GMOs: What they are, Benefits and Contentions
The characteristics of organisms are based on their genetic makeup. These characteristics can be altered to eliminate unwanted traits or insert desired ones. This is where genetic modification (GM) comes in. GM involves the insertion of DNA into the genetic makeup of an organism to alter it.
What are GMOs?
‘GMOs’ is an acronym for genetically modified organisms. With respect to their composition, the definitions for GMOs vary across communities. Generally, they are organisms whose genes have been modified through genetic engineering. The organisms could be plants or animals. These organisms bear the new characteristics transferred by the new DNA inserted and pass them on to their offspring or seed.
Over the years, many breeding methods have been used to input desired traits into crops and animals to improve their quality. Some challenges come with traditional breeding methods. One is that they take a long time, and another is that they end up yielding a mixture of traits such that they comprise both desirable and undesirable traits. The advancement in technology has introduced new techniques for modifying the genes of organisms without stress.
GMOs may be produced for scientific research purposes or as food for humans. In relation to food production, the aim of modifying the genes of an organism manifests in terms of increased shelf lives, more yield, better taste and more. Most existing GMOs are from plants, but scientists are working on bringing more animal-derived GMOs on the scene. Examples of GMO crops are soy, canola, potato and maize while GMO animals are cows, goats and pigs to mention a few.
How GMOs Are Produced
The production of GMOs involves several steps. Using plants as an example, the first step is the identification of the gene of interest. The gene is then isolated. It may be sourced from preexisting cells or synthesized. If previous studies have been carried out on the gene, they can be obtained from a library of genes. Afterward, the isolated gene undergoes a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) which multiplies it. A bacterium can be used to aid the transference of the genes to the plant cells’ genome. These plants then grow up with the characteristics infused into their genome. Sometimes, the modification of genes happens without genetic engineering. This results when some breeding that had been done in the past decides to find expression thousands of years later.
Benefits of GMOs
GMOs offer certain potential benefits to humans and the environment. Some of them are:
Improved Food Production
The genetic modification of organisms improves the quality of food crops and animals used for food. An example is the modification of apple genes to produce two new species of apples that taste better and do not turn brown easily when cut. As GMOs grow, their nutritive values also increase and become more resistant to pests and diseases. Their taste and flavor are also enhanced.
Reduced Food Cost
The production of GMOs requires minimal resources. Land, water, energy and pesticides are not needed in as much quantity as they are for non-GMO foods. This reduces the overall production cost and consequently, the market prices of GMO foods.
Environmental Sustainability
The consumption of less land and resources in the production of GMOs leads to less environmental pollution. With GMO crops, there are fewer pesticides used in the production of food. The reduction in energy consumption also reduces carbon emissions into the environment.
Contentions
As well-intentioned as GMOs are, there are contentions about them. These concerns exist because the components and necessity of GMOs were not properly presented to the public when they came on the scene. Some of them are discussed below.
Allergies
Usually, the modification of genes occurs through an artificial process. GMO foods usually contain alien genes and this has become a source of concern for consumers. People feel they may react to them and so they withdraw from them. Another challenge is the issue of strange modified DNA spreading to organisms that are not genetically modified.
While these concerns should not be ignored, scientists have been taking the necessary steps to ensure the safety of GMO foods for consumption. They have also noted that the possibilities of a person suffering from an allergy to either a GMO food or its non-GMO counterpart are similar if the consumer already has a natural allergy to that kind of food.
Cancer
It is general knowledge that Cancers occur due to gene mutations. Since GMOs are made from transferring genes between organisms, this triggers concern in the minds of people on the role of GMOs in stimulating cancers. This concern could also be as a result of a research work on mice, which showed that their consumption of GMO foods initiated tumor growth and death. The study was not properly executed so the conclusions cannot be held on to. None of the existing research works on GMOs associate them with cancer. However, more intense research is still required to examine the true position of GMOs in causing cancers.
Environmental and Other Health issues
While GMOs reduce the use of pesticides, there seem to be challenges with the use of herbicides. Many GMOs are resistant to herbicides, and so they are unharmed by them. Unfortunately, the weeds that grow around the crops have also become resistant to herbicides overtimes, forcing farmers to use higher doses. These herbicides contain glyphosate which researchers have connected to some diseases. Despite that, other scientists have said that the levels of glyphosate in GMOs are nothing to worry about. It is however necessary that more detailed studies are carried out to draw out the facts about
GMOs and Cell-based meat
The earlier sections of this article are loaded with the basic things you need to know about GMOs. Previous articles on this blog also give enough details about cell-based meat. Both technologies are innovations in the food industry, and a crucial question on the minds of people is whether or not GMOs and cell-based meat are the same.
Cell-based meat does not contain any genetically modified material and so cannot be classified as a GMO, but this question bugging the minds of the public is not without roots.
The issue with GMOs
The introduction of GMOs came with an issue of lack of transparency. People had little or no information about the composition of GMOs, their benefits, how safe they are, etc. Consequently, people resisted GMO foods because there was no basis on which they could build their trust in them. Consumers were afraid because they saw GMO foods as artificial. Their fears were heightened when all the major companies that started out the production of GMOs were bought by bigger companies. At that point, people felt that the whole GMO ‘business’ was just a money-making venture. Also, in many cases where GMO stakeholders gave information, they were more focused on dismissing consumers’ fears than helping them understand the benefits of GMOs. In all of these, consumers’ interests were not put in view and that turned out to be a disaster for the GMO market. The emergence of cell-based meat revived memories of the GMO experience in people’s minds, and they are unsure of what to expect with this new food technology.
The way forward
To prevent the scenario that played with GMOs from repeating itself in the cell-based meat context, cell-based meat companies and advocates must be willing to give necessary information to the public. Consumers need to know the ‘why’, ‘how’ and ‘what’ of cell-based meat. They need to understand that their interests are at the centre of the lab-grown meat revolution. Once that is achieved, it will be easier for cell-based meat to thrive in the global market
Conclusion
GMOs have many potential benefits. However, research needs to be carried out on them to address the concerns raised. Stakeholders in the innovation of technologies in the food and agricultural industries must be willing to carry out substantial research to aid consumer acceptance. Transparency is also essential in introducing new food innovations. Cell-based meat advocates should learn from the mistake that was made with GMOs. Placing consumers’ interests at the centre through proper communication of vital information about the technology is key.
