Pros
1. Increase Food Supply
- GM crops improve harvests. In 1996, the amount of acres of crops planted was 4.3 million, as of 200, it is up to 109 million acres of GM crops. Since these crops are resistant to bugs, cold weather, drought, disease, etc., the crops are able to live longer and be grown fully to be harvested.
2. Help Underfed Nations
- Since there is an increase in food supply, underfed nations are able to get these new and improved seeds that can withstand their conditions, they can harvest crops and feed the nation.
- "I am particularly alarmed by those who seek to deny small-scale farmers of the Third World -- and especially those in sub-Saharan Africa -- access to the improved seeds, fertilizers and crop protection chemicals that have allowed the affluent nations the luxury of plentiful and inexpensive foodstuffs ... While the affluent nations can certainly afford to pay more for food produced by the so-called organic methods, the one billion chronically undernourished people of the low-income, food-deficit nations cannot." -- Dr. Norman Borlaug, Nobel-Prize-winning agriculturalist and father of the Green Revolution
3. Assist Farmers
- Farmers can skip steps in farming such as spraying herbicides and pesticides because the crops are already resistant
4. More Nutritious Foods
- Some GMO foods have been engineered to be more nutritious in terns of mineral and vitamin content. They can be altered to change the amount of protein, carbohydrates and saturated/unsaturated fats to make the food healthier.
5. Improved Stress Tolerance
- Genes that give greater tolerance of stress, such as drought or low temperatures can be interested into different crops and can extend their range and open new areas for food production
6. Not Everything Natural is Healthy
- GMO's may not be natural is good for us. Take mushrooms for example, mushrooms are natural but many of them are poisonous and we don't eat them. Washing food such as fruit before eating it is not natural but it is healthier for us.
- GM crops improve harvests. In 1996, the amount of acres of crops planted was 4.3 million, as of 200, it is up to 109 million acres of GM crops. Since these crops are resistant to bugs, cold weather, drought, disease, etc., the crops are able to live longer and be grown fully to be harvested.
2. Help Underfed Nations
- Since there is an increase in food supply, underfed nations are able to get these new and improved seeds that can withstand their conditions, they can harvest crops and feed the nation.
- "I am particularly alarmed by those who seek to deny small-scale farmers of the Third World -- and especially those in sub-Saharan Africa -- access to the improved seeds, fertilizers and crop protection chemicals that have allowed the affluent nations the luxury of plentiful and inexpensive foodstuffs ... While the affluent nations can certainly afford to pay more for food produced by the so-called organic methods, the one billion chronically undernourished people of the low-income, food-deficit nations cannot." -- Dr. Norman Borlaug, Nobel-Prize-winning agriculturalist and father of the Green Revolution
3. Assist Farmers
- Farmers can skip steps in farming such as spraying herbicides and pesticides because the crops are already resistant
4. More Nutritious Foods
- Some GMO foods have been engineered to be more nutritious in terns of mineral and vitamin content. They can be altered to change the amount of protein, carbohydrates and saturated/unsaturated fats to make the food healthier.
5. Improved Stress Tolerance
- Genes that give greater tolerance of stress, such as drought or low temperatures can be interested into different crops and can extend their range and open new areas for food production
6. Not Everything Natural is Healthy
- GMO's may not be natural is good for us. Take mushrooms for example, mushrooms are natural but many of them are poisonous and we don't eat them. Washing food such as fruit before eating it is not natural but it is healthier for us.
Cons
1. Not Enough Test of GMOs
- Many people think that the issue with GMOs is that they have no been tested. This is not accurate. Not only have we been eating GMO foods for the past fifteen years, there have been tests done. It is required by law that all foods sold are safe and meet the federal safety standards. Biotech firms make sure every GM food crop was thoroughly tested for possible health effects and did in-depth analysis before selling them.
2. Allergic Reactions
- Genetic modification often mixes or adds proteins that weren't apart of the original part. Though that is a concert many people have, it is again inaccurate. Scientists check the chemistry of each protein genetically modified against 500 different known allergens. When scientists realized a gene from Brazil nuts they were going to put into soybeans would sicken people with peanut allergies, they immediately stopped the experiments and production of the GM product.
3. Gene Transfer
- Brown University fears that herbicide-resistant genes from commercial crops may cross into the wild weed population. If all these plants are becoming resistant, a super weed and super bugs can be created and become stronger and harder to kill.
4. Problems with Labeling
- It is not a requirement by all countries to label whether or not the foods have been genetically modified. The United States doesn't require this. This is a valid concern, and as citizens of the United States, we do have a right to know what we are eating. Even though there are no labels on the food, there is the internet; Google what foods have been genetically modified. The Department of Agriculture, EPA, and FDA have all made comments about GM foods and the products genetically modified.
- Many people think that the issue with GMOs is that they have no been tested. This is not accurate. Not only have we been eating GMO foods for the past fifteen years, there have been tests done. It is required by law that all foods sold are safe and meet the federal safety standards. Biotech firms make sure every GM food crop was thoroughly tested for possible health effects and did in-depth analysis before selling them.
2. Allergic Reactions
- Genetic modification often mixes or adds proteins that weren't apart of the original part. Though that is a concert many people have, it is again inaccurate. Scientists check the chemistry of each protein genetically modified against 500 different known allergens. When scientists realized a gene from Brazil nuts they were going to put into soybeans would sicken people with peanut allergies, they immediately stopped the experiments and production of the GM product.
3. Gene Transfer
- Brown University fears that herbicide-resistant genes from commercial crops may cross into the wild weed population. If all these plants are becoming resistant, a super weed and super bugs can be created and become stronger and harder to kill.
4. Problems with Labeling
- It is not a requirement by all countries to label whether or not the foods have been genetically modified. The United States doesn't require this. This is a valid concern, and as citizens of the United States, we do have a right to know what we are eating. Even though there are no labels on the food, there is the internet; Google what foods have been genetically modified. The Department of Agriculture, EPA, and FDA have all made comments about GM foods and the products genetically modified.