Side Effects of GMOs on Health & Agriculture

In the recent past, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have begun to appear more and more in our everyday diets, replacing food produced from naturally grown crops. Designed to be resistant to pesticides, thus easing the fight against crop-destroying insects, GMOs are created by splicing genes of different species that are combined through genetic engineering. Consuming these genetically altered and therefore heavily processed foods can lead to increased risk of diseases and even cancer. Often, GMOs are consumed without the buyer’s knowledge, because labels for GM foods are not required.

GMOs have also affected local agriculture. The farmers that maintain natural farming practices and choose to grow organic produce over genetically engineered crops are constantly trying to keep their businesses alive. Larger corporations, however, who choose to use genetically modified seeds, stand to make larger profits with less time and effort involved by utilizing GMOs.

While many areas of the country remain occupied by subsistence and local farming and food production, corporations and their GMOs are gaining momentum.

In the United States there are nine crops that are currently commercialized and sold to consumers. These include soy, in which 89 percent of the total soy crop is GM, cotton (83 percent), canola (75 percent), corn (60 percent), Hawaiian papaya (more than 50 percent), alfalfa, zucchini, and yellow squash. Even some tobacco has been GM (Smith, “Genetic Roulette” 258). Since corn is added to a multitude of different food products, more of our food supply is affected. That’s not all; the United States is the only other country besides Canada that does not require GMOs to be labeled on the packaging, meaning many people do not know how much of their diet consists of GMOs.

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Examples of everyday dietary staples that contain GM ingredients are dairy products, some meat, eggs, and honey. Because of the lack of labeling, most people are unaware that their foods are genetically modified.

In the recent past, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have begun to appear more and more in our everyday diets, replacing food produced from naturally grown crops. Designed to be resistant to pesticides, thus easing the fight against crop-destroying insects, GMOs are created by splicing genes of different species that are combined through genetic engineering. Consuming these genetically altered and therefore heavily processed foods can lead to increased risk of diseases and even cancer. Often, GMOs are consumed without the buyer’s knowledge, because labels for GM foods are not required. GMOs have also affected local agriculture. The farmers that maintain natural farming practices and choose to grow organic produce over genetically engineered crops are constantly trying to keep their businesses alive. Larger corporations, however, who choose to use genetically modified seeds, stand to make larger profits with less time and effort involved by utilizing GMOs.

While many areas of the country remain occupied by subsistence and local farming and food production, corporations and their GMOs are gaining momentum. In the United States there are nine crops that are currently commercialized and sold to consumers. These include soy, in which 89 percent of the total soy crop is GM, cotton (83 percent), canola (75 percent), corn (60 percent), Hawaiian papaya (more than 50 percent), alfalfa, zucchini, and yellow squash. Even some tobacco has been GM (Smith, “Genetic Roulette” 258). Since corn is added to a multitude of different food products, more of our food supply is affected. That’s not all; the United States is the only other country besides Canada that does not require GMOs to be labeled on the packaging, meaning many people do not know how much of their diet consists of GMOs. Examples of everyday dietary staples that contain GM ingredients are dairy products, some meat, eggs, and honey. Because of the lack of labeling, most people are unaware that their foods are genetically modified.

But what is the big deal about our food being genetically modified? In fact, many health risks are associated with GMOs. From their introduction in 1996, side effects are already being seen, including increases in allergic reactions, antibiotic resistant bacteria and other toxic hazards. While these side effects of GMOs may seem minuscule in the grand scheme of things, the lasting effects can be much more drastic. More and more children are having life-threatening allergies, which can be contributed to increased GMO intake. Already 37 people have died from side effects of GMOs, 1,500 partially paralyzed and 5,000 were temporarily handicapped by chemicals used in harvesting GMOs. These numbers do not include the number of children that have been born with birth defects associated with the chemical, glyphosate. This chemical alone can cause infertility, stillbirths, miscarriages and cancers. Seeing that GMO’s have only been deemed “safe” for human consumption for not even twenty years and there have been no long term studies performed on humans, the future could reveal even more long term effects. With prolonged exposure to GMOs the data concerning the side effects is only to increase as we continue to eat GMOs without considering the effects they can have on our bodies and environment.