Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs): What they are and what people think about them

Introduction

It seems as if everybody has been talking about GMO foods for the past few years. This topic has been featured on many news stories, social media, and dinner table conversations around the globe. There is definitely no shortage of opinions on this controversial topic. Because the subject of genetically modified food is so contentious and newsworthy.

Why We Need Genetically Modified Foods

According to Pamela Ronald, Professor at the University of California, «By the turn of the century, the number of people on Earth is expected to increase from the current 6.7 billion to 10 billion. Because the amount of land and water is limited. Even though it remains true to this day that hybrids are in a sense «artificial»- they are not found in native ecosystems- hybrids are now widely grown and are popular with farmers (conventional and organic) that can afford them. In fact, today everything we eat is genetically altered in one way or another because genetically improved crops carry traits (yield, flavor, nutrition, pest resistance) that farmers and consumers demand. Given that reality, it makes sense to plant those crops and employ those farming practices that advance the economic, social and environmental goals of sustainable agriculture» [3].

For several thousand years, farmers have been altering the genetic makeup of the crops they grow. Human selection for features such as faster growth, larger seeds or sweeter fruits has dramatically changed domesticated plant species compared to their wild relatives. Remarkably, many of our modern crops were developed by people who lacked an understanding of the scientific basis of plant breeding [1].

What are GMOs?

A genetically Modified Organism is simply an organism, like any other organisms, which produces tens of thousands of proteins, but one or two of them are proteins that were chosen specifically by humans. Genetic engineering is necessary for the continued success of the human’s experiment here on planet Earth. A lot of scientists say that The foods of the genetic engineering will help us to face the significant challenges of world with more and more people and a climate that is less and less stable but some experts think that genetic engineering is a tool that can be used for good or for evil, thus, it must be studied even more.

One difficulty is that the concept of the natural is vague and ambiguous. For instance, is the human use of fire «natural»? Maybe, maybe not. Is it «natural» for people to wear clothes? This means that people can pick and choose what they wish to praise as «natural» or condemn as «unnatural».

There are many natural things that are not good, and plenty of unnatural things that are not bad. Poisonous plants and animals are as natural as any other living things, yet who would recommend eating them?

Foods with bioengineered ingredients are safe, but shrouding them in secrecy breeds doubt and fear. Clear, informative labeling is a first step toward transparency that can build trust and educate consumers. But trust has to go both ways: Biotechnology companies and food producers must trust consumers to educate themselves and make informed decisions [2].

For many years, farmers across the world have genetically modified crop plants to improve their characteristics such as, their taste, size, colour and their resistance to diseases. This ensures farmers produce the best yields of crops GM crops are produced by selecting specific genes from different species of crops to make the ultimate produce.

Health Risks Associated with GM Food Consumption

Many scientific data indicate that animals fed by GM crops have been harmed or even died. Rats exposed to transgenic potatoes or soya had abnormal young sperm; cows, goats, buffalo, pigs and other livestock grazing on Bt-maize, GM cottonseed and certain biotech corn showed complications including early deliveries, abortions, infertility and also many died. However, this is a controversial subject as studies conducted by company producing the biotech crops did not show any negative effects of GM crops on mice

Irina Vladimirovna Ermakova is a neuroscientist at Russian Academy of Sciences Her main activity is campaigning against GM crops. To bolster her cause, she conducted a shabby feeding trial on some rats. Influence of genetically modified soya on the rat pups. However, Infant mortality in the control group of rats was very high, suggesting that the rats were treated poorly or had inadequate diets. No useful data can be extracted from feeding trials botched in this way.

Ermakova used two uncharacterized fractions of soy. In other words, what she fed to the rats might have been two different varieties or mixtures of varieties with completely different nutrient content.

A comment published in Nature Biotechnology highlights has many errors which render her results useless. Ermakova said earlier that she is not sure about the results, yet she publicized this experiment, drawing extremely far-reaching conclusions from it.

A methodologically-sound and more thorough study of the same thing found that there are no significant differences between rats fed GM and non-GM soy. Thus, people who know a lot about genetically modified foods are inclined to agree with the scientific consensus that such foods are safe to eat.

Furthermore, the study showed some people still make what researchers call «illusionary correlations», such as «genetically modified foods can cause autism».

Perhaps, science communication should address people's perceptions about illusionary correlations versus their knowledge of global warming and genetically modified foods, said Brandon McFadden, a UF/IFAS assistant professor of food and resource economics and author of the study. Merely providing people with information is insufficient to change behavior, McFadden said. Genetically modified foods are defined by the World Health Organization as foods derived from organisms whose genetic material has been modified in a way that does not occur naturally, for example, through the introduction of a gene from a different organism. Most genetically modified crops have been modified to be resistant to plant diseases or to increase tolerance of herbicides, according to the WHO website

In a study published in November, 9 in the online journal Plos one, McFadden surveyed 955 people online to measure their actual and perceived knowledge about genetically modified food. He asked many people trying to find out participants' knowledge about genetically modified food, he asked «true/false» questions such as: «Ordinary tomatoes do not contain genes while genetically modified tomatoes do». Only 31.9 percent said that was true. [7]

Russian Public Opinion Research Center (WCIOM) presents survey data on what consequences, according to Russians, the use of genetically modified products can lead to. The majority of Russians (82 %) believe that products with GMOs can harm our health. Two thirds of survey participants (67 %) believe that such food can cause cancer. More than half of those surveyed (59 %) fear infertility and even mutations as a result of eating genetically modified food. One third of respondents (38 %) think that GMO can help us to solve the problem of hunger on Earth and the other (38 %) absolutely disagree. Most respondents 83 % of Russians expressed their support of banning GMO in Russia, because they think such products are unnatural and can harm our health [8].

Conclusion.

Taking everything into consideration, Genetically-modified foods have the potential to solve many of the world's hunger and malnutrition problems, and to help protect and preserve the environment by increasing yield and reducing reliance upon chemical pesticides and herbicides. There are many challenges ahead for governments, especially in the areas of regulation, international policy and food labeling. Particularly worrisome is the inclination of poor countries to accept this technology without caution owing to encouragement and coercion from rich and powerful corporations. This is where there is a dire need for a balancing act. But the requisite laws must be in place before there is any use of this technology. There is a growing argument that genetic engineering is the inevitable wave of the future and that it would not be wise to ignore a technology that has such enormous potential benefits. That this is the case has been exhibited by the acceptance of this technology in various countries of the world for certain technical advantages. However, some people still belief that such food is very dangerous for our health and it should be banned. In my opinion, people are afraid of GMO’s because they don’t know enough about it. What GMO’s is and how it can help in the future. To prevent such misunderstandings scientists should show people that GMO’s are safe and there is nothing to afraid of.

References:

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