Today we are living in an era blessed or to some, plagued by rapid Scientific and Technological advances. Research and development into new and improved methods of food production have given birth to a now prevailing brand of food items – Genetically Modified Food (GM Food).

At one end of the spectrum, the developers of GM Foods are claming to have provided the ultimate solution to the starvation and poverty of Third World countries, economic advantages and solutions to the recently pressing environmental problem of pollution. But this does not seem to be the case at the other end of the spectrum where critic of GM foods are claming otherwise to the solutions "found" by the developers of GM technology. In fact these critics claim that the introduction of GM Foods has only brought along with it a whole new set of problems concerning moral, religious, environmental and health issues.

Perhaps, the claims of both these groups of people, the pro GM Food people and the anti GM Food people might make equal sense. At this very crucial moment where the war on the marketability of GM Foods is happening, the only wise move we, the consumers, should make is to calmly evaluate the benefits and problems that may come about with GM Foods.

The first and foremost question to be answered is the question of how safe GM Foods are in relation to human health. At the present moment there are no scientific evidences to show that GM Foods do not pose any form of risk on the human body. At the same time however, there are no documented scientific evidences to show that GM Foods indeed cause harm to humans. So for now, the only resource available on the safety of GM foods lies in the perchance true assertion made by the pro and anti GM Foods people. In relation to this, a GREENPEACE spokesman slammed the statement of GM Foods developers - "since there are strict regulations covering GM foods they are arguably better checked and safer for consumption than conventional food products…" by declaring that genetically modified food pose a threat to the immune systems of humans. Moreover, the short term risks aside, the long term risks have still not been calculated and only time will tell.

The next question in mind would perhaps be the impact that GM Foods would have on the global economy. It is undoubtedly true to say that the unique features of longer shelf life and improved taste of GM Foods will help to better market them to local and overseas markets. This would in turn help raise the low profit margins of semi subsistence farmers while bringing in the huge "bucks" for commercial farmers. Furthermore, the wealth of jobs that have been created due to continued research and development into GM Foods further serve to show GM Foods as economically vital. But we should never ever forget the logical stand of the critics of GM Foods. That is, GM Food Cultivation benefits rich farmers only. Smaller farmers go out of business, and their subsequent loss of income increased their poverty given the fact that cultivation of GM Foods is expensive. If such a trend continues, it will only widen the gap between the rich and the poor. In short, the rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer. Would it then be that the enthusiastic promotion of GM Foods technology is for the selfish benefit of the biotechnological industry?

Moving on, one would clearly see the conflicting opinions pertaining to the religious and moral issues underlying GM Food’s practicality in the modern world. Some religious and vegetarian groups would object to genes from some species. For example it is considered ceremonially unclean for a Jew or Muslim, to eat food with a pig’s gene. Moreover, it is undeniable that some GM Foods contain genes originated from humans. In this case, it would be nothing but sheer cannibalism to eat such unethically derived food. The defenses to these concrete facts are often poor and vague from the supporters of GM Foods. They complacently dismiss these rightful claims as irrelevant and overly amplified.

Perhaps the next most important thing to consider is whether GM Foods are addressing the problems that they were intended to solve – the problem of poverty and famine in Third World countries. The answer to this seemingly complex and profound question lies in the fact that that the highly efficient method of GM Food cultivation produces an extra 30% of crops to feed the impoverished third world populants. But then again, these so called "wonder foods" cost many folds more than conventional food types. So is it in any way possible that the already poor and under privileged would be able to afford GM Foods? Thus perhaps as the critics say, it is just going to provide luxuries for rich, and won't feed the Third World. We recall that, the Green revolution crop strains (back in the 70s) were promoted with the same rhetoric as GM crops are today. But while they did increase the amount of food produced, it also increased hunger in many of the countries where they were introduced. So would GM Foods not land the third world occupants into a similar situation?

In conclusion, there is no one qualifying statement that we can say about the impact of GM Foods. However one thing remains clear and distinct: the most logical and feasible solution to world hunger is political, not technical. It lies in redistribution of wealth and power, not in technological fixes, which will only make matters worse than it already is.

Copyright - Vignes - Founder Animals In Action