Genetically Modified Food. [GM food]

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Definition

GM food is food from plants that have been genetically altered to create desired qualities

These qualities include improved resistance to diseases and tolerance to herbicide or extreme water

Different From High-yielding varieties [HYV] !!!! Do not mix them up !

HYV are cross-breed. While GM food is genetically modified.

To make things clearer. Here are some pictures.

This is a picture of GM food. Genes from other living things [maybe from plants,fruit,animal etc.] are inserted into the plant.



This is an example of HYV. Mixing the pollen of the plants to create a better one.



An out come would be this: A seedless watermelon.

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Benefits
Increase Income for Farmers

Genetically Modified [GM] Crops are pest-resistance and therefore reducing damage of crops.

They do not need to spend money buying pesticide.

Expenses go down, Revenue Increase

GM crops are tolerant to extreme water

Which reduce loss during floods.

They are also created to stay fresh for a longer period of time

This enable farmers to sell their products in other country; increasing revenue.

Increase Food supply

GM crops are able to produce more crops compared to normal crops

e.g Normal crop- 100 ; GM crops- 200.

One Example of such crops is Super Rice.

Which is modified to produce double of what is normally produced

Improve nutritional value of food

GM food might be modified to have higher nutritional values.

e.g Golden rice have been modified with beta-carotene[ inactive form of vitamin A].

to supply the lack of vitamin A in rice diet in LDCs.

Due to the lack of vitamin A in the past,

1 Million children died and 350 000 became blind.

Golden rice can help reduce malnutrition cases.

Scientist are still try to use GM food as medicine. If they succeed we don't have to go through painful injections and eat bitter medicine ! :D

Reduce environmental pollution

Without GM food, Farmers would have to use pesticide to kill pests

This is NOT good ! It adds on to the pollution of this world.

GM food reduces the reliance on chemicals.

One Example is the pest-resistant plant, which remove the needs of pesticide

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Threat
Potential health risk

Allergic reaction.

Example-Lectin. → a protein used in beans

Prevents aphids from attacking potato. but some people are allergic to it.

For those who don't know what is aphids. They look like this:

The people fear of eating food that are not natural

European Union [EU] has banned the import and cultivation of GM food crops.

Even Zambia,a country facing food shortage, rejected GM food

GM food are usually not labeled, therefore the concern.

Loss of Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the range and variety of animals in the ecosystem

GM crops that are pest-resistance may kill other animals or insects that are not harmful and upset the ecosystem

e.g Monarch butterfly's caterpillar feeds on corn

The corn may have added toxin that may kill the butterfly.

Animals that may feed on the butterfly, lost their source of food as too many butterfly die

As a result, they all die... X(

Loss of natural species

Pollen form GM plants was carried by the wind or insects

to another place where natural plants are found.

Offspring of normal plant would now have the GM plants genes, if this continue there will be no more natural plants

and as a result kill animals feeding on them [refer to loss of biodiversity]

GM food crops may be herbicide-resistant.

Genes may be passed on to the weeds around those plant

Producing Super weeds

which are damn hard to get rid of.

Stronger herbicide have to be used to get rid of them

but they might absorb and become even stronger. :(