by didem
GMO! Scary?
Published in Case Studies on November 4, 2010
Hey Everyone!
My last month’s environmental challenge was eating non-packed food(previous one was ‘shopping-free September). However, my non-packed food concept covered also eating only organic from local market and i had not eaten any food which can contain GMO. That is why, i did not eat any food which contain soy and corn or any of these’s byproducts. After certain point, i really had hard time to find anything without GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms). There was also one more problem that is important to mention, there is no label on the foods which contain GMO.
Then after, i talked to one of my friends who is studying gastronomy in his university and asked him how dangerous it is. I was so surprised with what he said because he was not against GMOs. He said “It at least enables us to produce everywhere and eliminate climate related restrictions. You can start producing Strawberry in Alaska!”
As we know, there are many discussions going on for and/or against GMOs: if it is healthy, if it can bring any solution to famine, if it kills biodiversity, if it is fair for local producers, if GMOs are only about making more profit, if it is more efficient and so on. In my opinion, it mostly is not ‘fair trade’, that is why i prefer not to have. But…
What do you think? Is it that dangerous? Economically and Environmentally??
Cheers!!
Benefits of GMOs
Better food quality and taste – Genetic modification can be used to make corn sweeter, peppers spicier, pears taste more like apples and fruit and vegetables keep longer.
Increased yields, often in less time – Genetic modification can make plants and animals grow bigger and faster, which can save time and money.
Fewer animal health problems – Genetic modification can result in animals that are resistant to diseases and can better withstand typical factory farm conditions.
More efficient production of food – Genetic modification can help farmers skip steps in the process, such as spraying their crops with pesticides.
Drawbacks of GMOs
Top critics of genetic modification include environmentalists and proponents of organic foods. Many refer to modified foods as “frankenfoods.” Here is some of their reasoning:
Safety risks – Genetic modification is a relatively new technology. It is difficult to tell what the long term effects of eating these foods could be.
Environmental risks – Introducing plants and animals that do not naturally occur into the ecosystem could have devastating effects on current species due to cross breeding and cross pollination.
Social risks – Poorer countries do not have the means to produce genetically modified foods. Industrial nations may rely less on these countries and cost them much needed income from exports.
Ethical risks – Changing the makeup of animals is unethical and could start a slippery slope resulting in the cloning of people or other similar prospects.
Collateral Damage – Making plants and animals that are resistant to bacteria can cause bacteria to become stronger and harder to kill. Making plants herbicide resistant can lead to weeds that are herbicide resistant as well.
Opponents also feel strongly that products made from GMOs should be labeled so that consumers can avoid them if they so choose.
Opponents also feel strongly that products made from GMOs should be labeled so that consumers can avoid them if they so choose.
Many people say Genetically Modified organisms can help reduce hunger, but I don’t think so, because, as we all know, hunger is a not a problem caused by scarcity os food, but by the poor food distribution, whichi include the distribution of these produtcs.
I also think it is not economic practicable because, when you change the plant’s structure, it won’t reproduce by itself, so for each harvest, you’ll have to buy new seeds, what it’s not economic possible for many producers and it will end up leading them to a bad economic situation besides it help rich companies become even more healtier, while these small producers who have to plant for livingwill become more poor.
nd I also think it represents a risk for envinronment because it changes the natural evolution and it also make us think that we’re able to select what we want from nature, combine genes and make up the products we wan, so in the future, we’ll think that we don’t need nature anymore because we make our own fruit and vegetables and feed to the animals, so it willlead to exploration and the destruction of the natural resouces, leading to a huge crisis (at I least, I think so)