GM FOOD

GM Food

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GM Food

Introduction

GM is an abbreviation of genetically modified food and also known as biotech food. GM foods refer to foods that are originated from genetically modified organism that is injected into their DNA via techniques such as genetic engineering. This technique is accurate than mutation breeding (mutagenesis) in which organisms are exposed to chemical or radiation to create lasting change. Other methods of GM foods production include somaclonal variation, plant breeding, selective breeding and animal breeding. GM foods were first introduced in 1996. They are basically transgenic plants products such as corn, rice, seed oil, soybean, canola and cotton. GM foods are the topic of public interest in particular European environmental organizations. However, there are many controversies about GM foods whether they are safe or not.

Discussion

The world population is increasing rapidly and it is estimated to be double in the next 50 years. To make sure a sufficient supply of this increasing population emerges as a challenge in upcoming years. GM foods are introduced to meet this challenge in several ways and have many advantages, which are as follows.

Pest resistance - Farmers use chemical pesticides to save their crops from insect pest otherwise resulted in devastating financial loss. Farmers normally use tons of chemical pesticides every year. While, consumers do not want to eat food products that are exposed to chemical pesticides, as they are harmful for health and create hazards, agricultural wastes run-off from excessive pesticides use and fertilizers can poison the supply of water that may result in environmental pollution. Increasing GM foods include B.t. corn can facilitate in eliminating the chemical pesticides application as well as decrease the price of bringing a crop to marketplace.

Herbicide tolerance - It is not cost-effective to eliminate wild plants by physical ...