International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme

Chemistry

ESSAY

Is it safe to consume GM food?

Word count: 1276

Table of contents:

Introduction.......................................................................................................... 2

Is it safe to consume GM food? ……………........................................................ 4

Conclusion........................................................................................................... 7

Bibliography......................................................................................................... 8

Assessment.......................................................................................................... 9

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Introduction
1According to the World Health Organization: "Genetically modified organisms

(GMOs) can be defined as organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been

altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating or natural recombination.”

Plants are modified in the laboratories in order to obtain desired properties such as

improved resistance or increased nutritional value of plants. Traditionally, this was

done through the process of crossing, but usually it takes a lot of time. Genetic

engineering, as a technologically advanced way to select desirable traits in crops, can

create a plant with specific characteristics quickly and accurately. In fact the basic

principle of the production of GMOs is addition of new genetic material into the genome

of certain organism. The technology of the recombinant DNA involves the process

where DNA molecules of different origin are used and combined into one molecule,

thereby creating a new combination of genes. The organism through such DNA

acquires new or modified genes. 2The first genetically modified plant was tomato

produced for the first time in 1994 and was resistant to rotting. Since then mass

production of genetically modified crops had begun, being the most widely spread and

completely legal in the United States, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, China and Japan.

On the other hand the people of Europe are in a large percentage against the

introduction of GM food on the market, so the import of genetically modified crops in

EU countries, followed by strict laws, is mostly banned.

(1) <http://www.who.int/topics/food_genetically_modified/en/> (28 May 2016)

(2) http://gmoinside.org/gmo-timeline-a-history-genetically-modified-foods/
(28 May 2016)

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 Many questions including why the EU is so against GMOs, but the United States

are not, lead to number of world debates over safety of consummation of genetically

modified food. While proposition lists many reasons for growing and consuming GM

food, many scientists believe that genetically modified crops just lead to the

deterioration of a series of ecosystems, as well as endangering human health and life.

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Is it safe to consume GM food?

Although scientists modified edible plants and animals with the help of

cultivation and breeding for centuries, modern biotechnology allows different genetic

improvements of living creatures, by changing them directly, which leads to a much

faster results. In fact for a classic selection of varieties and hybrids it takes at least 10

years, but with genetic modification that time is considerably shortened. Corporations

engaged in the production of genetically modified food have a strong lobby that

emphasizes the idea that GM food is going to be a solution for huge problems around

the world such as world hunger and unfair distribution of the food.

Furthermore, the benefits of using GMOs are usually referred to increasing the

quality and yield of crops, improving general quality of food products (such as longer

life and better resistance during transportation), as well as better resistance to crop

diseases, insects and weeds. Genetically modified crops can produce variations that

are more resistant to pests and diseases, thus reducing deficits and dependence on

pesticides. For example, the gene that gives the wild plant resistance to fungal infection

can be inserted into an edible plant that does not have this protection. Such crops are

less vulnerable to attacks of number of diseases. Considering ecological aspect,

reduction of pesticide usage, by growing transgenic plants, that are engineered to be

more resistant to pesticides or produce pesticides themselves, is preventing severe

ecological damages.

GM technology is additionally used to achieve the improvement of plant

tolerance to low temperatures or drought, as well as higher utilization of degraded land

by growing better adapted crops. Crops can be modified to grow faster in order to be

processed and collected in areas that have a shorter period of favorable climate for

growth. This may increase the amount of crops in new areas or even allow two harvests

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in areas that currently allow only one harvest annually. So, by increasing the crop

yields, biotechnology companies, not only promote efficient land use, but quality of

livelihoods of farmers around the world.

Plants and animals can be altered to produce higher amounts of essential

vitamins and minerals, such as iron, in order to solve the problems of a healthy diet in

some parts of the world. Modification could also include changes in the amount of

proteins, carbohydrates, and saturated and unsaturated fats containing, which could

lead to the production of food designed specifically for a healthy diet intended to all

consumers. For example, tropical species, such as bananas, are genetically modified,

in order to produce proteins that can be used as vaccines against hepatitis, dysentery,

cholera, diarrhea and some stomach infections that are characteristic for developing

countries.

Image 1 and image 2: Genetically modified food (1)(2)

(1) <http://www.care2.com/greenliving/label-genetically-modified-foods.html >

(28 May 2016)
(2) <http://livinggreenmag.com/2012/11/20/green-business/keep-your-government-
hands-off-my-genetically-modified-food-whats-next-after-prop-37/ > (28 May 2016)

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 On the other hand, there are doubts on the non-expected, adverse health

effects, environmental pollution and commercial exploitation, caused by production of

genetically modified food. Some of the effects of genetically modified foods on human

health can be unexpected. If the food contains something which is not present in the

human diet, it is difficult to say what effects that product would have on human health

state over time, causing even long-term causes that could not be yet determined.

There is also a danger that some parts of the plants that we have considered as

edible become extremely toxic due to the accumulation of new metabolites in them. In

fact the circulation of matter in nature cannot be controlled, so it is questionable, which

diseases could mutate into animals consuming GM foods, having indirectly

consequences on humans. Additionally, considering ecological aspect, the genes that

make crops toxic to harmful insects can also kill the other, beneficial insects, and thus

continues to affect the food chain. All this can lead to reducing diversity and even

extinction of number of species, seriously endangering life in ecosystems.

As an example, according to studies on rats it have been shown that rats that

ate GM potatoes suffered damaged immune system. Their white blood cells responded

much more slowly than the white blood cells of rats who ate non-GM food, which makes

them more vulnerable to infection and disease. Additionally, after ten days the rats

were observed serious health disorders. Some of these changes were present and

after one hundred and ten days, which is the time corresponding to the period of ten

years of human life.

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Conclusion

Genetically modified organisms are the product of bioengineering where the

purpose of improving quality and resistance involve changing of genetic structure of

plants and animals. Biotechnology, as a young science, offered humanity the possibility

of genetic engineering and cloning. Since this is a relatively new branch of science,

there wasn't enough time to determine all the consequences of its effects on the human

health and life.

The problem of GMOs is becoming a key topic of social discussions considering

various aspects: moral, ethical, religious, scientific. On the one side there are the

supporters who point out the arguments for consumption of GMOs, with the most

common reason of justifying the reduction of hunger in the world or solving the problem

of resistance in plants, and on the other side are those who warn of the possibly

negative consequences for human health and in general on the environment.

Personally, I think that the current knowledge about GM foods is insufficient in

that manner that we cannot responsibly say that food grown in such way will not

adversely affect the environment and human health. On the other hand, (3) the fact is

that half of the total amount of soybeans and a third of the total quantity of maize is

transgenic, so we can conclude that genetically modified food is all around us.

However, the time and future generations will show what consequences genetically

modified food has, not only on humans, but on entire world.

(3)

<http://www.gmocompass.org/eng/grocery_shopping/crops/19.genetically_modified_
soybean.html> (28 May 2016)

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Bibliorgaphy

WWW pages

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Assessment

Level of
Criterion Teacher's comments
achievement

Final mark: ____________________________

Teacher's signature: _____________________

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