Genetically Modified Organisms essay

The resulting crops or plants are referred to as genetically modified plants and when they are used as sources of food they are called genetically modified foods. The world population is growing rapidly and is expected to hit 13 billion in the next fifty years or so. This means that the demand for food will continue to go high (Landgrin et al. The food that is available may not be able to sustain the growing population. This is why the technique of genetically modified organisms is now being used to ensure that more food is produced. The barriers are not respected in genetic engineering. This is why individuals view GMOs as unnatural organisms which violate nature laws and are possibly dangerous. Introduction There are speculations that as much as GMOs are beneficial they may cause detrimental effects to the health of human beings among other effects.

Food is very significant for an individual to survive and maintain good health. It is therefore unfortunate to know that some of the food that people are consuming might be hinder their health or might have substances that are not friendly to their health. It is very possible that they will reach a time that they will not bear fruits any longer or even possess weak trunks. The bark characteristics which are being relied on to produce paper might disappear. There are several endless possibilities. In addition, changes in the gene expression which already exist in organisms can have negative effects through the interaction with another product of an inserted gene (Dona et al. For instance, the gene coding for the berries’ red color can interact with a gene that is disease resistance and this might create a protein that is entirely new.

Environmental destruction is another negative consequence of genetically modified organisms. Many GMO seeds have been engineered genetically to be resistant to diseases, insect infestation and tolerant to herbicides. Environmentalists have raised concerns that the creation of the GM crops might encourage farmers to increase the application of pesticides and herbicides which is likely to raise the consumption of dangerous toxins by human beings. GM crops are also known to produce their own pesticides that put more poisons into the soil causing unforeseen negative changes to the environment (Yang et al. The other concern is that the toxins which are possessed by GMO plants have the ability to harm organisms like the bees, birds, and caterpillars. For these reasons, the introduction of the plants that are genetically modified to the human beings’ food chain that have proteins or allergens can be of risk especially if the allergic potential is unknown.

Intellectual property is another disadvantage of genetically modified organisms. The risk to the economy in the world might be significant. It is very possible that the production of food in the world will be dominated with just a few organizations. This will increase the dependence of food on industrialized countries and developed nations. For example in the case of Monsanto, the company created a herbicide roundup that works only on the roundup and they have reaped unreasonable benefits from that. Therefore, when farmers purchase their products, they are forced to purchase both the two. Also, these use around two to five times more herbicides as compared to the non-GM crops. Multi-naturals have therefore encroached on the entire crop markets in the world. When all the food in the whole world will become GM, one cannot imagine what will occur to human beings from the perspective of food issues.

As much as there are benefits like increased nutritional value of some foods, there are possible hazards and dangers. This is what is raising concern over their use and also the risks that they possess to both humans and the environment. There is inconsiderable evidence and research that supports the benefits of GMOs in human health and the environment. Various tests have been conducted using the GM food and the non-GM food on various organisms and the results have not been any different. It is therefore inappropriate to assume that there are positive effects just because of research available which is likely to be conducted by individuals that have their self-interests in mind. Food and Chemical Toxicology 117 (2018): 36-65. De Vendômois, Joël Spiroux, et al. Debate on GMOs health risks after statistical findings in regulatory tests.

International journal of biological sciences 6. Dona, Artemis, and Ioannis S. Loose, De, and H. Nancy. How can we better detect unauthorized GMOs in food and feed chains?. Trends in biotechnology (2017). Yang, Y.