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Cameron Bryant

Professor Blouch

ENG 1201

27 March 2020

GMO’s Get a Bad Wrap

It is a hot day in a poor town in China. Hundreds of thousands of kids are hungry and have

nearly nothing to eat. Nearly all of these starving kids don’t get enough Vitamin A and that

Vitamin A deficiency leads to almost 1 million deaths a year worldwide. This was until a

superfood called “Golden Rice” was introduced into these areas. This food would be the basis for

a sea change in public health among the world’s poorest people. Low-income farmers would be

able to grow this plant for cheap. And the plant was indefinitely sustainable since these farmers

could save seeds from previous harvest and then use them without buying any new ones. All was

looking well to really reduce the deaths from starvation and deficiency from Vitamin A. There was

just one thing that the government didn’t like about this plant: it was a Genetically Modified

Organism (GMO). Genetically modified organisms are plants or microorganisms that are altered in

a way that doesn’t naturally occur by scientists. People look down on these very innovative

organisms because there are some unknowns about them. Eventually, this GMO that would’ve

saved nearly 1 million lives from starving and being unhealthy was banned by governments around

the world. Therefore, the trend that kids and adults are dying from lack of nutrition keeps on and

the superfood hasn’t even been used since. Even if the GMO’s played a negative factor in the

environment, is it worth letting hundreds of thousands of people die? That’s when the debate

begins. While GMOs can hurt the environment through the use of pesticides, GMOs are not as bad

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as the press depicts them out to be because they help add nutritional value to food, they haven't

been proven to be unhealthy and dangerous to human health, and they help increase plant yield.

Over time, the topic of food production and food nutrition has had many advancements.

Agriculture has always been a huge factor in food production for as long as human civilization has

been around. As the human population has grown throughout decades, the amount of food needed

grew as well. All while this is happening, human society is expanding into areas that were

previously used as farm land. It was becoming necessary to find new ways to increase the crop

yield per acre. This is when GMOs were introduced in 1994, this process helped increase the

supply of food and helped increase how fast plants grow (Illinois Corn Growers Association). As

time went along, GMOs helped increase the amount of money farmers were making due to the

increased crop yield. These genetically modified organisms became a powerhouse in the food

production industry today. GMOs are now responsible for 92 percent of U.S. corn, 94 percent of

soybeans and cotton, and nearly 75 percent of processed foods on supermarket shelves contain

genetically engineered ingredients (Center for Food Safety). As soon as GMOs were introduced

the amount in which they were used kept growing and growing. They helped farmers make a lot of

money while growing a sufficient amount of food for such a fastly growing population. Overall,

these organisms have done wonders on problems that didn’t seem to be fixable just decades ago.

Firstly, a reason that GMOs are not as bad the press makes them out to be is for the fact that

they help add nutritional value to food. In today’s world it is essential that foods have a necessary

nutrient value. Countries that don’t have an ample amount of food supply have a very difficult time

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producing food that is nutritious enough to fulfill their health needs. This is because they don’t get

to have multiple meals everyday, so it makes it that much more important that the meals they have

are very nutritious. Up to “800 million people are suffering from hunger in the world” while nearly

“2 billion suffer from some type of important nutritional deficiency” (Cornell Alliance For

Science). This goes to show that hunger and malnutrition is one of the most important issues in the

world and that it needs to be addressed. There aren’t many solutions to such a problem as this one.

But one way is to make the foods that can be accessed to people who suffer from starvation, have a

higher nutrient value. There have been many examples of crops that have increased the amount of

nutrients that are produced in them through the use of genetically engineering them. For example,

African corn that was modified by researchers from a Spanish University was proven to have “169

times more beta-carotene and six times more Vitamin C than normal corn” (Cornell Alliance For

Science). This would’ve never been possible without the use of genetically modified organisms.

They create remarkable amounts of nutrients that are unmatched by nearly any other source. The

exponentially larger amount of beta-carotene produced in the genetically engineered corn helps

battle malnutrition in African countries.

Firstly, developing countries need these higher nutrient levels more because they tend to

have higher rates of poverty and starvation. The good thing is that since these countries are

developing a lot of the time, they have a lack of structure in their government and/or laws.

Therefore, it’s easier for these genetically modified organisms to be used. Which overall has a huge

effect on the quality of food produced in the places that need the higher quality food the most. On

the other hand, developed countries have a harder time getting these GMOs to be allowed due to

the more restrictive laws and more controlled/powerful governments. These governments should

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re-evaluate these laws that make genetically engineered organisms because the pros outweigh the

negatives heavily. It can completely reconstruct the food industry in a way where foods are easily

accessible and cheap.

Nextly, another reason why GMOs are not as bad as people make them out to be because

they haven’t actually been proven to be dangerous human health. According to The National

Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, “there are no differences that implicate a

higher risk to human health from genetically engineered foods than from their non-genetically

engineered counterparts”(NASEAM). Those who oppose the use of GMOs falsely believe and

inform people that they are dangerous for human health. But that has been proven to be wrong by

very credible scientists at a national academy. This all goes to show how there really are not many

reasons to be against the use of genetically modified organisms. Yet, the press along with social

media lead people to believe that GMOs have numerons cons and negatives.

Not only does a non-bias group such as The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering

and Medicine share their viewpoint about how GMOs don’t affect human health any differently

than non-genetically modified organisms. But a group that is heavily against the use of GMOs

called The Non-Gmo Project states that the safety of GMOs are unknown. Even a group that is

completely against GMOs says that there is no evidence to prove that they affect human health in a

negative way. Although this group is biased and it goes against what the non-bias group stated

from their research, it goes to show that at this point there really should be no reason not to

consume these genetically engineered organisms.

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` Thirdly, the last reason why GMOs aren’t as bad as people make them out to be is because

they helped increase plant yields all around the world. When the U.S. population was rising and

there became less and less arable space for farm land, it became crucial for our nation to be able to

increase crop yields. This led to the introduction of genetically engineered organisms because they

were a solution that led to a direct increase in crop yield. Overall, “GMOs have helped feed more

than 300 million and a global population of 7 billion - of which 1 in 8 suffer malnutrition and

hunger” (Illinois Corn Growers Association). With the increased crop yields that come with

genetically modified crops, it helps eliminate hunger little by little. People should be all in for

helping cure one of the biggest problems in the world we live in today. It’s evident that without the

use of GMOs there would be countless lives lost to hunger and malnutrition. Another plus about

the increase in crop yields is that it helps the developing countries the most. According to the

Biotechnology Innovation Organization, “The highest yield gains were obtained by farmers in

developing countries” (Biotechnology Innovation Organization). This is a very positive thing

because these smaller developing countries most likely are the main sources of hunger and

malnutrition. So the more crops they have the more lives that are potentially saved. It’s remarkable

to see such a high increase in these areas because they are the countries that are very resource poor

and have small plots of land to grow on. It’s a lifesaver for thousands of people.

Not only have GMOs helped the world in a very significant way in the past, but they are

going to be crucial in the years to come as well. The population of the world keeps growing and

growing every year so that means that we need to produce even more food than what we have in

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the past. By 2050, the global population is expected to rise to 9 billion. That means we need more

food, but how much? According to the ICGA,“Experts predict we will need 70 percent more

agricultural production to keep pace”(Illinois Corn Growers Association). If things go as expected

then there is only one possible way that the human race can come close to these demands and that’s

through the use of GMOs. They sure have done wonders in the past so that’s evidence enough that

they can probably pull through and fill the higher demands that will come in the future. It becomes

very evident that restrictions on GMOs in today’s society will have to be lifted in the future. The

only solution for the very rapid increase that’s expected to come is limited in today’s society. That

doesn’t seem to make much sense and therefore people should utilize Earth’s soil to the best of

their ability now. So it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if these regulations would be lifted or

reduced in the near future.

Even with all of the positives that come with the use of GMOs, some still think that they

shouldn’t be used because of the harm that it does to the environment. When using genetically

modified organisms, there is an increase in the use of herbicides that are toxic to the environment

(Green America). During the process, crops are engineered to help resist the effects of pesticides

and to do so people spray chemicals on the crops that have a negative impact on the environment.

But, with all of the lives saved from GMOs it seems to be worth the effect it plays on the

environment. Nearly every single person in the world has been affected in a positive way by

GMOs. They help improve the quality of foods in all countries. Then, another reason why people

can be against the use of GMOs is because there isn’t a lot of “clarification about what they are,

what they do, why have there been some concerns and how those concerns are

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managed”(Gunther). However, the belief that humans don’t know much about GMOs health

effects is a thing of the past. With new technology and time passing there have been numerous

sources that have run tests and experiments to prove that non-GMO and GMO crops have the

same health risks. According to Kevin Mooney, an advocate against the Non-GMO project, there

is “ample scientific evidence [that] exists to dispute the anti-GMO position that GMOs have

negative health effects and are not safe for human consumption” (Mooney). Kevin Mooney, a

proven scientist, along with numerous other sources have more than enough evidence that refutes

beliefs of the past. People who support the non-GMO movement are stuck in the past and don’t

keep up with the incredible technology available today.

Look at the graph shown below, this graph shows how people are manipulated by the press

into believing that GMOs have very negative effects. According to NM Incite, “59 percent of

people have a negative thought about GMOs”(NM Incite). Evidently from the graph, the media

tends to leave out all of the positives of GMOs such as the rise of nutritional values in foods, the

rise in crop yields, and how they help reduce hunger and malnutrition. People just don’t know the

whole story when it comes to GMOs.

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In a world covered with problems, there are millions of people that suffer from

malnutrition. The crops grown in their hometowns just don’t fulfill the nutrition needed for a

human's diet. Those who suffer from malnutrition most likely have one or two small meals a day.

So, it makes it that much more crucial that the food they eat is very nutritious and has all of the

vitamins needed for survival. But with the use of genetically modified crops in these poverty

stricken areas, it makes it possible for whole communities to go to bed on a full stomach. The

amount of food that is able to be grown in these areas increases dramatically with the use of

GMOs. Also, it has the possibility to increase vitamin levels in foods by more than 10 times the

normal levels. This does wonders for communities all around the world. Just imagine children

going to bed with smiles on their face knowing they won’t have to suffer anymore. Rather than in

the past, they were stuck wide awake waiting for their only meal for the day. That only would be

able to happen through the use of genetically modified organisms and crops.

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Works Cited

Center For Food Safety. 2020, www.centerforfoodsafety.org/issues/311/ge-foods/about-ge-foods.

Accessed 29 Mar. 2020.

Corteva Agriculture. 2020, www.corteva.com/resources/blog/blog-articles/are-gmos-harmful.html.

Accessed 29 Mar. 2020.

Few Resources. www.fewresources.org/gmos--biotechnology.html. Accessed 5 Apr.

2020.

Green America. 2017, www.greenamerica.org/gmo-inside. Accessed 1 Mar. 2020.

"How have GMOs improved crops?" Illinois Corn Growers Association,

www.ilcorn.org/news-and-media/current-news/article/2017/05/benefits-of-gmos. Accessed

23 Mar. 2020.

Kennedy, Caitlin, editor. "GM Crops Help Ensure Global Food Security through Higher Crop

Yields." Biotechnology Innovation Organization,

archive.bio.org/press-release/gm-crops-help-ensure-global-food-security-through-higher-cro

p-yields. Accessed 29 Mar. 2020.

"The Many Strands of the Debates over GMOs." Few Resources, 2011,

www.fewresources.org/gmos--biotechnology.html. Accessed 29 Mar. 2020.

Mooney, Kevin. "The Non-GMO Project Must Be Resisted Citation." Gale in Context, Sinclair,

2019,

go-gale-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=Viewpoints&resultListType=RESU

LT_LIST&searchResultsType=MultiTab&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition

=1&docId=GALE%7CJFIIPB630222005&docType=Viewpoint+essay&sort=Relevance&

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contentSegment=ZXAY-MOD1&prodId=OVIC&contentSet=GALE%7CJFIIPB6302220

05&searchId=R1&userGroupName=dayt30401&inPS=true. Accessed 1 Mar. 2020.

Editorial.

"Non-GMO Project." Non-GMO Project, 2016, www.nongmoproject.org/. Accessed 1 Mar. 2020.

Norero, Daniel. "Unfairly demonized GMO crops can help fight malnutrition." Cornell Alliance

for Science, 20 june 2018,

allianceforscience.cornell.edu/blog/2018/06/unfairly-demonized-gmo-crops-can-help-fight-

malnutrition/. Accessed 29 Mar. 2020.

"Program Aims to Demystify GMOs." Jacksonville Journal-Courier (Jacksonville, IL), 18 Feb.

2019. Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

link-gale-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/A574643094/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC

&xid=e07f0551. Accessed 1 Mar. 2020.

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