Scientists laugh at the painful fantasies of ordinary people when it comes to the dangers of GMOs. The slogans "genetic mutants" or frankenfood make them smile. "GMOs are safe and capable of feeding the world's growing population," they insist, but most people don't believe them. It looks like these controversies will never end. Meanwhile, a third of all food products in the world are already GMO!
A genetically modified organism (GMO) is a product whose DNA has been altered or modified in any way through genetic engineering. In most cases, GMOs get a piece of DNA from another organism, be it bacteria, plants, viruses or animals. These organisms are also referred to as "transgenic".
There is no limit to the imagination of geneticists. Geneticists breed transgenic pigs that glow in the dark thanks to the bioluminescence of the jellyfish DNA. Tomatoes resist frost thanks to the flounder genes that live in cold waters. All this makes GM crops tastier, more nutritious and more resistant to disease and drought.
If food is power, then GMOs are weapons
Science says the vast majority of research on genetically modified (GM) crops suggests they are safe.
Many question the impartiality of US research, which is often funded or conducted by GMO companies such as Monsanto. However, in Europe, the influence of these giants is much weaker.
The European Commission has funded 130 research projects that have conducted over 500 independent studies on the safety of GM crops. They did not find any particular risks.
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Therefore, many scientists consider it foolish not to use the potential of GM crops to feed the population of our planet, especially African countries. It is so?
David Silberman of the University of California, Berkeley argues that the benefits of using GM crops far outweigh the health risks that are still theoretical.
“The use of GMOs has reduced the cost of food and allows farmers to use less pesticides. Genetic engineering has increased the production of corn, cotton and soybeans by 20-30% in the United States. If GMOs become widespread in the world, the cost of food will decrease and fewer people will die of hunger.”
From the gate turn
However, most countries are in no hurry to share the joy of creating GMOs with geneticists. Almost all corn and soybeans grown in the United States are genetically modified, but only two crops (MON810 Monsanto corn and Amflora BASF potatoes) are accepted for use in the European Union. Eight EU countries simply banned any GMO.
In Africa, where millions of people are starving, some countries have stopped importing GMOs despite lower production costs. Kenya has banned GMO imports despite food shortages in the country.
At a meeting with Vladimir Putin, Agriculture Minister Alexander Tkachev said that agriculture is focusing on organic products in order to distinguish itself favorably from other countries. Russian products will be grown without genetically modified components.
“We are strongly opposed to the introduction of technologies related to GMOs. Russia has a chance to stay in the field of production of clean ecological products, this is the future, because the American market, and not only, for example, the Chinese market, in the pursuit of large harvests does not shy away from the use of all kinds of chemicals, all kinds of additives, this all leads to the deterioration of land and food products.
Globally, only 10% of arable land is used for the cultivation of GMOs. Only four countries - the USA, Canada, Brazil and Argentina - produce 90% of the planet's GM crops.
If GMOs are safe, why is there so little enthusiasm?
The fact is that it is almost impossible to assess the long-term consequences of the use of GMOs on health and the environment in such a short time.
One specific gene inserted into the modified organism may nevertheless end up in other regions of the genome. For example, the genome continues to change in subsequent generations after the insertion of a new gene. A gene can change its location and can also affect the activity of neighboring genes.
Although the number of genes inserted is much smaller than in conventional breeding methods, changing the gene pool during breeding is a natural process. This process lasted for millions of years.
GMOs can surprise you much earlier. For example, the production of new proteins may begin, which will be toxic or allergenic.
The incorporation of genes from other living organisms can be more complex and delicate than traditional breeding. And just because no serious risks to the human genome have been identified for several decades, one cannot be sure of the safety of GMOs. The long-term consequences will affect future generations.
Right to know
Another major issue with GMOs is the obstacle to product labeling. If GMOs are already sold and consumed, then buyers should have a choice, a right to know what they are eating. In the US, some crops on the market are 90-95% GMO, but people in some states still do not have the right to distinguish between organic and GMO products by label.
But GMO affects not only the issue of toxicity and allergenicity. There is also an ethical issue. There will always be debate over the powers of scientists to "play God." Religious people and citizens with different philosophical views believe that gene replacement is immoral. No matter how scientists think about it, the choice of these people must be respected.
In Russia, there is a law according to which products containing more than 0.9% GMOs must be labeled accordingly. There is a law, but its implementation is not controlled.
In recent years, more and more efforts have been made to create a national food quality management system in the country. Rospotrebnadzor notes that GMO additives and nanotechnology products are increasingly on our table and this process needs to be curbed.