Genetically Modified Foods as Solution for Global Food Crisis

Genetically Modified Babies
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Genetically Modified Babies
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Genetically modified foods fall into three categories; herbicide-tolerant (HT), insect-resistant (Bt), and stacked (Fernandez & Paoletti, 2018). Currently, various transgenic crops are available in the market for human consumption. Genetically engineered crops play a major role in food security globally by increasing productivity, improving quality and nutrients availability. Hasell and Stroud (2020) indicate that about 90% of GM crops globally are from the USA, Brazil, Canada, Argentina, and India. 70% and 60% of processed foods in the US and Canada, respectively, contain transgenic food products such as soybeans, rice, and corn. In European countries, only 5% of the foods in the stores contain GMOs (Hasell & Stroud, 2020). However, the majority of transgenic foods are from plant sources in comparison to animal origins. GM salmon is the only animal-based food that has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as safe for human consumption (Öz, Unsal, & Movassaghi, 2018). In most cases, GM foods are sold as commodities converted into consumable ingredients through industrial food production processes.
Foods containing GM ingredients are essential in reducing certain diseases' prevalence (Nawaz et al., 2019). Modification of the DNA of the transgenic crops allows for the elimination of certain genes in plants and animal food sources that cause allergies in human beings. Also, the addition of extra genes into GM food crops allows for the introduction of nutrients which can significantly boost human immunity upon consumption. In some instances, GM crops have been instrumental in significantly controlling disorders such as diabetes by reducing the number of plant sugars in crops and improving their overall quality (Boccia, Covino & Sarnacchiaro, 2018). Researchers are currently focusing on developing GM food crops that can help the human body get rid of certain diseases and manage disorders.
Genetically modified foods have a short maturity period compared to traditional food crops (Boccia, Covino & Sarnacchiaro, 2018). Increased food productivity allows the human population to avoid a shortage of food globally. Resistance of GM crops to diseases increases productivity as well. For instance, Bt corn and cotton can resist microbial infections. As a result, planting such food crops reduces the possibility of using pesticides on the farms. In most instances, farmers can produce GM foods organically, which are healthier than using insecticides to manage pests and diseases. As a result, the chances of consuming food with chemicals are low (Fernandez & Paoletti, 2018).
Transgenic crops can do well in areas that experience low rainfall or where the soil is unfavorable for agricultural activities (Fernandez & Paoletti, 2018). Normal food crops can only do well in specific regions under climatic conditions. As much as the seeds for GM crops are a bit expensive, their total cost of production is significantly lower than that of traditional food crops. The ability of GM crops to resist attacks by pests and insects reduces the costs of buying pesticid...