What Issues Are There with Genetically Modified Food - Assignment Example

PART A: LITERATURE SEARCH Divyadharsini, V (2014) Genetically Modified Foods -A Review. Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology, Vol. 7(3): 392-395 Art4..Lievens, A, Petrillo, M, Querci, M and Patak, A (2015) Genetically Modified Animals: Options and Issues for Traceability and Enforcement. Trends in Food Science & Technology. Vol. 44: 159-176 Johnson, S (2014). Genetically Modified Food: A Golden Opportunity? Sustainable Development Law & Policy , Vol. 14 (1): 69-70 Maghari , B and Ardekani, A (2011) Genetically Modified Foods and Social Concerns. Avicenna Journal of Medical Biotechnology, Vol. 3 (3): 109-117 Nodoushani, O, Sintay, J and Stewart, C (2015) Genetically Engineered Food and Genetically Modified Organisms. CF, Vol. 13 (1): 136-141 Royal Netherlands Society for Agricultural Science (2014) . Genetically Modified Crops and Sustainable Agriculture: A Proposed Way Forward in the Societal Debate. Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences, Vol. 70–71: 95–98 Valgenti, R (2011) Biopolitics and the False Debate over Genetically Modified Organisms. Appetite, Vol. 56 (2): 547 Wohlers, A (2010) Regulating Genetically Modified Food. Politics and the Life Sciences, Vol. 29 (2): 17-39 Wohlers A (2013) Labeling of Genetically Modified Food: Closer to Reality in the United States? Politics and the Life Sciences, Vol. 32 (1): 73-82 Zhang, W and Shi, F (2011) Do Genetically Modified Crops Affect Animal Reproduction? A Review of the Ongoing Debate. Animal, Vol. 5 (7): 1048–1059 PARTB: ESSAY TOPIC What issues are there with Genetically Modified (GM) food? A. Introduction a) The discovery of biotechnology marked the beginning of intentional and direct alteration of living organisms’ genetic material. With further advances in genetic engineering over time, there has been a lot of debate about the benefits and risks of this kind of food, especially as it relates to agricultural products and global nutrition (Art7Wohlers 2010). b) There have generally been advancements in medicine and lengthening of the average number of years that people live, making it necessary to stabilize food production and availability further. Currently birth rates are far above death rates. In order to feed the fast-growing population, there should be a more reliable system of food production, therefore GM food (Divyadharsini 2014). c) GM food has always been a source of controversy. Those who support it believe that it is totally safe, and is comparable to the processes that have taken place in the development of traditional agriculture throughout the thousands of years in which it has been practiced. Both supporters and opponents however agree that whenever selective breeding is conducted, there is always the possibility that unpleasant characteristics will be transferred too (Maghari & Ardekani 2011). B. Thesis Statement Although Genetically Modified food seems to be a technological aspect which is likely to eventually become a norm, its possible adoption has raised considerable issues relating to its economic, social, ethical and environmental implications. I. Economic Issues The economic injustice of GM food patents. Patent enforcement might lead to farmers across the world having to rely on giant engineering corporations to get the necessary crop strains. Patenting of could lead to the raising of seed prices, which will in turn make it difficult or impossible for small farmers or even entire third world countries to buy seeds, therefore making the rich-poor gap even wider. Everyone is likely to end up depending on the few supplier corporations, and this might prove disastrous for poor farmers in developing nations who are already unable to spend their scarce financial resources on commercial seeds every year (RNSAS 2014). The sustainability of GM food production is not assured. This is because they might require more powerful pesticides that will need to be genetically modified, leading to an unnatural cycle, hence possibly ‘super-weeds’ or ‘super-pests’. These could threaten the traditional food crops and interfere with the chemical composition of the soil (Johnson 2014). II. Social Issues GM food might lead to loss of cultural heritage for poorer nations. The institutions which bring in such crops from different corners of the world for research end up placing patents on the plant strains developed, and the processes involved. In so doing, institutions in developed countries have taken exclusive ownership rights over plants which are part of the common heritages of developing world communities. Even locals are left subject to possible prosecutions for infringement in case what they do contravenes legal guidelines, yet the crops are their own (RNSAS 2014). GM food leads to a violation of nature and its processes. There are some people who highly respect nature, and this respect is almost religious. Many of them believe that nature has its way of always trying to maintain its own balance, and this is made difficult when human beings unnecessary keep interfering with natural processes. They are therefore against GM food because it forces certain qualities upon animals and plants, and this is likely to destabilize nature, with the final outcome being the planet becoming inhabitable (Nodoushani et al. 2015). III. Ethical Issues a) The controversy around GM food is guided by a shared human philosophical basis. The issues raised in the debate indicate a clear disagreement about the life-securing and protective responsibilities and functions of research, governance and economic institutions. The reason why the issues end up being a two-sided debate is because both the groups that support it and those who oppose it share a basic philosophical supposition; that human beings should be the ones to regulate biotechnology through appropriate structures (Valgenti 2011). b) Use of GM food implies a greater respect of human life and well-being. Crop and food losses due to insects and pests are causing much devastation of farmers and starvation of populations in poor countries. Usually, farmers are forced to use a lot of chemicals in their farms, yet consumers are not necessarily happy to eat excessively treated food, because it poses health hazards. Run-off from the agricultural waste also ends up causing the poisoning of water supplies and harming the entire environment as a result. GM farming might help to eliminate such chemical use (RNSAS 2014). c) There is dishonesty in labeling of GM foods. Many critics believe that regulations which guide the production and sale of GM foods do not protect consumers well enough. . This is because they often do not force manufacturers to label their products as being GM. The regulatory authorities and manufacturing companies on the other hand always insist that GM food is same as traditional food, therefore does not need to have special labels. This is in turn countered by the argument that labelling would be a good way of at least allowing buyers of such food items to be better informed on their food, just the way for instance they get to know about organic food (Wohlers 2013). d) Domination of the world by a few corporations is generally unethical. There is always the fear that its development might lead to one of a few biotech companies dominating the world through patenting, which by then will be the building blocks of food crop and livestock life (RNSAS 2014). IV. Environmental Issues i. The process of GM food production interferes with vegetation. GM food poses risks to the eaters because of its toxins and allergens. Genetic engineering processes are not totally precise, and have been shown to cause a lot of disruption of genomes, leading to unplanned effects, such as creating new toxins or adjustment of nutrient value (Nodoushani et al. 2015). ii. GM food promotes the creation of allergens. There is the possibility that introduction of a gene into a plant could result in the creation of a new allergen or lead to allergic reactions within susceptible groups of people in the population. As a result, there is the fear that introduction of foreign genes into food crops might result in negative effects on human health (Divyadharsini 2014). iii. GM food interferes with the soil and its properties. There is the possible effects on unintended soil microorganisms that usually have a useful role in day to day bio-geographical cycles and crop residue degradation. GM food crops also deplete soil microorganisms that enhance soil fertility and determine other organisms’ micro-environments (RNSAS 2014). C. Conclusion Supporters of GM food production believe that it is capable of helping to reduce pesticide use, strengthen economies through agriculture and help to fight hunger in poor nations. However, others have resisted it, arguing that GM food might cross its biological boundaries and harm human beings and the environment in general. There are also the sociological externalities of the food, especially its ability to commodify human life and worsen the inequality which exists between rich and poor nations. Overall, this paper has discussed the various dimensions of issues that tend to arise in the debate on whether Genetically Modified food is good or bad for the well-being of humanity. Reference List Divyadharsini, V (2014) Genetically Modified Foods -A Review. Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology, Vol. 7(3): 392-395 Johnson, S (2014). Genetically Modified Food: A Golden Opportunity? Sustainable Development Law & Policy , Vol. 14 (1): 69-70 .Maghari , B and Ardekani, A (2011) Genetically Modified Foods and Social Concerns. Avicenna Journal of Medical Biotechnology, Vol. 3 (3): 109-117 Nodoushani, O, Sintay, J and Stewart, C (2015) Genetically Engineered Food and Genetically Modified Organisms. CF, Vol. 13 (1): 136-141 Royal Netherlands Society for Agricultural Science (2014) . Genetically Modified Crops and Sustainable Agriculture: A Proposed Way Forward in the Societal Debate. Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences, Vol. 70–71: 95–98 Valgenti, R (2011) Biopolitics and the False Debate over Genetically Modified Organisms. Appetite, Vol. 56 (2): 547 Wohlers, A (2010) Regulating Genetically Modified Food. Politics and the Life Sciences, Vol. 29 (2): 17-39 Wohlers A (2013) Labeling of Genetically Modified Food: Closer to Reality in the United States? Politics and the Life Sciences, Vol. 32 (1): 73-82 Read More