Genetically Modified Foods: Cure or Curse - Essay Example

Genetically Modified Foods: Cure or Curse? Scientists can modify the genetic make-up of foods by altering their DNA composition which, among other assets, make crops resistant to pests and allow fish and farm animals to grow larger and more rapidly. However, because this method of food production is so new the long term effects are not yet known. Some have an issue with the public being unknowingly subjected to a mass scientific experiment because GM foods are not being identified in the marketplace while a growing number of these new “frankenfoods” are appearing on store shelves in addition to the produce, meat and fish sections.

Hunger is a cruel fate suffered by many people every day. These desperate people would be glad to eat GM foods and would not ask any questions as to their origins. Seems it would be unthinkable not to allow science to alleviate this growing problem. By 2050 the Earth’s population is estimated to reach nine billion. Necessary life substances such as water, energy, farmable lands and food supplies are already stretched to the limit and beyond. GM foods can be grown on less land using less water which is important because the rising ocean levels are causing salt water to mix with fresh water upriver and this phenomenon is just at the beginning stages.

“Just look at the problems that the world faces: water shortages and salination of existing water supplies, for example. GM crops should be able to deal with that.” . GM crops are pest resistant. That one virtue alone would save 33 percent of crops using existing farming methods. One example of the anti-pest technology in GM foods can be demonstrated with the E-beta-farnesene chemical which has been genetically engineered into a particular strain of wheat. This is the same chemical that aphids emit when they feel threatened which signals other plant destroying aphids to go elsewhere plus attracts aphid eating wasps and birds.

These pests cause millions in crop damage annually. Unfortunately, this strain of GM wheat has yet to be deployed outside the laboratory due to the anti-GM protesters but this faction is lessening as time passes. The need to grow crops more efficiently is becoming more apparent and the public is increasingly accepting the benefits of GM foods. The protests of GM foods delay what is inevitable if we are to tackle the food shortage problem. We have the technology but not the universal will to implement this helpful tool of science to its full measure.

Changes in population and climate is making this a pressing issue that is presently affecting a billion starving people today and certainly many more in the near future if science is not allowed to take full advantage of the technology it possesses. “It is unimaginable that in the next 10 to 20 years there will not be a worsening of that problem unless we take action now, and we have to include the widest possible range of solutions.” (McKie, 2012). On the other hand it would be wise to consider the legitimate concerns voiced by the opponents to GM foods particularly the call to label GM foods accordingly.

As the general public shops at the grocery store they assume the produce they purchase was made the old fashioned way, by