The Current Issues and The Potential Future of GM Foods - Report Example

THE CURRENT ISSUES AROUND GM THE POTENTIAL FUTURE OF AROUND GENETICALLY MODIFIED (GM) FOODS AND By Students Name Course Professor University State Date Genetically modified foods allude to any sustenance that contains or delivered from organic entities that are hereditary engineered organism. The modification of these organisms is done in a manner that does not happen in a characteristic manner, for example, the presentation of a gene from an alternate organism. Presently, the genetically modified food, mostly, stems from plants, however, in the future development of GM animals have a likelihood of being introduced into the market (Skancke, J. 2009). A Large number of genetically modified crops have been introduced with an aim of improving yield. The genetic modification of crops has remained a controversial aspect since the first introduction of a GMF. These technologies proponents have claimed that bioengineering of these foods is safe. They state that the safety of these type of food is similar to that is happening through the traditional agriculture. It is notable that in the case of selective breeding once two parental plants are crossed with an aim of a desirable trait there is a likelihood of transferring unpleasant characteristics. Therefore, doing away with the traits that are undesirable it takes place in a slow procedure and requires trial and errors through numerous plants breeding generations (Thompson, 2015). The most notable thing about this kind of foods is that are various issues that are arising from them. This application seeks to identify a number of these aspects and focus on the future issues of GMF. Evaluate the current issues around genetically modified (GM) foods The current debate on biotechnology in agriculture has focused mainly on the potential risks that are connected to GMF for human health. Some of these health issues are not yet approved. In order to address the possible issues that surround GMFs currently it is important to point out some of these risks that stems from GMFs. There are no health concerns or cases that have so far been reported, but there increased critics on these kind of foods. Some of the health risk issues surrounding GMFs include aspects such as allergy problems. These are claimed to result from GE soy due to a gene that is inserted into this stuff especially its ability to shrimp proteins. These claims are also based on the fact that the intestinal bacteria can be able to take up these genes and have a continued production of allergic proteins The food safety tests that have been done on this kind of food has been termed as inadequate in ensuring the public safety. All claims presented above on allergies have not yet been proved by a scientist. However, there is no test that has shown the crops are safe as well. This has made the issue of feeding on GMF foods as a way gambling with one's health. The introduction of this type of food was done without any proper mandatory labeling into the human diet. The other issue surrounding GMF is the recent prove by researchers that has shown that gene technology is inherently unsafe. This technology is based on the trait that genes are carriers of single traits. As a result, it was believed that transferring genes would help in transferring traits. The scientist have not their full role in making sure that people are well informed concerning these food products. A consequence has so far been reached all over the world that this is wrong. However, the effects of each gene are determined by the total state in the cell (Skancke, 2009). This means that once they are transferred to a foreign environment their impacts are inevitably unpredictable or rather unforeseen. The most significant conclusion to this consequence is that the current methods used in assessing the GE foods safety is not sufficient. That is it chi not designed for detecting unexpected harmful substances. The GM agriculture has triggered a global public discourse, and the procedures of coming up with strategies and regulations for controlling GM agriculture. This move has been combative and has sparked aggravated conflicts in many countries (Daniel & Goldstein, 2014). In addition, religion issues have also taken up the place in these foods. Incorporating unrelated species to traditional crops makes the GM disturbing to the development of people’s beliefs, values, and religion. The practices are not welcomed by people or the public who have cultural and economic commitments to conventional agriculture. The issue of not being sure about long-term consumption of GM crops and the harm it may cause to the ecosystem their bio-diversity, result into to unintended modification of wild plants and conventional crops, and act as an origin harm to the health of the people and animals that consume genetically modified (GM) crops and derivative food products are some of the issues related to religious concern on GMF (Ruse, & Castle, 2002). The issues of social, economic issues applicable to sustainability are evident in GMF's concurrent GMT’s, in particular, may have both negative and positive impacts on rural and agriculture sustainability indicators. These include natural resource stocks and environmental equity, efficacy, and capital (Ruse, & Castle, 2002). Public attitudes and societal aspects; these are current aspects of emerging bio-sciences, as well as, other novel technologies success. Development of best practice alone in this sector as far as risks and GMF's benefits are concerned will not help in increasing the public confidence on the issues of gene technology. The potential future of GM foods There are numerous systems that have already been developed in many countries with an aim of assisting in the governance of GM agriculture. This system contains differing aspects, and process making, however, each system adopted system operates on the need to prevent acceptable risks that GMF may have on human, and animal health ecosystem and natural resources (Michael & Mathilde, 2014). There are efforts from some other countries to contain the GM agriculture in order to ensure that it does not cause harm to the biodiversity. These efforts are also aimed at making sure that there is no interference that occurs on conventional agriculture activates. Governing of potential GM risks in the future requires numerous significant commercial activates and should also involve environmental quality protection as well as consumer rights. Application of social controls also acts as a governing system for the future risks linked with GMF (Mchughen, 2000). Some of these includes; trade associations, food production, and application of information disclosure. The application of judicial systems to impose liability on companies or individuals when their activities involving GM crops or foods fail to meet prevailing standards of care and cause harm to persons or property are also significant steps towards ensuring that the potential ability of GMFs risk in humans is eliminated. There is a boundless examination that encompasses the use of advanced innovation in agribusiness and specifically to GMF's safety and security. The concerns of hereditary designing lie majorly in zones of social, financial issues, natural impacts, nourishment security, and human health safety. The conventional reproducing routines that hereditary alter creatures and plants have so far came about because of recorded endeavors to human nourishment and sometimes to unintended well-being dangers. There are four safety advantages given in connection to GMF's these are nourishment security improvement, supplement security upgrade; increased focus on medical advantages, for example, vaccination; and lessening of eating routine related, grown-up onset chronic ailments among others (Mchughen, 2000). GMF growing trend in the US The GMO have been developed to survive use of certain herbicides that previously would have destroyed the crop along with the beleaguered weeds, offer farmers with a wide variety of opportunities for effective weed control. According to USDA, the HT soybeans shifted from 17% of US soybean acreage in the year 1997 to 68% in 2001and 94% in 2014. The HT cotton plantings increased from 10% in i1997 to 56% and 91% in 2001 and 2014. The HT cotton adoption has increased up to 89% of US corn acreage in 2014.The adoption of stacked varieties of corn and cotton stands at 79% in 2014 and that of all bio-tech corn accounts for 93% of corn acreage in 2014.These figures are shown in the graph below. Figure 1:A growing trend of Genetically modified foods in percentages since 1996 to 2014 Source: USDA, Economic research service-data from McBride, 2002 Another potential of the GMF's is based on human nutrition and food quality. In rich countries, many people have access to relatively inexpensive safe and healthy food unlike in developing countries where food nutrition and quality traits can only be altered through transgenic ways such as bio-fortification (Mchughen, 2000). Biotechnology in horticulture is aimed at diminishing the expense of agribusiness practice and expands profitability. GMF harvests hold an expanded potential for the production expenses reduction and in the meantime having constructive outcomes on the earth. This makes it reasonable that the effects and results of these harvests are checked experimentally as for nourishment generation and farming proficiency (Wayne, 2010). It is likewise imperative to observe the way that there no microorganisms that are in present use in food although there those that are utilized as a part of the production of food ingredients. The security assessment of this food has the command to put specific mandate on conceivable identification of unintended impacts. Biotechnology overview graph According to Canadian Trends in Biotechnology, the fast pace of discoveries in biotechnology continues to increase with where some sees it as a possible comparable to the information and communication technologies effects. The federal biotechnology expenditure in Canada in 2003-04 increased significantly. The biotechnology revenues have increased from 1997 to 2003.The figure below shows revenue allocation on by sector basis. Figure 2:Percentage growth of Biotechnology in various sectors in the year 2004 Source: Statistics Canada The capability of GM nourishment in the future depends on well-being and risk adverse issues. As indicated by WHO, the security evaluation of this food is done on a case-by-case premise. That is taking in the particular adjustments and contrasting the new food properties with that of a conventional partner. This correlation is taking into account the way that conventional foods are considered safe for consumption, subsequently framing the starting security assessment point (Thomson, 2007). Keeping in mind the end goal to achieve the full capability of GMF's later on, the present plans to changes identification in the organization of GM food products are primarily taking into account measuring a restricted choice of single compounds. Subsequently, they should be changed such that a non- focused on methodology that uses novel quality expression innovations can be utilized. GMO crop growing countries According to ISAAA, the area of land that is devoted to genetically modified crops has increased 100 times since it was first grown by for commercial purposes in 1996. In the past 17 years, a large number of farmers in 28 countries have managed to plant these GMO seeds in 3.7 billion acres of land cumulatively. In addition, the ISAAA chair claims that this makes bio-tech crops the fastest adopted crop technology in recent history. Figure 3:The top genetically modified foods growing areas in the world Source: ISAAA The issue of social and open perspectives has been recognized as present issues encompassing GMF's. In the setting of future capability of this food, three principle alternatives are sustainable use, control and improve the GMF. These are exchange liberalization, bio-safety usage, and licensed innovation security. Furthermore, it is additionally urgent to think of methods for including the individuals from the general population in verbal confrontations that concerns the innovation advancement with a point of enhancing the relationship and discuss science and society. Conclusion The GMF's have been in use for more than 20 years and there are no single human health issues or illness that is so far known to have been caused by this food. This indicates that the safety assessment of the GM crops is well organized and robust as confirmed by the regulatory agencies. These are some of the food that undergoes through assessment and the risks of GM technologies lies within the conventional breeding technologies. Therefore, going on with confidence on GM food are as safe and nutritious as their traditional congeners and may look ahead to supporting food safety assessment across conventional, GM, and other novel breeding applications to attain an increasingly focused and resource-efficient safety appraisal process. This indicates that the with all the system that have been put into place concerned parties and increased research on the GM crops they may have a full potential as far as health risk, religion acceptance, values and believes are concerned. Reference List Daniel A. Goldstein, 2014.Tempest in a Tea Pot: How did the Public Conversation on Genetically Modified Crops Drift so far from the Facts? Vol 10, pp 194–201 Mchughen, A. 2000. Pandora's picnic basket: the potential and hazards of genetically modified foods. Oxford, Oxford University Press. Michael Baram, Mathilde Bourrier, 2014.Governing Risk in GM Agriculture pp 1-12 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511976582 Ruse, M., & Castle, D. 2002. Genetically modified foods: debating biotechnology. Amherst, N.Y., Prometheus Books. Skancke, J. 2009. Genetically modified food. Detroit, Greenhaven Press. Thompson, T. 2015. Genetically modified food. Thomson, J. A. 2007. Seeds for the future: the impact of genetically modified crops on the environment. Ithaca, N.Y., Comstock Publishing Associates. Wayne Parrott, 2010. Genetically modified myths and realities pp 545-550 Read More