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There is an ongoing debate on either Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) should be

avoided or not. GMOs are organisms whose genetic material has been altered in laboratory using

genetic engineering. Some people think that GMOs are safe and beneficial for humankind.

However, a fair amount of people is on the other side who thinks that GMOs is harmful for both

humans and nature. This debate is because some people thinks that hindering the naturally

available food can cause damage to mother nature also mankind. As every coin has two sides this

discussion on usage of GMOs also has two sides. It is said that GMOs lowers the production cost

for farmers as well as consumers as they have higher yielding capacity and can grow through

harsh condition (Raman, 2020). Whereas, GMOs can sometime trigger allergies in unpredictable

ways (Wax, 2018) however, the safety of GMOs needs to be assessed on case by case basis thus,

no general statement on its safety can be passed. (Frequently asked questions on genetically

modified foods, 2014)

The claims about GMOs being harmful to human health are based on assumptions rather

than real data. There is no proper evidence that proves that, GMOs food have higher risk to

human health than non-modified plants or organisms. GMOs are mostly tastier and healthier than

then the regular non-modified food. The selling margins of GMOs are generally high, and they

are more profitable for farmers as they have low production and labor cost so, GMOs uses less

amount of fertilizer as well as less pesticides thus, ultimately it is beneficial for the environment.

Farmers heath can also be improved by cultivating GMOs as less use of fertilizer reduces their

exposure to insecticides (Rene M. Z., 2017). According to World Health Organization (WHO)

all the currently available GMOs in the market have passed the safety assessment test and the

human health will most likely not be affected from it (World Health Organization, 2014). GMOs

can be designed to achieve desired traits in plants and animals so, they are the future of the
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modern technology. Genetically engineered food has more shelf life thus there is less fear of

food getting spoiled easily and can be shipped to very remote areas (Center for Food Safety,

2020). It is an immense task to provide adequate supply of food to this large huge growing

population of world and GMOs can help in certain ways as these plants grow faster and more

efficiently than the non-modified ones (Van Acker, 2017). It is just a myth that GMOs increases

the price of certain food items whereas, in reality the GMOs actually contribute to reduce the

price of certain food items as the price difference between the GMOs and non-GMOs is high

because the GMOs are more efficient to grow and has less production cost so, ultimately GMOs

are helping to keep the prices low (GMO Myths Vs. GMO Facts | GMO Answers, 2016).

GMOs food can be used to control certain diseases by genetically modifying the

properties that causes certain allergies and eliminating them. It can be grown at certain places

where the climate is unfavorable for certain plants. According to research on an average the

GMOs have reduced the use of chemical fertilizer by 37%, increased yielding of crop by 22%

and increased the farmers profit by 67% (Klumper & Qaim, 2014). The genetically modified

variety of soyabean, maize and cotton produce 20%, 7% and 15% higher yield than their non-

modified variety (Acker, Rahman, 2017). Studies has shown that a new GM potato can reduce

fungicide use by 90% this could lead to healthier version of potato (Lynas, 2018).

Golden rice is genetically modified rice which are enriched with vitamin-A that can help reduce

malnutrition (Raman, 2020). Golden rice is an example of bio-fortified genetically modified

crop. Vitamin A deficiency is related to blindness and it affects around 250,000 to 500,000

children per year and is very widespread in regions of Asia and Africa (Mayer, 2019).

In 2019 Canada became the first country to sell unlabeled transgenic animal that can be

consumed by humans (Pollon, 2019). In 2018 Canada was the 4th country to have largest land
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area occupied for genetically modified crops worldwide (Genetically modified crops: producing

countries worldwide 2018 | Statista, 2018).

Certain amount of people says that GMOs negatively affects human health and are not

safe for humans as they can cause some allergies. There are many claims that also states that

GMOs can trigger cancer causing genes in human body. Till date there are no sustainable

evidence that claims that the GMOs that are currently available in our food supply that increases

food allergy or, have any significant effect on our gastrointestinal track (Scientists Say GMO

Foods Are Safe, Public Skepticism Remains, 2016). The claims about GMOs being harmful to

human health are all just myths or certain assumptions that lack any strong evidence to prove

their point.

The Opposing view states that: GMOs can cause cancer as their DNA is genetically modified

and cancer is generally caused due to DNA mutation (Raman, 2020). All these claims that joins

GMOs with causes of cancer lacks reliable evidence.

Rebuttal: The World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, the National

Academy of Sciences, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science have all

agree that current evidence suggests that foods containing genetically engineered ingredients are

safe (American Cancer Society Editorial Team, 2020). In Canada, the Health Canada inspects

any new GMOs before they are approved to for sale in stores. Also, once they are released and

available in market the Canadian Food Inspection Agency monitors the food for safety reasons

(Canadian Cancer Society, 2020).

From all the above sources and research, it can be said that Genetically

modified organism is safe for humans to eat. Rather than believing claims that does not have

sustainable evidence we should encourage of use of GMOs. They are both beneficial for health
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and environment. Also, they taste more better than the non-modified foods. They are also very

beneficial to the farmers as their production cost is less and the profit margins are high. WHO

believes that, In the future genetic modification could be aimed at altering the nutrient content of

food, reducing its allergenic potential or improving the efficiency of food production systems

(World Health Organization, 2020). As the research and development on GMOs would proceed

further it would increase the trust of people in this modern technology. Thus, more research

should be encouraged in making new kinds of GMOs that has more beneficial properties rather

than just neglecting this great invention of science.

References

Acker, R., Rahman, M., & Cici, Z. (2017, October). Pros and Cons of GMO Crop Farming.

ENVIROMENTAL SCIENCE.

https://oxfordre.com/environmentalscience/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199389414.001.0001/acr

efore-9780199389414-e-217#acrefore-9780199389414-e-217-bibItem-0080

Common Questions About Diet, Activity, and Cancer Risk. (2020, June 9). American Cancer

Society https://www.cancer.org/healthy/eat-healthy-get-active/acs-guidelines-nutrition-physical-

activity-cancer-prevention/common-questions.html

Frequently asked questions on genetically modified foods. (2014, May). World Health

Organization https://www.who.int/foodsafety/areas_work/food-technology/faq-genetically-

modified-food/en/

Genetically modified crops: producing countries worldwide 2018 | Statista. (2018)

https://www.statista.com/statistics/271897/leading-countries-by-acreage-of-genetically-

modified-crops/

Haspel, T. (2016, May). Scientists Say GMO Foods Are Safe, Public Skepticism Remains.

National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/food/the-

plate/2016/05/17/scientists-say-gmo-foods-are-safe-public-skepticism-remains/#close

Klumper & Qaim, M. (2014). A Meta-Analysis of the Impacts of Genetically Modified Crops.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0111629

Mayer, J. (2019). The Golden Rice Project. Goldenrice.Org. http://www.goldenrice.org/

Raman, R. (2020, July). GMOs: Pros and Cons, Backed by Evidence. Healthline.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/gmo-pros-and-cons

The Healthline Editorial Team. (2018, August). GMO vs Non-GMO: 5 Questions Answered.

Healthline https://www.healthline.com/health/head-to-head-gmo-debate#1

Wax, E. (2018, July 14). Genetically engineered foods. Medline Plus.

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002432.htm