Gmo - We Have the Right to Know

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However, may be our “demonizing” of GM foods is pointless. As it was recently stated by the president of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences “Genetically-modified food represents a step forward in evolution.” Scientists believe that these miraculously rich in nutrients foods “are going to feed the poor and hungry”. The World Health Organization is stating that each year 250,000 to 500,000 children from developing countries become blind because of the vitamin A deficiency (6). The Golden Rice, genetically modified product enriched in beta-Carotene doesn’t only boost the immune system but helps prevent blindness. It was designed by Swiss scientists in 1998 in order to help those in need. It is the process that cannot be stopped, a new step to new technologies.

My point is not to ban the development of this new wave of science. On the contrary, our nation understands the necessity to find new ways to feed the poor and find innovative alternatives of food supply. Taking the first step into solving this global problem would be the requirement for labeling all genetically modified products. Not only consumers will be able to make their choices whether to support genetically modified products or not, also this will raise public awareness about the side effects of consuming these products. Of course, for people concerned about the harm genetically modified products could cause the only way out would be buying organic products. At this point there is another question to be cleared. Pollen from the genetically altered crops is impugning the authenticity of organic crops. Are there any pure organic crops left out there?! Nevertheless, the demand for organic food has increasingly raised over the last few years. My conclusion is that the society wants to eat healthy and doesn’t trust GMOs.

Our society has the right to know and make the choice. A good example would be a smoking person who buys a pack of cigarettes with a warning label on it. Each smoker realizes the harm he causes to his body because the negative effects of nicotine are a well-known fact. People do understand that but the choice is theirs. After all, why not give people the possibility to choose between GMO and organic products? Public awareness of GM foods is exceedingly low and opinions are diverse. At least we should be aware of the negative effects and consequences. Proper labeling is another concern that has to be solved. Only three states have passed the law of GMO labelling. Among them are Connecticut, Maine and Vermont while 64, including European Union, Russia, Japan, China and Australia label genetically modified foods (7). Doesn’t that put you on thoughts?! Our people have the right to know!

One of the recent studies shows that modern Americans are much more concerned about the nutritional content of their food. People have shifted towards healthier choices, simpler ingredients and transparency in nutrition and packaging (8). Besides this, big retail companies understand that and have moved to a new level of healthier products by removing artificial ingredients, introducing healthier choices, even giving more retail shelf space for healthier foods. Therefore, it seems that most of Americans want to be healthy, but at the same time, they are still accepting genetically modified products by trusting the Food and Drug Administration blindly.

In order to solve this issue it is essential to point out what do we understand by the notion of sustainable agriculture and ecologically clean products. To my mind, products that we have on our tables should first of all be safe. An old saying states, “You are what you eat”, which is quite right. Second, agriculture should be harmless for our environment. It also should be done in a way to maintain our soils fertile and our crops diverse as well as minimize the usage of fuel and energy. Last but not the least it is crucial it to be economically profitable for farmers to lower the level of poverty in developing countries.

During the course of the whole existence people have always tried to make lives easier. Everything started with the domestication of animals, and then gradually humankind has adopted the agricultural technics. Nowadays the progress doesn’t stop and day by day we are moving forward to new technologies. Genetically modified crops have raised many ethical dilemmas. They are a promising land holding to increase the nutritional value of food and overall agricultural output. Unfortunately, very little is known about the negative effects and their impact on our environment, animals and, of course, humans. Consumers should be well-informed and not held in darkness by powerful corporations and government officials, after all the general public’s interest is their primary goal. I think the choice has to be made by the humankind as a whole since this may affect greatly our future. Surely, each person can come to his personal conclusion and make his own choice whether to consume GM food or not, nevertheless, the final verdict is on each of us as a whole.

References

1. Monsanto Glossary.

http://www.monsanto.com/newsviews/pages/glossary.aspx >.

2. Entine, Jon. “The Debate About GMO Safety Is Over, Thanks To A New Trillion-Meal Study”. September 17, 2014. Forbes.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonentine/2014/09/17/the-debate-about-gmo- safety-is-over-thanks-to-a-new-trillion-meal-study/monsanto.com/>.

3. International Service for Acquisition of Agro-Biotech Applications “Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2010”.

http://isaaa.org/resources/publications/briefs/42/executivesummary/default.asp>

4. Domingo L., Jose. “Health Risks of GM Foods: Many Opinions but Few Data”. June 9, 2000. Science.

5. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2015). AquAdvantage Salmon.

6. Popoff, Mischa. “Organics Versus GMO: Why the Debate?” November 6, 2013. News. Heartland.

http://news.heartland.org/editorial/2013/11/06/organics-versus-gmo-why-debate>.

7. Robin, Marie-Monique. “The World According to Monsanto: Pollution, Corruption, and the Control of Our Food Supply.” New Press. 2010.

8. Kleinschmit, Matt “How food brands are trying to win back the health-conscious shopper”. June 12, 2015.