Genetically Modified Organisms

Are GMO’s are No or Go?
There is much controversy over whether or not GMO’s, or genetically modified organisms, benefit us and should be allowed, or if they are more harmful and should be banned. Genetically modified foods are beneficial because they save money, have greater resistance to pests and viruses, and they can hold more nutrition than regular foods.
One of the crops that have most widely been genetically modified is corn. Biologists can inject genes in the corn that make the corn resistant to round-up (round-up kills the weeds). So, just by spraying the crops with round-up, the weeds die but the corn crop does not. This way, farmers can spend less on gas and fuel for their tractors because there is no need to pull weeds. GMO’s are also capable of yielding more fruits and grains. Genetically modified rice plants have been injected with genes that allow them to have five times more grain heads than regular rice plants. Also, with this easier farming, there is more food to feed to hungry or starving populations.
Many GMO’s are injected with bacteria called bacillus thuringiensis. Making BT crops makes the plant have more resistance to pests and viruses that could harm the plant. The bacteria injected in it causes insects to resist the plant. But, using BT is better than spraying plants with insecticides because BT doesn’t kill the insects (it just keeps them away), and it is safer for humans. Many countries argue and fear GMO’s may increases allergies. Salmon has been one of the most controversial foods debated to be able to be modified or not. People fear it could be very dangerous f anyone has an allergic reaction to it. The fact is, few people have a salmon allergy and if they do, it is usually very severe so they shouldn’t be eating any type (genetically modified or not) of salmon to begin with.
With GMO’s, farmers will have better quality food crops with higher nutrition. They can be used to increase nutritional enhancement (like taking vitamins would). A genetically modified food is golden rice. Biologists inserted a vitamin A gene into the rice. The gene came from a daffodil plant. The effect this gene had on the rice was changing the color and level of vitamin. This is an important advantage of GMO’s because it can help where different countries have specific deficiencies in different nutrients (like iron).
There are many people against genetically modifying foods because it is not a natural method and there are health risks. But, it was found that 80% of people claimed they would not know if they were eating a GMO because the effect on them would be no different than if the crop were not a GMO. Also, organic foods are not GMO’s. So, if you wanted to choose a food you knew for sure was not genetically modified, you can still buy organic foods. GMO’s make up many of the common everyday foods you eat, such as corn, rice, soybeans, canola, squash, potatoes, strawberries, and more. Also, although there are still countries that have banned GMO’s (such as Europe), they still import them to feed their animals because the farmers in the countries themselves can’t produce enough. Genetically modified foods are capable of benefitting us in more ways than they could harm, and make life easier and safer.