Food shortages are one of the most significant problems in the world today, requiring governments must have feasible solutions. As a result, GM food is considered to become the most suitable concept to solve that issue. However, some critics argued that this type of food can harm people’s health, while others suppose that this is a good idea. In my own perspective, I think that GM food brings both benefits and drawbacks for humans.
Looking at the positive side, GM food opens many opportunities for people. First, they can boost agricultural productivity, helping farmers earn a lot of money. Sciencetist design bioengineered food to be more resistant to pets, diseases, or harsh weather conditions, reducing the need for chemical pesticide and lowering farming costs. Second, some GM foods are engineered to have higher levels of essential nutrients such as vitamin B2 or minerals, helping to combat malnutrition. For example, a GMO rice crop called Golden Rice enhanced with vitamin A to help combat irreversible childhood blindness.
Despite some advantages, GM food also hinders some serious risks. Although there is no exclusive evidence that generally engineered food is harmful, some fear they may trigger allergies or have long-term health effects that are not yet fully understood because of new technology. Next, the dominance of GM crops may disrupt the inherent biodiversity equilibrium. Hybrid varieties will eliminate the unique characteristics of each species, even losing inherent natural instincts.
In conclusion, bioengineered food can be considered as a new step in the food production industry because of its economic and health benefits. However, not all types of breeding actually bring advantages as mentioned by the supplier, so be careful when consuming GM food.