GMO foods are something of a controversial subject in the perception of the American public. Many assume they inherently harmful though scientists insist that they are perfectly fit for human consumption. One example might be the new Arctic Granny Smith apple which has had certain genes silenced and thus won't go brown once its inside has been exposed to air. Many critics argue that GMO foods cannot be tested by the companies that made them, they must be tested by an independent Food and Drug Administration group. These waves of criticism are only the most recent in a long spanning conflict between food developers and consumers. So are GMOs safe for consumption? Well, a variety of factors could play a role in this. For example, GMO foods with genes spliced into them is a relatively new field, especially the mass marketing of such foods. Therefore it is troublesome to label such products as “entirely safe” without extensive or time taking studies. There is also the matter as discussed previously of who will conduct such studies. Many assume that companies performing their own studies are far more likely to skew results in their favor or mislead people entirely if it helps their products to sell. While this can be true, it is important not to disregard every piece of information that is discovered just because it came out of a commercially owned research laboratory.
Another major concern for farmers of GMO crops is that if they become the majority food type in the world, that they will encourage the evolution of so-called “super weeds”, or harmful pests that may become highly resistant even to the changes in the GMO plant’s DNA made to kill them and thus will be almost twice as effective against standard crops. Furthermore, the popularization of the GMO has led to many crops having only one species. For example, the common banana is the same species almost everywhere around the world because of this type of growing. Therefore, if a disease or pest for the crop is created, it only needs to be able to infect on plant, and it can infect them all, effectively wiping out global crops. Finally, many are worried that original cultures, such as the thousands of types of corn or potatoes found around the world may be lost and never grown again because of the GMO. GMO crops will simply outpace them in their bid for survival, with the old crops not being able to catch up.
Even in the face of endless possibilities, it is still wise to exercise caution in proceeding. However efficient or however many problems people claim that they will solve, like any major breakthrough, GMOs have their pros and their cons, both of which need to be analyzed carefully until a proper decision can be made taking into account all the people that will be effected, which in theist modern world, could be in the billions. GMOs are just one of the many possibly dangerous yet promising technologies that our future has yet to show.
Another major concern for farmers of GMO crops is that if they become the majority food type in the world, that they will encourage the evolution of so-called “super weeds”, or harmful pests that may become highly resistant even to the changes in the GMO plant’s DNA made to kill them and thus will be almost twice as effective against standard crops. Furthermore, the popularization of the GMO has led to many crops having only one species. For example, the common banana is the same species almost everywhere around the world because of this type of growing. Therefore, if a disease or pest for the crop is created, it only needs to be able to infect on plant, and it can infect them all, effectively wiping out global crops. Finally, many are worried that original cultures, such as the thousands of types of corn or potatoes found around the world may be lost and never grown again because of the GMO. GMO crops will simply outpace them in their bid for survival, with the old crops not being able to catch up.
Even in the face of endless possibilities, it is still wise to exercise caution in proceeding. However efficient or however many problems people claim that they will solve, like any major breakthrough, GMOs have their pros and their cons, both of which need to be analyzed carefully until a proper decision can be made taking into account all the people that will be effected, which in theist modern world, could be in the billions. GMOs are just one of the many possibly dangerous yet promising technologies that our future has yet to show.