Genetically modified foods started being commercially sold in 1994, but the development and research of them started about 30 years ago. The process to create these foods is called genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is the modification of an organism’s phenotype by manipulating its genetic material. This process can be done multiple ways, but the most popular way and the way that most genetically modified foods are made is by a process of recombination. Recombination “is simply a sophisticated version of a cut-and-paste operation. Once the desired gene is identified in the native organism’s genome, it can be cut out, transferred to the target plant, and pasted into its genome” (“Genetically Modified Foods” 2013). This process is used to produce certain characteristics that is plant doesn’t naturally have, by taking the characteristics from another plant. This can be used to enhance the crops resistance to herbicides and/ or allow it to survive in harsher environments, in return allowing an increase in crop yield. The first genetically modified food to be made was the FlavrSavr tomato in 1994, genetically modified to slow down the ripening process of the tomato and thus prevent it from softening, while still allowing it to retain its natural color and flavor. Since then, the production of genetically modified foods has sky rocked, the United States being the top producer. “The USA continued to be the largest producer of biotech crops in the world, with a global market share of ~40%. The USA planted a record hectarage of 73.1 million hectares featuring eight biotech crops (maize, soybean, cotton, canola, sugar beet, alfalfa, papaya, and squash) in 2014” (Huang 2017). The United States is pumping genetically modified foods out by the second, whereas normally producing the most is good, in this case, it is a bad thing. The process to create genetically modified foods, also creates many health risks that come along with them.
Consuming genetically modified foods can become harmful due to the high toxicity amounts in the foods. After genetically modified foods were introduced in the United States a few decades ago, people independently reported toxic effects caused by GMOs. The toxicity of these modified foods is the result of genetic modification techniques and the process used to make genetically modified crops. “…Most, if not all, of these crops contain com-pounds that are potentially toxic or allergenic. In most cases, these compounds have probably evolved to provide protection against animal grazers or pathogenic micro-organisms and it is therefore not surprising that they are also toxic to humans” (Halford and World Scientific 2012). Genetically modified foods have increased in their levels of toxins in order to allow for longer lifespan by creating a plant that will harm an animal if it tries to eat it. But the real question is, if producers are increasing the toxicity to prevent animals from eating them, then why are humans eating them? These high levels of toxicity have been proven to create damage inside the digestive tract. A study conducted with rats showed 7 out of 20 developed stomach lesions that could potentially lead to life endangering hemorrhages. Another study where mice were fed potatoes found abnormal and damaged cells, as well as proliferative cell growth in their small intestine (“Genetically modified Foods: Toxins and Reproductive Failures” 2017). Not only will the toxicity affect the digestive tract but is also proven to affect the liver. The liver is the main detoxifier for the body therefore it would become damaged when more toxicity than normal is present. Multiple studies had been completed with rats and rabbits, where they were fed different genetically modified foods. In return, their livers had either changed in size (shrunk or became inflamed) or developed lesions. (“Genetically Modified Foods: Toxins and Reproductive Failures” 2017). Due to the high levels of toxicity in genetically modified foods, these foods could be harming individuals when consumed, and they are unware of it.
Along with high toxicity levels, these foods have increased in herbicide use which has dangerous side effects for consumers. Herbicide is a substance that is toxic to plants and is used to destroy unwanted vegetation. “The three major GMO crops in the U.S. – corn, soybeans, and cotton – have increased overall herbicide use by more than 527 million pounds between 1996 – 2011, compared to what it likely would have been in the absence of GMO crops” (Hirshberg 2013). Genetically modified crops are sprayed with herbicides that kill all the plants in the field other than that genetically modified crop. At first glance this process seems to work: most of the weeds die, and the crops survive. But the few weeds that barely survive the chemical onslaught, reproduce. Over time, this process ends up favoring the most difficult weeds to kill, known as “superweeds”. To manage these “superweeds” more and more herbicide is required. To combat these resistant weeds, companies are seeking approval of genetically modified crops that are resistant to higher risk herbicides. Not only are crop producers wanting to use more herbicides, but stronger ones. When genetically modified crops are consumed with these high levels of herbicides on them, they can cause herbicide poisoning, and depending on the amount it can be mild or severe and can lead to death and/ or cancer.
Genetically modified foods are causing an increase in food allergies. Food allergy is defined as a harmful health effect raised by a specific immune response that reproducibly occurs on exposure to a given food (Huang 2017). Food allergies are a difficult issue since nearly any food is capable of causing an allergic reaction. If a person is allergic to soy, they will also be allergic to genetically modified soy. Genetically modified foods carry a risk of triggering life-threatening allergic reactions and are contributing to higher allergy rates. The labeling of genetically modified foods have helped solve some of this problem but not all of it.
Genetically modified foods are not monitored as strictly as they should be, considering all the health problems they can cause. The FDA works with the EPA and the USDA to regulate genetically modified crops, but how well are they being modified. The FDA policy places responsibility on the producer or manufacturer to assure the safety of these food. Not only is the FDA not directly testing the safety of these foods but there is currently no set way to test the safety of them. “The existing FDA safety requirements impose a clear legal duty on everyone in the farm to table continuum to market safe foods to consumers, regardless of the process by which such foods are created… FDA’s role is to ensure that everyone in the farm to table continuum is meeting this obligation” (“Food from Genetically Engineered Plants – How FDA Regulates… Engineered Plants” 2018). The FDA believe that these modified foods are not materially different from non-genetically modified foods and if it was up to them, they would not require them to be label. This means that they are not monitoring them as strictly as they need to be because they consider them to cause little to no harm just like the non-genetically modified foods. Before 2016, genetically modified foods were not required to be labeled but the government passed the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling act of 2015 that requires the Food and Drug Administration to regulate the distribution and labeling of these foods. “The FDA may require a GMO food to have a label that informs consumers of a material difference between the GMO food and a comparable food if the disclosure is necessary to protect public health and safety or to prevent the label from being false or misleading.” (United States Congress 2015). Although the FDA doesn’t see a difference between these foods, the government does and therefore are making all genetically modified foods have a label that allows the consume
rs to know the difference between the modified and non-modified comparable food. Although the government has placed stricter laws on these foods, the FDA is the ones monitoring the safety of them. And if the FDA thinks genetically modified foods are not materially different, then they are not going to monitor them any different than before.
Genetically modified foods are a very controversial topics and people have taken both sides of the argument of whether or not they harm consumers. Many people are for genetically modified foods because of little evidence scientist can conclude about these foods leaves the producers and manufacturers saying they are safe. “These companies fight, tooth and nail, against labeling. The fast food industry fought against giving you the calorie information. They fought against telling you if there is trans-fat in your food. The meat packing industry for years prevented country-of-origin labeling. They fought not to label genetically modified foods; and now 70% of processed food in the supermarket has some genetically modified ingredient. (Kenner, Robert, et al 2008). These companies will lie about anything in order to sell their product. So why believe them when they say these foods are safe, and FDA just takes their word for it? The problem surrounding the safety of genetically modified foods is that it is inhumane to conduct a study on humans to see the results these foods have on the human body. Therefore, producing these foods for the public creates a worldwide clinical trial of genetically modified foods, where humans are the guinea pigs. Scientists won’t be able to determine the all the side effects of these foods until they have been consumed for 100 years, and right now they have only been consumed for 20 years. Within these 20 years genetically modified foods have been questions many and many of times so just imagine the questions that will come up over the next 80 years. Until then scientist have been conducting studies with animals similar to us to see the effects of these foods, and what they have found so far all points to how harmful these foods are.
Genetically modified foods are unsafe to the public consumers and therefore should be placed under stricter regulation. Due to the high levels of toxicity and the herbicide use these foods are causing internal harm to the consumers. These foods can lead to damage of the digestive tract and liver, cancer, and even death. Genetically modified foods are, also, causing a rise in food allergies that can become dangerous to the consumer Until these foods are banned and/ or stricter laws are placed on them, then genetic modification will continue to dictate the food industry and be a silent killer.