Currently, there is no sufficient evidence to prove that GM foods are safe. Most scientists believe that there is no hazard associated with them. However, people are still concerned with the consumption of GMOs. One of the issues raised was the introduction of new genes that could have unwanted and unpredictable consequences on the desirable genes present in plants (Brody, 2018). People believe that these new genes when ingested, can alter their body functions in the worst ways. They assume that GM foods can foster unwanted alterations in the nutritional content, allergens, and toxic substances that can destroy internal organs (Brody, 2018). As a result, people are concerned about developing allergies or cancer. There is no conclusive scientific data to ascertain that GMOs are harmful to human health. In recent studies, scientists have fed GM soybean, rice, wheat, and maize to rats, monkeys, broiler chickens, and pigs and noted no significant health impact (Tsatsakis et al., 2017). Although the physical and psychological reactions do not directly relate to human beings, scientists have not found any concrete proof that shows that GM foods are a health hazard. Although there is no sufficient evidence to point out the health effects of GM foods, scientists have not provided any proof concerning the extent of their safety. As a result, the European Union (EU) ruled that the production of GMOs should be regulated based on safety concerns for human and animal health (Christiansen, Andersen, & Kappel, 2019). The EU has specified that GMOs can be sold as feed only if the manufacturing companies have listed the ingredients so that the consumers are aware of the substances that they are ingesting. GM food is considered illegal if the amounts of GMO products exceed 0.9% (Christiansen, Andersen, & Kappel, 2019). The premise is that such food is unnatural and could affect the health of a human being. Scientists are concerned that the overproduction of GM foods may affect the biosystem. Among the environmental concerns include gene flow and transfer, the evolution of pesticide-resisting pests, and the destruction of soil structure by microbes (Trivedi, Singh, Shukla, & Tiwari, 2016). If large-scale commercialization of GM crops is encouraged, then there will be contamination of the gene pool. Insect-resistant crops may also emerge as a result of using GM pesticides. I believe that concerns about health are not justified. For years humans have been ingesting GM foods, and so far, there is no proof of their impact on health. Instead, people should learn more about GMOs. However, ecological concerns should be addressed to avoid interfering with the natural biosystem.
References
Brody, J.E. (2018 April 23). Are GMO foods safe? The New York Times . Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/23/well/eat/are-gmo-foods-safe.html
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Christiansen, A. T., Andersen, M. M., & Kappel, K. (2019). Are current EU policies on GMOs justified? Transgenic Research , 28 (2), 267-286.doi:10.1007/s11248-019-00120-x
Trivedi, M., Singh, R., Shukla, M., & Tiwari, R. K. (2016). GMO and Food Security. Ecofriendly Pest Management for Food Security , 703–726. doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-803265-7.00023-3
Tsatsakis, A. M., Nawaz, M. A., Tutelyan, V. A., Golokhvast, K. S., Kalantzi, O. I., Chung, D. H., Chung, G., et al. (2017). Impact on environment, ecosystem, diversity, and health from culturing and using GMOs as feed and food. Food and Chemical Toxicology , 107 , 108-121.doi:10.1016/j.fct.2017.06.033
