The Controversy About Genetically Engineered Food

Paragraph 1: About GMF
Modified and engineered foods are highly debated yet often not clearly understood by the public. It can seem almost impossible to find trustworthy information on GM crops. Studies and scholarly articles can even elicit controversy. Many different terms can be tossed around, which is often confusing to someone not well versed in the vocabulary. We may hear, Genetically Engineered (GE) food or Genetically Modified Food (GMF) and although we may see the terms GM and GE used interchangeably, they are not one in the same. Genetic engineering refers to foods that have had their DNA altered by the insertion of genes from an unrelated species, to introduce new, desirable traits that would not otherwise happen in nature. Genetic
World hunger a global crises, excessive food waste, increased carbon footprints and more. The goal was to address these through a technological solution… Biotechnology. “According to [Bill] Gates, to feed the world now, and into the future, we will need 70 per cent more food … And genetically modified food is going to be a big part of that solution.” (Staley pg. 20). Over the years, scientists have strived to develop solutions to many of these problems. Scientists have been able to produce crops that are herbicide tolerant, to help reduce the amount of chemicals used. Robert Fraley, an executive vice president and chief technology officer that has worked at Monsanto for 30 years, when debating for GMFs he mentioned that one of the first GMO products was insulin and the first ever approved for public food consumption is an enzyme that's used to make cheese. He supported the fact that these biotechnologies were meant for the greater good, perhaps one day developing pesticide reducing, self-fertilizing, high yielding, drought and virus resistant crops to name just a few. Most of which over the last 30 years has still yet to come true. The reality is that it is possible for biotechnologies such as GMFs to reach these goals, but not at the cost of current day’s society becoming a lab rat. A society plagued by a multitude of concerns based on the varying risks associated with
Many of the social concerns can be intensified by misinformation and lack of accountability, which is widespread through the field of biotechnology. “The confusing array of claims, counterclaims, scientific disagreement and misinterpretation of research that is present in the media has led to considerable confusion and suspicion” (Maghari & Ardekani pg. 195). Health and environmental safety continues to remain in the spotlight of the GMF debate with supporters researching to prove its safety critics, to prove it’s harmful. “A handful of scientists even speculate that genetically modified crops… may be partly responsible for the increased incidence of illnesses such as asthma, allergies, AOHD, and gastrointestinal disorders” (Marsa pg. 42). Of course, while there are food & safety concerns, we must not forget the profit and power that comes along with the development of