The Case For GMOs

What do you imagine when you hear the phrase "genetic modification"?" Most people would probably visualize something hazardous or unnatural. They may question the GMOs effects on human health. But what if I told you that GMOs might be beneficial to us? In this blog article, I'll discuss the positive effects of GMOs and argue why we should accept GMOs instead of being afraid of them.

• ELI5

  GMOs are not as bad as you think. They are safe to eat and can actually be more nutritious than traditional crops. GMOs help to increase food production and reduce world hunger. Opposition to GMOs is based on fear and misinformation, not science. We should be grateful for the benefits that GMOs provide and work to ensure that everyone has access to them.

What Are GMOs?

The acronym GMO stands for genetically modified organisms. GMOs are produced by combining genetic material from one species with that of another to create an organism considered to be distinct or "new." GMOs may be found in our food, pets (animals bred for companionship), insects, animals, and plants.

Farmers have been genetically altering plants for thousands of years by cross-breeding their crops- usually with the intent to produce better products.

For example, a crop of mildew-resistant peas may be crossed with a high-yielding but mildew susceptible pea with the goal of creating a pea crop that is both mildew-resistant and high-yielding!

GMOs are the modern shortcut to this process: altering the DNA of plants in a lab setting. It is important to note that before it is sold to farmers to grow, every modified plant goes through various reviews and tests.

In short, GMO crops are crops of plants that are designed to be better for us.

Why Do We Have GMO Food

GMOs are in our food because they are a more efficient way to create crops that are resistant to disease, pests, and herbicides. They also help us produce more food with less land, water, and inputs. For these reasons, GMOs have been embraced by farmers and scientists all over the world as a way to increase crop yields and reduce hunger.

Some people believe that GMOs can be harmful to our health, although there is no evidence to support this claim. The World Health Organization has stated that GMOs are not harmful to humans and that they are safe to eat.

In fact, GMOs have been used to help us combat some of the world's biggest health concerns, such as malnutrition, starvation, and disease. For example, GMOs are being used to create crops that are enriched with vitamins and minerals, which can help to combat malnutrition.

GMO crops have a number of benefits that make them a more efficient way to produce food. Some of these benefits include:

- Resistance to disease

- Resistance to pests

- Herbicide tolerance

- Enhanced nutritional content

- Increased food production

- Resistance to drought

This means things like apples that don’t brown as quickly, potatoes that don’t spot, and crops that produce more food using fewer resources on a consistent basis!

Most GMO plants have been genetically modified to make them less susceptible to pests. For example, a 2020 study found GMO Bt-corn crops allowed farmers to reduce their pesticide use by 8.3%.

GMO crops also allow us to grow more efficiently — meaning farmers can produce the same amount or more food using less land, water, and pesticides than conventional crops.

For you as the consumer, this means food produced by a GMO crop is usually cheaper. In some cases, the costs of food may be cut by 15-30%.

How To Know If Your Food Has GMOs

GMOs are in many of the foods that we eat, but not all GMOs are labeled. Only 10 GMO crops are produced and sold in the United States. The most common GMOs in the United States are corn, soybeans, canola, sugar beets, and cotton. The remaining GMO crops include papaya, summer squash, apples, potatoes, and alfalfa.

There is a lot of confusion around GMOs because of the non-GMO label. Many people believe that the non-GMO label means that the food is organic, higher quality, or has been grown without pesticides. This is not always the case.

In fact, the non-GMO label has little meaning. It simply means that the food has not been genetically modified. This means that you cannot rely on the non-GMO label to tell you whether or not a food is safe.

The non-GMO label is a pay-to-play label that is often used in fear-mongering marketing. Seeing the non-GMO label on food packaging such as rolled oats is just a ridiculous way of getting your attention in the grocery store because GMO oats don't even exist!

Are GMO Foods Safe to Eat?

The scientific consensus is that GMOs are safe to eat. GMO foods are tightly regulated by major agencies like the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ensure they have no more health risks than conventional crops do.

According to over 900 studies and publications, 20+ years of data, 2+ years of research and review, GMOs have been deemed safe to eat.

This has also been reaffirmed by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). Their review found that the genetically modified foods available on the market today are as safe as those that have been eaten for centuries.

The European Union has also concluded that GMOs are safe to eat. In a 2021  report, the European Union said that GMOs “carry the same level of risk as conventional breeding techniques."

The World Health Organization stated that GMOs are safe to eat. In a statement, the WHO said "all GM foods currently available on the international market have been assessed for safety by national regulatory authorities and found to be as safe as their conventional counterparts."

GMOs are safe for human consumption. GMOs do not pose any greater danger to human health than traditional crops, according to the scientific community and major regulatory bodies. 

Furthermore, GMO foods have been on the market for more than 20 years, and there has yet to be a single reported incident of negative impact from them. The negative effects of GMOs effectively don’t exist.

GMOs Can Actually Be More Nutritious

Genetically modifying crops can impact the nutritional value of the final product, but not in a negative way! Remember: the theme of using GMOs is to make the product better.

GMO crops are actually used to combat malnutrition because they can produce more nutrient-dense foods as well as more foods altogether, which can feed more people on fewer resources. GMO crops can also be drought-resistant, making them ideal for regions where water is scarce.

Certain GMO crops are specifically designed to provide more nutrients like vitamins and minerals. For example, there is a GMO form of African corn that contains 2X as much folate, 6X as much vitamin C, and 169X more beta-carotene than traditional corn crops.

Another instance of GMO nutrition design is golden rice. Golden rice is GMO rice that has been modified to produce high levels of beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A. This rice can help to prevent blindness and other Vitamin A deficiencies in developing countries.

There is a GMO eggplant called Bt brinjal that has been modified to produce a natural insecticide called Bt toxin. This eggplant can help to reduce the number of pesticides used in agriculture.

A final example of the benefits of GMOs is Arctic Apples. These GMO apples have been modified to resist browning. Browning is a natural process that occurs when apples are cut, and it makes them less appealing to consumers. The Arctic Apple doesn't brown, which means that it can stay fresh for longer periods of time. This reduces food waste.

Genetically engineering plants has the potential to impact the nutritional value of the finished product in a bad way, but not in a good one! Keep in mind that the goal of utilizing GMOs is to improve quality. GMO crops are more nutrient-dense because they are designed to be more nutritious.

Are GMOs Bad for the Environment

Some people also believe that GMOs are bad for the environment. Again, there is no evidence to support this claim. In fact, GMOs can actually help us protect the environment.

Bt-corn, for example, is a GMO crop that produces its own pesticide. This means that farmers do not have to spray insecticides on their crops, which can save them money and help to protect the environment.

Between 1996 and 2018, GMOs were responsible for saving 776 million kilograms of herbicides from being sprayed on fields around the world. This has resulted in reduced fuel use and field changes, resulting in substantial greenhouse gas emission reductions from GM cropping areas. In 2018 alone, this equated to removing 15.27 million cars from the roads.

GMOs have also been shown to increase crop yields, which can reduce deforestation. For example, in Brazil, GMO soybeans have been credited with reducing the need for deforestation by as much as 38%.

GMOs are not bad for the environment. In fact, GMOs can help us protect the environment by reducing our dependence on harmful pesticides and insecticides. They can also help us save money and conserve resources.

Conclusion

Opposition to GMO foods is based on fear and misinformation, not science. However, with more than 2 billion people going hungry every day, we can't afford to be afraid of or ignore GMO foods. They help to increase food production and reduce world hunger. And they are safe to eat - they have been tested extensively. In fact, many GMO crops are actually more nutritious than traditional crops. 

So the next time you hear someone say that GMOs are bad for your health, remember that it's just not true. We should be grateful for the benefits that genetically modified foods provide and work to ensure that everyone has access to them.

• References

  A Meta-Analysis of the Impacts of Genetically Modified Crops. (n.d.-a). Retrieved March 8, 2022, from https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0111629

  A Meta-Analysis of the Impacts of Genetically Modified Crops. (n.d.-b). https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0111629

  Answers, G. M. O. (n.d.). How GMOs Can Help Us Do More With Less. Forbes. Retrieved March 8, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/gmoanswers/2016/06/08/how-gmos-can-help-us-do-more-with-less/

  Arctic Apples: A fresh new take on genetic engineering. (2018, January 15). Science in the News. https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2018/arctic-apples-fresh-new-take-genetic-engineering/

  Corn, I. L. (n.d.). BENEFITS OF GMOS. IL Corn. Retrieved March 8, 2022, from https://www.ilcorn.org/news-and-media/current-news/article/2017/05/benefits-of-gmos

  Crop biotechnology continues to provide higher farmer income and significant environmental benefits. (n.d.). PG Economics. Retrieved March 9, 2022, from https://pgeconomics.co.uk/press+releases/25/Crop+biotechnology+continues+to+provide+higher+farmer+income+and+significant+environmental+benefits

  Food, genetically modified. (n.d.). Retrieved March 8, 2022, from https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/food-genetically-modified

  Full article: Environmental impacts of genetically modified (GM) crop use 1996–2018: Impacts on pesticide use and carbon emissions. (n.d.). Retrieved March 8, 2022, from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21645698.2020.1773198

  Genetically Engineered Crops: Experiences and Prospects | The National Academies Press. (n.d.-a). Retrieved March 8, 2022, from https://www.nap.edu/catalog/23395/genetically-engineered-crops-experiences-and-prospects

  Genetically Engineered Crops: Experiences and Prospects | The National Academies Press. (n.d.-b). https://www.nap.edu/catalog/23395/genetically-engineered-crops-experiences-and-prospects

  Good as Gold: Can Golden Rice and Other Biofortified Crops Prevent Malnutrition? (2015, August 10). Science in the News. https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2015/good-as-gold-can-golden-rice-and-other-biofortified-crops-prevent-malnutrition/

  New study: GMO crops reduce pesticide use, greenhouse gas emissions. (n.d.). Alliance for Science. Retrieved March 8, 2022, from https://allianceforscience.cornell.edu/blog/2020/07/new-study-gmo-crops-reduce-pesticide-use-greenhouse-gas-emissions/

  Nutrition, C. for F. S. and A. (2022a). How GMOs Are Regulated for Food and Plant Safety in the United States. FDA. https://www.fda.gov/food/agricultural-biotechnology/how-gmos-are-regulated-food-and-plant-safety-united-states

  Nutrition, C. for F. S. and A. (2022b). Science and History of GMOs and Other Food Modification Processes. FDA. https://www.fda.gov/food/agricultural-biotechnology/science-and-history-gmos-and-other-food-modification-processes

  South Africa has reaped major benefits from GM maize, study finds. (n.d.). Alliance for Science. Retrieved March 8, 2022, from https://allianceforscience.cornell.edu/blog/2021/06/south-africa-has-reaped-major-benefits-from-gm-maize-study-finds/

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  Why Roundup Ready Crops Have Lost their Allure—Science in the News. (n.d.). Retrieved March 8, 2022, from https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2015/roundup-ready-crops/

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