Genetically Modified Foods and Their Socio-Economic Detriments

Tiffany Ah Tye
3/20/2014

Genetically Modified Foods

Genetically Modified Foods and their Socio-Economic Detriments

In light of the rather recent amazing technological advances, its
no wonder the 21st century has been named the start of the
technological age. Every day, brilliant new concepts are thought up for
machinery and technology that will aid us in day-to-day life we have
been able to cure more diseases and ailments in the last decade than
ever. Theres no doubt the technological advances that we have
made have helped us greatly in surviving as a race. But in some cases,
technology may have gone too far. One case of this is the debate on
Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMOs. Ever since GMOs were
introduced to society, there has been much debate on whether or not
GMO produce (and other food that contains GMO produce) should be
labeled or not. There have been no conclusive long-term tests of GMO
foods, so it is unknown whether or not they are harmful to the human
body however, there have been indications that it is indeed risky to
be eating these foods. Genetically Modified Foods have begun to
shown their effects on the human food chain, and its not necessarily
pretty. Genetically Modified Organisms have already harmed the
environment in many ways, and will continue to show negative effects
unless we stop genetically engineering food. GMO foods are
detrimental to our society and economy because of their health risks to
humans, their negative effect on the economy, and their effect on the
food chain.

Genetically Modified Foods

As mentioned above, the long-term effects of Genetically

Modified Organisms on the human body are unknown. However, The
American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) encourages
doctors to warn their patients against GMO foods because GM foods
pose a serious health risk in the areas of toxicology, allergy and
immune function, reproductive health, and metabolic, physiologic and
genetic health and are without benefit (Dean and Armstrong). One of
the main problems of GM foods is that they contain allergens in them
that would not normally be in that type of food. In an article on Forbes,
it was stated, All GM crops are tested against a database of all known
allergens before commercialization and any crop found containing new
allergens is not approved or marketed. (Entine and Wendel) There are
many articles that specifically address GM foods and their relations to
allergies; however, this quote by Entine and Wendel specifies that the
GM crops are tested for allergens in general, but not for specific
allergens that should not be in that crop. While it is great that GM crops
are tested for allergens that arent already in foods, they should also
be tested for allergens that arent natural to that food. If GM corn, for
example, had one of the allergens that were in soy, then anyone
allergic to soy would then be allergic to GM corn as well but without
knowing it. In a recent study by Iowa State University, it was
hypothesized that the genetically modified antibiotic markers in the
GM food may be the cause of decreas[ed] effectiveness of antibiotics

Genetically Modified Foods

against diseases in humans (Wells, Rasmussen, Ohde, Malual, and

Jarchow, p. 5). In spite of these theories and studies, though, GMO
companies such as Monsanto are still firmly arguing that there has
been no proof that GMOs are actually harmful to the human body. Yet,
the AAEM explains that several animal studies indicate serious health
risks associated with GM food consumption including infertility,
immune dysregulation, accelerated aging, dysregulation of genes
associated with cholesterol synthesis, insulin regulation, cell signaling,
and protein formation, and changes in the liver, kidney, spleen and
gastrointestinal system (Dean and Armstrong). GMO supporters,
however, refuse to acknowledge that these facts arent publicized as
they should be, and continue to hide this information away so that the
general public is kept in the dark.

GM supporters often reason that the benefits of GM crops far

outweigh the potential dangers. After all, they claim that GM crops are
the food of the future and that they are possibly the solution to world
hunger. However, while this may be true, they often overlook the fact
that because we dont actually know the extent of the potential
dangers, they could in fact end up outweighing the benefits. For
example, if GM foods truly do cause all of these health problems in
humans as they do in animals, they wouldnt be helping the population
so much as killing it off. If these health warnings are found to be true,

Genetically Modified Foods

by the time that its discovered it may already be too late to return to
having crops full of completely natural food. In fact, nearly 88
percent of corn in America is GMO; and thats mainly because GM corn
seeds get caught in the wind and blow over to other natural corn
farms, contaminating those farms and cross breeding with the
natural corn.
Recently, one of the larger debates on GM foods has been
whether or not GM foods should be labeled as such. As of now, there
are some states that require GM foods to be labeled. However, there
are others, such as Washington, in which the bill to label GMO foods did
not pass and this is mostly due to indoctrination by GM companies.
Companies that use GMO produce in their products do their best to
argue against GM food labeling because it may deter some from
buying their products. In the state of Washington, Monsanto pumped
4.6 million dollars into ads campaigning against the bill that would
require GMO labeling (Ryan, 2013). These companies are afraid that
the truth about GMO products will finally be available to the public eye
the truth that while GMOs are currently untested and therefor
harmless, there have been more and more experiments that have
shown that GMO foods do more harm than good.
GM crops are advertised by its supporters as being great
because they are resistant to the growth of weeds, and other parasites.

Genetically Modified Foods

This means that there would be more crop yield from the crops, as they
dont lose as much to parasites. Unfortunately, it has been found that
because of this, and because we end up eating these GM crops, weve
become more resistant to viruses and infections. While this usually
wouldnt be a bad thing, it hasnt made us resistant enough to the
point of being completely immune and because of this, viruses are
getting stronger than the antibiotics that we are taking for them.
Basically, medicine cant keep up with the resistance of the viruses,
thus making each virus more dangerous as it develops.
Thenaturalrevolution.org states that Americans are ill informed about
GM crops and their disadvantages, as mainstream media has failed to
report on the health detriments of GM crops. They stated, The only
human GM feeding study ever published shows that the foreign genes
inserted into GM food crops can transfer into the DNA of our gut
bacteria. (Smith) This is especially concerning because, as the website
states, this is a literal translation of the statement you are what you
eat. Basically, GM crops are slowly changing us from the inside as we
eat them, and most people are completely oblivious to this fact. If
there were truly nothing to be afraid of from GM foods, then the
companies that use GMO products wouldnt be pressing so hard to
leave it off the labels.
Another major contention point in the debate about GMOs is the
economic factor. While this was supposed to be GMOs biggest selling

Genetically Modified Foods

point, it has fallen flat. The promised economic gains of growing and
producing GM products have not shown themselves yet, and do not
look like they will show themselves any time soon. In the 2009 Fact
Sheet from the Institute for Responsible Technology, it was revealed
that prices had risen steeply for GMO crops such as soybeans and corn
from the years 2006-2008. This opposes what GMO companies
originally stated would happen; they said that prices would fall,
because the crops would be more resistant to disease and rot. This has
obviously not happened yet. Farmers with GMO crops are struggling to
make money because the price of Monsantos seeds are so high.
However, as Monsanto is one of the largest GMO crop producers in the
world, many farmers feel that they have no choice but to go along with
the new flow.
Monsanto is slowly weeding out the farmers that havent
switched over to their GMO crops, especially for crops such as wheat,
soybeans, and corn. One of the largest problems for these farmers is
that if a crop next to theirs, or even miles away is growing GMO crops,
then the GMO seedlings can be caught up in the wind and carried to
the non-GMO farm. In a news article from the Huffington Post, it was
stated, Monsanto [has] filed 144 patent-infringement lawsuits against
farmers between 1997 and April 2010, and won judgments against
farmers it said made use of its seed without paying required royalties.
(Gillam) This is extremely unfortunate, because how the lawsuit works

Genetically Modified Foods

is that once the farmers lose, they are instantly required to pay back
all royalties that they would have had to pay over the years. This is
usually impossible for farmers, as most of the farms that Monsanto
sues are small and family-owned and when the farmers cant pay,
Monsanto simply takes their crops as collateral.
GM crops are often advertised as being the next big thing;
GMO companies have touted GM crops, often stating that in the future,
GMO crops could end up bringing world hunger to an end because they
will be cheaper, and easier to grow because they dont need to be
tended to as much, and would be stronger and more robust. As
mentioned above, from an economic standpoint, GM crops dont hold
much merit right now. Also, Internationally, many countries in
particular the European Union have expressed a reluctance to accept
GM food and feed grains, in contrast to the quick adoption of GM
agriculture by US farmers. (Quaim and Janvry) If foreign nations refuse
to buy GM crops and food, how is it supposed to help them?
Furthermore, Developing countries often have very different climates,
soils, and agricultural practices than the locations in which GM crops
were originally developed, and some people question whether GM
crops could actually be profitable for third world agriculture. (Quaim
and Janvry) There are also concerns about GM crops in the fact that
some have been developed to be terminator crops the seeds from
terminator crops can only be used once, and seeds cannot be sown

Genetically Modified Foods

from the harvest, causing them to have to be bought again and again.
This doesnt seem beneficial to the economy in fact, it doesnt seem
anything but harmful. As stated in Genetic Modified Foods:
Advantages and Disadvantages, This would be financially disastrous
for farmers in third world countries who cannot afford to buy seed each
year and traditionally set aside a portion of their harvest to plant in the
next growing season. (Mogilna and Mugafwa, 1)
Perhaps one of the largest fears about GM crops, though, is that
we will eventually become completely dependent on them. Already
from the lawsuits that Monsanto has filed, it has become clear that
farmers of natural seeds can do nothing to stop GM seeds from
creeping into their fields and taking over with their genetically superior
models. This is a major problem, because soon there will be no
natural food anymore if this continues, everything will have to be
GM. Even crops that arent GM are affected by this deadly transition;
because the other GM crops are so resistant to weeds and insects, the
weeds and insects that attack crops are becoming stronger by process
of natural selection, and they find it easier to prey on the non-GM
crops. This complete takeover is potentially deadly, as GMOs have not
been studied in depth; if there were any long-term effects, it would
already be too late to go back by the time that we found out about
them. In an article by the International Service for the Acquisition of
Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA), it was stated, A major

Genetically Modified Foods

environmental concern associated with GM crops is their potential to

create new weeds through outcrossing with wild relatives, or simply by
persisting in the wild themselves. By becoming dependent on GM
crops, we are effectively taking over nature, and halting the process of
natural evolution. This process, if adopted by other countries, would
help us to exceed our carrying capacity, which is not necessarily a
good thing.
As mentioned before, 88 percent of our corn crops in America are
GMO, and 93 percent of soybeans are GM as well - those numbers are
steadily rising, too. Corn and soybeans are some of the most essential
crops in the world; almost everything has corn in it nowadays, and
there are many soy products as well. Because corn is so abundant, it is
now feed for most animals. This is a huge problem; it is totally
unnatural for cows and chickens to eat corn. Its even more of a
problem that cows eat corn, though. Cows have a natural diet of grass
and theyre one of the few creatures that can actually eat it. In fact, if
cows were allowed to eat grass, they would almost be self-sustaining;
they eat grass, and then their manure in turn fertilizes the grass so
that it can grow again to be eaten. Unfortunately, nowadays the price
of true grass-fed beef is so high that it has been reserved for the
elites of society. Corn-fed beef, not that its advertised as such on the
package, is much cheaper, so that is what most of America continues
to buy, not realizing the potential hazards. Supporters of the GM

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movement may say that feeding cows corn is the solution to our noland problem; as of now, we do not have enough land to allow all cows
to be grass-fed. Corn solves that problem because the cows can now
be kept in pens. It also allows them to fatten up quicker, as well as
decreasing their lifespan. In an interview with Michael Pollan, he says,
We're taking cows that we used to let grow to be four or five years old
before we eat them [and] we've got it down to 14 months, and we're
heading toward 11 months.
Pollan, who is a professor of journalism at the UC Berkeley
graduate school of Journalism, is also an expert on GM crops and their
detrimental effects on our food chain. In his interview about their
negative effects on cows, he says that corn is not a cows natural diet.
He says, Corn is just too rich, too starchy. So as soon as you introduce
corn, the animal is liable to get sick. This then means that as soon as
the cows start on their diet of corn, farmers end up pumping them full
of antibiotics. The problem with this is the same as above with the GM
crops. They are pumped full of antibiotics, and when we eat their meat,
we in turn are unknowingly digesting those antibiotics as well, causing
viruses to become even stronger without the medical world even
knowing it.
Some say that GM crops are furthering our technological future.
In fact, there was a new type of tomato that was recently produced
that is purple, and has the nutrition of a blueberry. However, one of the

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larger questions to counteract this is, Are we really doing the right
thing? Should we be taking the course of nature into our own hands?
While these GM crops may eventually go on to feed the hungry, it is
still not going to solve world hunger. In fact, if our world worked
differently, world hunger would already be solved. Today there is
enough food in circulation to feed everyone in this world. However, it is
simply the distribution of the food that causes problems. Third world
countries dont have as much food because they dont have enough
money; so far, GM crops have yet to show that they can fix this
problem. If anything, they would make it worse with the suicide gene
that they introduce to many of their crops which forces farmers to keep
buying seeds instead of sowing them from their last harvest. Therefore,
from an economic standpoint GM crops would most likely not change
the fact that people are going hungry in third world countries. From a
social standpoint, GM crops arent amazing either; because of the risk
of unknown health problems that they can cause, GM foods arent a
completely stable alternative for our food chain to fall back on. Also, if
GM foods are truly the route of our future, our future may look bleak
indeed. The animals that we eat will be cooped up inside of pens and
eating food that is unnatural to their natural diet; crops will no longer
be genetically diverse, but instead engineered to look and taste
completely the same. If GM crops continue to persevere in their search
to take over the future of food, our world may never be the same.

Genetically Modified Foods

Annotated Bibliography
Dean, A., & Armstrong, J. (2008, May 8). Genetically Modified Foods.
Position Paper:: The American Academy of Environmental
Medicine (AAEM). Retrieved March 17, 2014, from
http://www.aaemonline.org/gmopost.html

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Background: This source gave me background information on why

Genetically Modified Foods may be bad. I mostly used this source for
reasons on why it would be bad for my health because its from a fairly
reputable website on medicine.

Entine, J., & Wendel, J. (2013, October 14). 2000+ reasons why GMOs
are safe to eat and environmentally sustainable. Forbes.
Retrieved March 18, 2014, from www.Forbes.com
Instancing: I used this article when I was counter arguing the fact that
GM foods were tested for allergens. This was useful to me because the
article skirted around the fact that GM crops werent necessarily tested
for specific allergens, just new allergens in general.

Gillam, C. (2013, June 10). Monsanto wins lawsuit filed by U.S. organic
farmers worried about seed contamination. The Huffington Post.
Retrieved March 21, 2014, from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/10/monsanto-winslawsuit_n_3417081.html
Background: I used this source to provide a quote that gave
background information as to the number of lawsuits that Monsanto
won against farms who didnt pay for their seeds.
GM crops and the environment. (2012, July). GM Crops and the
Environment. Retrieved March 13, 2014, from

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http://www.isaaa.org/resources/publications/pocketk/4/
Argument: I used this source to back up my argument about the
detriments of accidental cross-contamination that could happen with
GMOs. This article was helpful because it came from a reputable
source, and thus ensured that my argument was valid.

Janvry, A., & Quaim, M. (2003, July 24). The Economy: Who makes the
money. The Economy: Who Makes the Money. Retrieved March
21, 2014, from
http://www.scienceandsociety.emory.edu/GMO/Economics.ht_
Argument: I used this article to argue that GMO crops arent really
helping the economy. It helped by providing the specific fact that
European countries didnt want to deal with GMOs.

Mogilna, N., & Magufwa, A. (2009, December 4). Genetically modified

foods advantages and disadvantages. SUMDU. Retrieved March
20, 2014 from
http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/bitstream/123456789/7916/1/14.pdf
Argument: I used this article to argue that GM crops are not, in fact, as
good for the economy as they are advertised to be. I used it to reject
the thought that GM crops would be helpful in solving the problem of
hunger in third world hunger.

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Pollan, M. (n.d.). Interview Michael Pollan. PBS. Retrieved March 21,

2014, from
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/meat/interviews/
pollan.html
Argument: I used this article as a support to my argument on why its
bad for cows to eat corn instead of grass like they should. Pollan is a
well-known, reputable academic who specializes in writing about the
environment and food. He was also featured in the video Food Inc
which is well known for talking about GMOs.

Rasmussen, B., Jarchow, M., Ohde, N., Malual, J., & Wells, B. (n.d.). The
debate on labeling Genetically Modified food. Retrieved March
20, 2014.
Exhibit: This is a source that backs up my claim that GM crops may be
bad for your health. This article was cited in many other articles about
GM crops and health, and I used it because it came from a university,
and was therefore a reputable source.

Ryan, J. (2013, September 10). Monsanto pours $4.6 million into antiGMO labeling campaign. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
Background: I used this source to support my background information
on how much money major GMO companies like Monsanto pumped

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into advertisements against bills that would label GMO foods.

Smith, J. M. (2007). The good, bad and ugly about GMOs. Natural
Revolution. Retrieved March 21, 2014, from
http://naturalrevolution.org/gmo-resources/the-good-bad-andugly-about-gmos/
Argument: I used this source to back up my argument about the fact
that GM crops are basically changing us from the inside. It was used to
instill fear into the readers mind that we dont exactly know what GM
crops are doing to us.