David Retherford

Are GMOs Safe and Beneficial to World Health?

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are a highly controversial topic around the

world. While the first GMO crop came to market in 1992, the history of GMOs can be traced

back thousands of years to our first ancestors (Biotechnology and Foods). The practice of

selective breeding laid the foundation for our current biotechnology (Biotechnology and Foods).

Selective breeding was used to increase and promote desired traits in animals and plants. The

modern GMO consists of using science to modify the gene of organism. These genes are

modified, usually by adding a different gene to enhance the organism. Scientists, Herbert Boyer

and Stanley Cohen successfully created the first genetically engineered organism in 1973 (Cohen

et al 1973). While GMOs can pertain to pharmaceuticals or even animals, the main controversy

pertains to their usage with plants in our food supply.

Those in favor of GMOs believe they are safe and beneficial to world health. There is an

abundance of evidence to support the claim that GMOs are safe. Proponents believe that GMOs

help provide a larger abundance of food, a healthier environment, and healthier food. Those who

are against GMOs believe that they are harmful and do not benefit world health. Opponents

believe that GMOs do not have long-term evidence to verify their safety, and that current

regulation is not sufficient for safety.

GMOs are Safe and Beneficial to World Health

GMOs are Safe

GMOs undergo significant testing to insure their safety. In the United States before a

GMO can be released on to the market, it must be approved by the FDA. The FDA examines

data supplied from the GE developer to ensure that it matches the safety of the non-GMO plant
(Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition). Over the course of GMO development, many

institutions have tested their safety. The Scientific Research Institute of Nutrition found no harm

from the consumption of GMO. For ten years these scientists in Russia performed over twelve

studies using rats (Panchin & Tuzhikov 2017). Not one study showed any evidence of harm. The

Research Directorate of the European Union looked at eighty-one different studies over a fifteen-

year period (Paarlberg 2010). The European Union funded studies found that there were no new

risks to human health from GMOs (Paarlberg 2010). In 2002, the French Academy of Medicine

concluded that there had been no health effects from consuming GMOs over several years

(Paarlberg 2010).

GMOs Provide More Food

GMOs provide more food for an ever-growing global population. It is estimated that by

the year 2050, our food supply will need to have increased by seventy-percent (Aldemita and

Hautea 2018). Biotechnology has allowed for the creation of organisms that have led to higher

yields. After reviewing almost one hundred-fifty studies, it has been shown that GM soybeans,

cotton, and maize have received yield increases of twenty-two percent (Roberts 2016). Herbicide

resistant crops are an example of how biotechnology has revolutionized our current agriculture

practices. Herbicide resistance crops allow for the spraying of herbicide onto a field to kill

weeds. This has been a large help in improving farmers’ crop yields. The FLAVR SAVR

Tomato that came to market in 1994 is another example of how biotechnology is affecting our

food supply (Biotechnology and Foods). The FLAVR SAVR Tomato had increased shelf life.

While it is no longer grown for economical reasons, more fruits are currently being developed to

have longer shelf lives.

 GMOs are particularly beneficial to developing countries. Of the twenty-six countries

that grew GMOs in 2016, nineteen of them were developing countries (Aldemita and Hautea

2018). Yield increases for a developing country are approximately fourteen percent higher than

in industrialized countries (Roberts 2016). In the African-Sahara, maize is a primary crop. The

introduction of drought-resistant maize is allowing for both increase food supply and economic

benefits for the region (Paarlberg 2010). Food hunger is still a prominent issue in many

developing countries. GMOs are a large help in combatting not only food supply shortages in

developing countries, but the entire world.

GMOs Provide Healthier Foods

The adoption of biotechnology has led to many new developments in the food industry.

In 2000, the GMO “golden rice” was created. Its purpose was to reduce vitamin A deficiency

with increases levels of beta-carotene (Siegel). Bruise-free potatoes have been developed to help

reduce cancer causing chemicals when spuds become french-fries (Siegel). Currently, biotech

companies are working to develop meat enhanced with omega-3 fatty acids (Siegel). These

developments are all leading to healthier foods for our population.

GMOs Contribute to a Healthier Environment

Not only do GMOs affect our health through our food, they also contribute to a healthier

environment. Herbicide tolerant and insect resistance GMOs have significantly reduced the need

for pesticide spraying by 618.7 million kg (Brookes & Barfoot 2017). Consequently, this had led

to a decrease in fuel consumption for pesticide application. From 1996 to 2015, this decrease in

fuel was equivalent to removing 11.65 million cars from the road over the course of a year

(Brooks & Barfoot 2017). Due to less tillage of the soil to cultivate weeds, larger amounts of
carbon is remaining in the soil. This has led to a significant decrease in greenhouse gas emissions

as well. In 2015, an estimated 23,900 million kg of carbon dioxide has been estimated to have

remained in the soil (Brookes & Barfoot 2017).

GMOs are Harmful to World Health

GMOs Lack Long-term Data

Due to current GMOs still being relatively knew technology, there is not any long-term

data to support their safety. While GMOs have been proven to be safe for animals short-term,

this does not translate to long-term safety for humans. It is also not feasible or ethical to test

GMO safety on humans. The British Medical Association stated that “many unanswered

questions remain,” and “safety concerns cannot, as yet, be dismissed completely on the basis of

information currently available,” (Hilbeck et al 2015).

Current GMO Regulations are Flawed

While intuitions such as the FDA have the final approval of whether a GMO comes to the

market, it is ultimately up to the developer to insure safety. In the case of the United States, the

developer is responsible for supplying data to the FDA (Center for Food Safety and Applied

Nutrition). This could and is likely led to biased data.

There are three major cases where an unsafe and unapproved GMO was released into

circulation in the United States which spread to many other countries. The first instance is the

Starlink corn discovered in 2000. Starlink corn was approved only for animal consumption and

not human consumption due to possible allergic reactions to added proteins (Clapp 2008). It was

found that this corn hybrid had been circulated and contaminated the supply of more than five

countries (Clapp 2008). The next major case was Syngenta’s Bt10 maize. Bt10 maize had an
antibiotic resistant marker gene that kept it from being approved (Clapp 2008). The circulation of

Bt10 maize was discovered at the end of 2004. The official amount of countries that it was

spread to is unknown. The last major case was Bayer’s Liberty Link Rice 601. Rice 601 was not

approved due to its tolerance to the Liberty chemical (Clapp 2008). In 2006, Rice 601 was

discovered in many markets in North America, Europe, and Asia.

The unapproved release of these three crops show that even though there is extensive

testing and regulations for GMOs, it is not enough to protect consumers. These three companies

illegally released their product into the market despite not being approved. It is likely that there

are more unapproved GMOs circulating global markets that are not safe. Until a safer means of

regulation and monitoring is adopted, GMO safety is not guaranteed.

Conclusion

Those in favor of GMOs believe that the nutritional, productive, and environmental

benefits outweigh the potential risks. GMOs help fight against our ever-growing need for

increased food supply for our growing population along with providing added health benefits.

GMOs also have an increasing large effect on benefitting the environment and fight against

green house gases. Those who are against GMOs believe that current safety protocols along with

long-term uncertainty is reasonable evidence enough to abstain from their usage until they can be

proven safe in their entirety. I believe that GMOs should be embraced as they are regarded as

safe and provide many health benefits to our world. While they are risks associated with GMOs,

I believe that they only will continue to get safer as modern technology improves. I believe that

while GMOs are still relatively new technology, if there are significant health issues, they would

have showed up in the thirty years or so that we have been consuming them now. GMOs are safe

and beneficial to global health.

 References

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Brookes, Graham & Barfoot, Peter. (2017) Environmental impacts of genetically modified (GM)

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