Genetically Modified Foods: Benefits and Controversies

http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/gmfood.shtml

This article gives a clear introduction to the benefits and risks of genetically modified foods. It was posted on October 5, 2008 on genomics.energy.gov. This article gives the reader perspective on all sides of the genetically modified foods debate. For the benefits, it states that GM foods enhance the quality of crops, improve resistance to pests, provide conservation of soil, energy, and water, and promote better waste management, among other things. The controversies that come with GM foods include health impacts such as the transfer of antibiotic resistance markers, the unintended trasnfer of trans-genes, the domination of food production by industrialized nations, and the ethical debate between whether or not to consume animal genes in plants and vice versa.
This article is very relevant to current healthcare debates. Although genetically modified foods can bring increased food security, they may come with a risk. The transfer of antiobiotic resistance and allergens are two of the most pressing issues. Another issue is the fact that there may be unknown negative effects, short or long term, on the health of populations brought on by GM foods. To argue for or against GM foods in the healthcare debate one must weigh the benefits of these products against the known and potential unknown negative effects.
Another debate surrounding GM foods is one that is unrelated to healthcare. This debate is generated from the fact that the large majority of GM foods are produced in the United States and other developed, industrialized nations. Unless the less-developed, unindustrialized nations start producing GM foods, their agricultural exporting industries may be wiped out.