If you are reading this, then the chances are that you’re very concerned about the quality and healthiness of the foods you eat. And you’ve probably heard about genetically modified foods’ supposed benefits or dangers.
There are plenty of Genetically Modified food pros and cons, so let’s take a closer look at some of the most common.
First though, what are Genetically Modified foods? GM foods have had their DNA, their genes, in other words, modified in a laboratory.
These modifications are intentional changes designed specifically to favor certain desired traits that don’t occur through natural evolution. Think of it as scientific genetic engineering versus natural evolution.
And how common are GM food crops? Very! In just ten years, the amount of land worldwide planted with GM crops increased 100 fold, from 1.7 to 185 million hectares.
That’s over 700,000 square miles – an area larger than South America – of GM crops. That includes most of the world’s big cash crops, soybeans, corn, and wheat.
Whether we like it or not, GM foods are not going away, and most of us are eating them every day. So let’s look at the five most common GM pros and GM cons on the two sides of the argument.
GM Food Pros
The most common reasons people cite in defending GM foods boil down to five major things.
1. GM foods are engineered to produce more food annually from a given amount of land than non-GM foods.
2. The number of nutrients present in GM foods is increased, and the taste is improved. Corn can be sweeter; Peppers are hotter or milder depending on preference.
3. GM crops modified to resist disease and drought can produce more food on marginal land.
4. GM crops are being genetically engineered to be more insect resistant.
5. Together, all of these factors make GM foods more cost-effective.
On the Flip Side: GM Food Cons
People opposed frequently make five arguments against GMOs.
1. GM crops bred to be herbicide-resistant can cross-breed with weeds that become difficult to eradicate.
2. By breeding resistance to antibiotics into some GM crops, some doctors worry that at the same time, antibiotic resistance among consumers is increasing.
3. Six companies (BASF, Bayer, DuPont, Dow Chemical, Monsanto, and Syngenta) dominate the GMO market.
4. Features added to GM foods may increase allergic reactions in some consumers.
5. The dominant companies are patenting their seeds which makes saving seeds from one year to the next illegal. That forces planters into buying new seeds every year.
Your Take: Genetically Modified Food Pros and Cons
Where do you stand on genetically modified food pros and cons? Do the positives outweigh the negatives?
Proponents say genetically modified crops allow more food to be grown worldwide and lower the risks of crop failures due to insects and disease.
On the other hand, opponents point to increased weed resistance to herbicides and the lowered effectiveness of antibiotics in some people.
Now that you know the arguments for and against, where do you stand on GM food?
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