I see no problem with genetically modified food. There’s a plethora of reasons for GE foods, and the arguments against GE foods are flimsy. Packages containing GE foods should be marked, though, for those who do not want to consume such foods.
GE foods will allow more food to be grown in shorter amounts of time, and this food will be better food, more immune to heat fluctuations and cold frosts. The world’s population is quickly growing, and with the rise in people, the food demand will rise as well. GE foods will insure that food shortages do not appear. Even so, world hunger has been, and will continue to be, a problem. Over time, GE foods able to withstand days with too much water, or too little water, will allow world hunger due to droughts and floods to be eliminated. GE foods will help feed the world.
Furthermore, many people in the world do not get enough nutrients in their diet. In regions of Africa, for example, children suffice on rice and beans. This dish, eaten almost every day, does not provide enough nutrition. Beans and rice do not contain vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium, and other such essential nutrients. Children can die from vitamin deficiency. GE foods can be infused with vitamins and minerals. A cob of corn can become calcium-fortified. When GE foods are made available throughout the world, they will be able to enhance and round out the diet of people not able to access or afford healthy foods.
Critics of GE foods argue that the long-term effects of eating GE foods have not been studied. Yes, this is true, but this point should be treated with skepticism. Scientists have spent years developing GE foods and will continue to do so. GE foods have been on the market for years. Nothing significant has happened during the development or selling of GE foods, and nothing hints that trouble is coming. Those who claim certain deaths were caused by GE foods are only speculating. Deaths blamed on GE foods are rare, and, when one investigates into these deaths, the link between the death and the consumption of a genetically engineered food is strained.
Even though I am not against GE foods, I do think that GE foods should be labeled as so. People who are concerned about consuming such foods should be able to discern between GE corn and natural corn.
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1 comment:
I agree with you Maddie. I think you make really good points in this entry, especially the one about how people in Africa are dying from lack of nutrition. The GE foods could help those people receive more nutrition within their diet and get more of the food at a faster rate, which would decrease the death rate of this cause. Nice entry.
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