The Reasons Why Genetically Modified Foods Should Not Be Banned

Should genetically modified foods be banned? Before we even discuss about whether genetically modified foods should be banned, we need to ask ourselves what is the point of banning genetically modified foods. Does the banning of genetically modified foods make the lives of the people better or will it make it worse? Genetically modified foods are foods from an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. I would like to stand with the side that is against the motion that genetically modified foods should be banned.

genetically modified foods have no doubt brought many benefits to humans such as increasing crop yields and bringing about health benefits. I would also take into consideration the other side of the argument where genetically modified foods pose unknown risks to people. Genetically modified foods should not be banned as it increases crop yields. One of the main types of genetic modification is to allow crops to resist pests, disease and other threats.

Farmers face problems with insects and weeds as they are threats to the Farmers’ crops. Pesticides and herbicides have been created to address these issue but these chemicals are toxic to consumers. Hence, genetic modification has been used to create plants that are resistant to their threats. 

As a result, more crops are able to withstand these threats and lesser crops will die before they can be harvested. A study by a pair of agricultural economists from Germany found out that GM technology increased crop yields by 22 percent.

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These increased crop yields have deeper implications. As a result of greater crop yields, farmers that uses GM crops has an increased income due to the greater harvest and the removal of the need of chemicals. The increase in crop yields will also lead to greater food supply. Banning genetically modified foods will lead to farmers having to use traditional methods to fend off pests. This will lead to chemicals being used again. These chemicals will not only reduce the number of crops sellable, it will also pollute the environment. Banning the genetically modified foods which was supposed to make the lives of the farmers better will only bring detriments to them. Hence, genetically modified foods should not be banned.

Genetically modified foods should not be banned as it has health benefits. Another type of genetic modification provides crops with extra nutritional value. By adding vitamins into crops, the genetically modified crops will contain the vitamin that it did not have before the genetic engineering. Some food crops have been genetically modified to have higher nutritional level. For example, Golden Rice has been enriched with beta-carotene to supplement the lack of Vitamin A rice diets in LDCs. Adding vitamins that do not occur naturally in commonly grown foods, like corn or rice, could help fight malnutrition. These genetically modified foods cannot also prevent illnesses or diseases which in turn increases life expectancy. Banning genetically modified foods will take away the benefits it can give as well as removing one of the possible solutions to one of the main concerns of the world which is malnutrition and food security. 

Hence, genetically modified foods should not be banned. Contenders argue that genetically modified foods should be banned as it poses unknown risks to man. They argue that man do not know much about genetically modified foods and what it could do to our bodies when consumed. They argue that since the modified corn from Monsanto, a genetically modified food company makes the stomachs of bugs explode when they eat it, something is bound to happen when humans eat it. They argue that there is a lot of uncertainty in genetically modified foods and unsure if it is safe for humans to eat genetically modified foods. Thus they think that genetically modified foods should be banned. However, I would beg to differ. There has been no evidence that genetically modified food is directly linked to causing health problems. Thus we cannot simply ban genetically modified foods because we do not know what it could pose to our bodies. Contenders still have to consider the possibility that genetically modified foods do not bring threats to our bodies. If we ban genetically modified foods even if it does not pose harm to our bodies, then there would be no point. In fact, it would only bring about detriments in our current world where genetically modified food is used in the agriculture industry.

In conclusion, genetically modified foods should not be banned as it increases crop yields and has health benefits. These positive effects of genetically modified foods have made the lives of the people better. Whether genetically modified foods should be banned or not is a serious issue in the context of our current society where genetically modified foods are used in the agriculture area. We should think carefully before taking an action.