GMO: Is Pandora’s Box Safe?

written by 10203 Kim Dan Hee, 10618 Lee Seo Ahn
& 20811 Park Shin Hyung



The Food and Drug Administration defines genetically modified organism (GMO) as a term that consumers and popular media commonly used to describe a plant, animal or microorganism that has had its genetic material altered through genetic engineering.

GMO products have been commercially sold for roughly 30 years after the first genetically modified tomato Flavr Savr was invented. 

Even though the first genetically modified tomato became available for consumers in 1994, governments have evaluated and approved its safety. 

GMOs began in order to endow desirable traits to crops and vegetables that appear on our tables. Modifications allowed farmers to develop pest-resistant and cheaper crops.

For nearly 30 years, GMO products have been welcomed as the solution to future food consumption problems and, at the same time, raised concerns about their safety. 

Advocates assure the safety of GMO products since there has been no scientific evidence that GMO products are unsafe for human beings, nor have health problems arisen from GMO products.

This opinion is practically correct if we only view the problem in the status quo.

However, the controversy on its safety has been going on for about three decades. It’s been debated nonstop whether genetically modified organisms are guaranteed safe to eat or not. 

But ever since the climate has changed, and it’s getting harder to grow crops, naturally, arguments are more competitive than ever.


FOR GMO

GMOs have spread worldwide and are widely used. Nowadays, approximately 17 million farmers cultivate genetically modified crops in more than 70 countries. How has it attained its popularity among producers?

GMO plants accelerate the process of bestowing desirable traits to plants. 

For instance, resistance to pests is inherent to BioTechnology (BT) corns. BT crops produce BT toxin, which drives pests and the need to use pesticides away. It also makes plants display hostility against viruses and diseases, which leads to less food waste. 

An example would be the insertion of a coat protein gene conferring a shield against plum pox viruses in plums.

GMOs also can be beneficial for secure food consumption. Genetically modified grains and foods are essential resources for the future because the world does not yet have enough food independence.

 GMO food is not a matter of choice but of survival. If GMO food is not consumed in the future, consumption will increase, and output will decrease.

Without GMOs, the demand and supply of food are not balanced, which can lead to rising food prices and cause social conflicts depending on soaring prices.

GMOs are the key to solving world hunger because it mainly reduces the price of a product. Approximately 800 million people suffer from the lack of food sources caused by climate change, population growth and water scarcity. 

GMOs can enhance crop harvests and allow farmers to cultivate even during a drought or on barren soil. This will eventually help decrease prices.

GMOs also contribute to the development of genetic engineering technology. The technology needed to make genetically modified foods can only be developed by allowing the use of modified foods. 

This is because an environment should be created to develop food made with technology without relying on the primary industry. With advanced technology, mankind will ultimately benefit more.

About 4.4 billion people have had no problems for more than a decade. Even though almost 100 percent of animal feed was made from GMO crops, there were no problems with animals. 

Based on humans, it is difficult to generalize because it was not observed for a long time, but as a result, no risk was found after eating GMO foods. In addition, studies have shown that GMOs do not have hazardous substances. 

The European Commission has strongly demonstrated its commitment to acceptance in the food sector in the future by demonstrating safety, a major part of biotechnology crops, through the publication Ten Years of Research on European Fund-sponsored Biotechnology Crops.

Lastly, genetically modified foods are beneficial to human health.

Vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin D can be additionally created through moderation or added to GMO foods.

Golden rice is a great sample of a crop that has undergone biofortification and now retains the ability to fight against irreversible childhood blindness. It produces high levels of beta-carotene. 

Also, golden rice contains more vitamin A than regular rice. Golden rice has helped humans suffering from vitamin A deficiency.


AGAINST GMO

Despite the appealing sides, GMOs are not as perfect as they seem. Most importantly, GMO crops have not yet been proven for their consumption.

There have been lots of cases where products that were invented in the 20th century turned out to be harmful to humans after a long time.

Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane (DDT) was first famous as an effective pesticide and was commonly used after World War II to combat malaria and typhus. 

However, 20 years after the use of DDT, it was proven to be harmful to the natural environment and human beings in Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring

Thirty years after the first use of DDT, the use of DDT became prohibited in the U.S. Nevertheless, DDT remains in the soil.

According to Don Huber, pathologist and professor at Purdue University, the claim which asserts GMOs do not result in any risks to humans cannot be supported by studies that have been conducted in a short period of time.

 While it is true to some extent that genetic engineering can make some crops more nutritious, the insertion of genes can cause toxicity in foods.

Thirty years is too early to ensure the safety of GMO products. It is not enough time to find any genetic modification in human beings; even DDT was banned after 30 years of praise. 

Nobody can yet ensure whether GMO products are safe or not.

In addition, dabbling around with genetic makeup can induce plants to trigger allergies. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN stated one major potential consequence of GMOs could be higher levels of allergens in a host plant.

When Starlink corn was manipulated to increase its resistance to pests, several reports of allergic reactions such as diarrhea, skin rashes and abdominal pain popped out of the box.

Furthermore, the uncertainty of GMO products’ effect on health is not the only concern. GMO products could threaten the global food supply and economy.

In one of the largest plains in the world, Pampas, Argentina, wheat, peanut, soybean and various other vegetables and fruits were grown before the introduction of GMO foods.

However in the 1990s, as a side effect of intensive agriculture, the soil became barren, and farmers started to grow Roundup-ready soybeans. 

This resulted in the devastation of Argentina’s agriculture. As cultivars unified, Argentina lost its food sovereignty. This shows how depending on GMO foods could cause a crisis.

However, the more severe problem is not that GMO crops could take most of the global food supply but that most GMOs are provided by one company. 

Monsanto holds patents on 90% of GMO crops grown worldwide. Fertilizers and farmers and farmland to companies from the cultivation stage. Manipulation, especially with food supply, is poisonous. Unconditional positivity towards GMO crops would empower companies like Monsanto, and manipulation in food production could affect the global food supply.



In My Opinion

10203 Kim Dan Hee

However, I believe they should not replace conventional food or take up space in our food cycle because it has not been studied long enough to completely prove it’s harmless. Likewise, it may bring unexpected outcomes that are unwelcome, like allergic responses. Food should be trustworthy, without a doubt. Therefore I believe GMOs are not yet ready to appear on our tables.

10618 Lee Seo Ahn

Whether GMOs could be harmful to humans is not yet proven; however, the predictable misuse of GMOs could cause a crisis. Therefore, I am against GMOs and believe that it is more beneficial for us and our nature to choose non-GMO products. Unfortunately, sometimes things that make our life easier ruin our life easier.

20811 Park Shin Hyung

I agree with GMOs. Several studies have proven that GMOs can have a good effect on humans or animals and are in favor of the use of GMOs because they bring the prospect of being responsible for the human future, even though there are poor evaluations of them.

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