 < http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/harvest/exist/arguments.html>
Jiu, Wei Sheng Yan. Study on Food Safety of Genetically Modified Rice Which Expressed Cowpea Trypsin Inhibitor By 90 Day Feeding Test on Rats, Pubmed 32 (2): 176-179. Accessed o 4th may, 2012 < http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15208998>
Lyons, Richard D. Pace Quickens In The For Ideal Plants, New York Times, 1983 September 27. Accessed on 4th May, 2012 < http://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/27/science/pace-quickens-in-the-search-for-ideal-plants.html?ref=geneticallymodifiedfood>
Schauzu, M. The Concept Of Substantial Equivalence In Safety Assessment of Foods Derived from Genetically Modified Organisms. Accessed on 4th May, 2012
Winter, Carl K and Lisa, K. Galleos. Safety of Genetically engineered Food, 2006. Accessed on 4th May, 2012 < http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8180.pdf>
