In recent times, food has become a concerning problem as the population on Earth is growing at an unprecedented rate. The feasible way of tackling this is, however, linked to genetically modified foods, a solution that most countries, particularly developed ones, have already embarked on applying. While GM foods can alleviate the burden of increasing food shortages and enhance crop productivity, I also believe such foods can be a threat to local ecosystems and human health at the same time.
On the one hand, genetically modified food is considered a reliable source of nutrition for a rapidly growing population. Some densely populated areas, especially China and India, have already started suffering from malnutrition, causing untimely death and weakening the immune system among children. Harvesting GM foods can mitigate such problems given that they can grow in harsh weather conditions and on small land with a minimal water requirement. By adopting this modern method, thousands of people might receive proper nutrition, fostering their physical and mental growth. Additionally, GM food can be engineered with traits that lead to increased productivity. With these qualities, growth rate and resistance to natural disasters such as drought and frost can be enhanced. This, in turn, helps feed a surging population with one of the basic necessities—food.
On the other hand, this innovative technique in the food industry can have serious consequences for the environment and humanity. Firstly, GM foods, despite promoting unparalleled benefits, pose a threat to the local ecosystem. More crops are resistant to diseases, insects, and pesticides through genetic alteration, making them stronger than other species in surrounding areas. This results in ecosystems being thrown out of balance, leading to the loss of local species. For example, genetically modified tomatoes in Japan caused some old species of vegetables, which were more vulnerable, to die out.
Moreover, the health impacts of GM foods should not be overlooked, albeit a bit unclear. As this is thought to be a relatively new area of research, its effect on human health remains a cause for cancer. For this reason, people need to avoid putting complete trust in these foods, and extensive research is required before consuming GM foods on a larger scale. A good case in point is corn harvested in France by altering its genes, but some time later a report was released that the whole crop contained elements causing the emergence of cancerous cells. Hence, genetically altered foods cannot always be a plausible solution for providing the rising population with reliable nutrition.
In conclusion, since population growth has been on the rise for decades, growing GM foods seems to have positive outcomes. While it is likely that they can meet the global need, ultimately curbing potential food shortages and starvation, they may wreck havoc on biodiversity and have an impact on human well-being. From my perspective, it is a good idea to take both sides of the argument into account before regarding GM foods as the most reliable and workable way of providing food to humans.