Fatin Izzati Binti Adzmi.

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Genetically Modified Food

Food can be definite as any substance that can be metabolised by an animal to give
energy and build tissues or any substance that is used as a source of nourished. Food is the
most crucial thing and the basic need for a life. As time passed by, food has been control and
being manipulated to sustain all the demands by population and health. The modern
technology has been used to modify food to be perfect from its appearance and nutrients too.
This categories of food name as genetically modified food.

Genetically modified (GM) foods are foods that derived from genetically modified
organisms. The term GM foods or GMOs is most commonly used to refer to crop plants
created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques.
These plants have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits such as increased
resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. The enhancement of desired traits
has traditionally been undertaken through breeding.

Genetically modified foods have many advantages. GM foods are pest resistance.
Usually, crop losses from insect pests can be staggering which then resulting in devastating
financial loss for farmers and starvation in developing countries. Many tons of chemical
pesticides annually are typically used by farmers. This is the solution of the insect pest’s
problem but it invited others problem where the uses of these chemical substances are
potential health hazards. Furthermore, run-off of agricultural wastes from excessive use of
pesticides and fertilizers can poison the water supply and cause harm to the environment such
as eutrophication and water pollution. Growing GM foods such as B.t. corn can help
eliminate the application of chemical pesticides and reduce the cost of bringing a crop to
market.

The uses of herbicide can be tolerance in GM foods. It is not cost-effective to remove

weeds for some crops by physical means such as tilling, so farmers will often spray large
quantities of different herbicides or weed-killer to destroy weeds. It is a time-consuming and
expensive process that requires extensive care so that the herbicide does not harm the crop
plant or the environment. Crop plants genetically-engineered to be resistant to one very
powerful herbicide could help prevent environmental damage by reducing the amount of
herbicides needed, reducing production cost and limiting the dangers of agricultural waste
run-off.
 GM foods are also resistance to disease. There are many viruses, fungi and bacteria
that cause plant diseases. Plant biologists are working to create plants with genetically-
engineered resistance to these diseases. GM foods are more healthy and safe to be consumed
as they are free from disease that can lead to any allergies in humans and consumers.

Malnutrition is common in third world countries where impoverished peoples rely on

a single crop such as rice for the main staple of their diet. However, rice does not contain
adequate amounts of all necessary nutrients to prevent malnutrition. If rice could be
genetically engineered to contain additional vitamins and minerals, nutrient deficiencies
could be alleviated. For example, blindness due to vitamin A deficiency is a common
problem in third world countries. Researchers have created a strain of "golden" rice
containing an unusually high content of beta-carotene or vitamin A. Plans were underway to
develop golden rice that also has increased iron content. GM foods can help to reduce the
nutrition problem in our community.

There are a part of the environmental activists, religious organizations, public interest
groups, professional associations and other scientists and government officials have all raised
concerns about GM foods, and criticized agribusiness for pursuing profit without concern for
potential hazards, and the government for failing to exercise adequate regulatory oversight.
They stand that GM foods bring environmental hazards, risk the human health and on
economic concerns. GM plants are afraid to be disrupted and bring strong competition to the
other plants that as the result disrupt the natural distribution of the population and
community. Besides, the gene that has been modified in the plant is afraid to give any effect
to the human as they are being modified to be strong and resist to any disease. On the
economic concern, the organic foods are being discriminate. Thus, his situation will bring the
farmer that managed the organic foods down.

There are many consequences that involved in these issues. People are questioning
about the safety of eating genetically modified food. However, according to the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, there is no evidence that any genetically modified foods now on
the market pose any human health concerns or are in any way less safe than crops produced
through traditional breeding. People have the right to choose. Although the GM foods bring
many advantages for us but the production should be controlled to avoid any problems.