Genetically modified foods threaten the natural
balance of nature existent in the world today. While it does seem
to provide us with a number of benefits, the risks to our health,
the environment, and international relations are far too serious
for us to ignore.
Believe it or not, our daily life is already
filled with all kinds of genetically modified foods. Some of the
largest genetically modified products produced are corn (20% of
the nation's corn production), cotton (up to 60% of cotton produced
within some states is genetically modified), and soybeans. But
the list doesn't stop there. Many of these products, such as corn
and soybeans are used in a number of processed foods including
soft drinks, beer, cereal, canola oil, and tofu. And while companies
who produce products such as these assure the consumers that they
are "all natural," the companies themselves are even
not always aware whether or not the foods used to create their
products are genetically modified. "Since soy and corn are
managed as commodity ingredients in the United States, it is possible
that traditional and genetically modified products could become
commingled during harvest, storage, and processing"(Longman,
Phillip. "The curse of Frankenfood." US News &
World Report. 26 Jul. 1999). How scary is this?! While it
is required today that foods containing gm products to be marked,
they can't even be marked if the producers are not sure what kinds
of products are hiding within their food.
There are also a number of health risks to
consuming genetically modified foods. These foods could upset
the natural balance of chemicals within our body. If familiar
foods are suddenly altered, and create new biochemical compounds,
the new products could ultimately contain chemicals which are
toxic to our health, or change the previously constant levels
of chemical concentration within our bodies. GM foods have not
even been available long enough or in large enough quantities
to enable researchers to study the long-term effects of their
products. "I can assure you that no one in the medical profession
would attempt to perform experiments on human subjects without
their consent. Such conduct is illegal and unethical"("Should
We Grow GM Crops?" Harvest of Fear. PBS. 11 May 2001. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/harvest/exist/arguments.html>).
So, the thought of already placing these products on the market
today without substantial testing and research is absolutely absurd.
Added genes into foods also pose a health risk to those
allergic to certain foods. For example, someone who is allergic
to peanuts consumes a food which (although he/she may know is
altered, but not with which genes), contains a gene from a peanut;
ultimately may end up in the hospital or even dead, as a result
of an allergic reaction to a product which he/she was not even
aware they were consuming. Another unknown about the health impact
of these altered foods is that by consuming foods which contain
antibiotic-resistant genes, bacteria in our stomach could also
pick up these genes, in turn becoming resistant to antibiotic
treatment. This is another worrisome factor which could contribute
to the already daily worry of the spread of an untreatable disease.
If the producers of these foods are so wrapped up in creating
products which are resistant to disease so that their food can
be mass-produced in poorer conditions, they should put their money,
time, and effort towards improving the conditions in which their
food is grown, not the food for the consumers.
The environment will also be largely impacted
by the existence of these new foods. Just as much as our health
and lives as humans could be altered, so could those of innocent
wildlife. In May 1999, Cornell University researchers studied
the effects on monarch butterfly caterpillars when they were exposed
to pollen from a widely-used gm type of corn. When the caterpillars
finally developed, they either developed either abnormally or
died. And this is just the beginning. This was a study on only
one species; one can only imagine the impact that these foods
could have on millions more.
The production of genetically engineered crops
also seriously threatens international trade relations. The citizens
across the world, especially throughout Europe, are strong supporters
of a ban on gm food. British
newspapers have even gone to the extent as to publish advice columns
on how to avoid these products, and protesters frequently vandalize
the crops where these are grown. Feelings like these indicate
the widespread resistance to such altered products. "Buyers
from Japan to Europe and Egypt have told U.S. exporters that their
consumers will not accept genetically modified wheat because of
general fears about possible harm to the environment and human
health from engineered crops." (Kaufman, Marc. "Gene-Altered
Wheat Stirring Global Fears." San Francisco Chronicle.
12 Mar. 2001. B4.) Our trade partners are strongly against these
new products, and their resistance "is the single greatest
trade threat that we face" (Longman, Phillip. "The curse
of Frankenfood." US News & World Report. 26 Jul.
1999). The U.S. agriculture industry is worth about $50 billion,
so losing that portion of our nation's export income (about 7%)
would create a huge dent in the pocketbooks of agricultural leaders
and producers. There have been international meetings between
the leaders of the different countries to discuss how this issue
will be handled. So far, aside from some increased investigation
into the safety of these gm products, there has not yet been a
ban on the production of gm food or a ban on the import of these
goods. Either way, no country can afford to lose such a large
portion of their export (and also import) industry. We need to
keep in mind the high economic risk that we're taking with implementing
this controversial technology into our lifestyle.
Another effect of this technology lies within the integrity of our ethical choices. Do we, as a global society, have such a need to succeed in technology that we lose sight of the big picture? Should we really "further our reliance on vast monocultures?"("Should We Grow GM Crops?" Harvest of Fear. PBS. 11 May 2001. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/harvest/exist/arguments.html>). Aside from the many health, environmental and economical risks, what right do we have to play God in this situation? Just as (many believe) that it is unnatural for us to genetically create our children, it is unnatural for us to genetically alter what nature has been creating and consuming for billions of years. We have no right to disrupt that natural cycle of evolution.
What will our future be? Hopefully we won't become victim to artificial goods and nutrition in order to spare ourselves from the dangers of genetically modified food. These foods need further study into the effects on various aspects of life, but even then investigations of these foods by the Environmental Protection Agency can only last so long. This "frankenfood" has many more risks than benefits and we need to not accept it into our mainstream culture. Today, this is "technology in search of a need" (Abate, Tom. "Cute, Cuddly....Controversial. Ethical, safety issues arise as scientists try to bioengineer better food animals." San Francisco Chronicle. 18 Feb. 2001. C1.) and it is aimed towards our health, environment, and economies. Stop the invasion of these foods before it's too late.
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Spring 2001 GM test sites- a grid of some UK farms and the gm foods they're currently testing. List of foods-what foods currently contain gmos? How you can avoid them. |
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True Food Network-an organization dedicated to warning the public against the risks of gm foods. gefoodalert.org- take action! - express your ideas against gm food. |
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Harvest Of Fear- view the script of a Nova-Frontline special on gm foods. "The curse of Frankenfood"-a USNews and World Report about the local and global controversy of gm food. Genetic Engineering of our Food-a website discussing the risks of gm food, and providing helpful links to other anti-gm food information sources. Greenpeace -"Say No to GM Food" stickers! |
