Genetically Modified Food

The term "Genetically Modified Food" refer to very advanced methods of actively altering the genetic code in plants and animals. Through selective and cross breeding we have slowly during thousands of years changed our plants and animals to be bigger and stronger. With Scientific advances in the 20th century it is now possible to get results much faster. The first genetically modified tomatoes came out on the US market in the 1990´s.

Fast Development
Since then the development has gone fast, propelled by huge corporal investmnets in big scale research, some even talk about a kind of "green revolution". Animals have also been tampered with, livestock that produce meat with more protein are quite common. They can have been made to be more nutritious or to produce more vitamins. It has not yet spread equally across the world, US and many developing countries are quite liberal whilst for instance members of the EU and Japan are a lot more restrictive. The most common GM plants have been made resistant to herbicides, pesticides and diseases - clearly the aim for them has been to create higher yields and bigger profits.

Counter Reaction And Criticism
Quite a lot of people has reacted against the development and use of GM foods. A main argument against has been ecological and environmental concerns. Do we really know what we are doing? What is the effect of us meddling with mother nature? Do we really know what will happen to the eco systems when these plants gets spread out? In human history ecological disasters are many, plants and animals introduced to some regions have destroyed the balance and created big problems (the rabbit in Australia is one example). By creating stronger specimens we risk diminishing the biodeversity and which consequences that has noone can guess.

Human health concerns has also been put forward. Just like with the environemental effect of genetically modified food we can´t really say what it has for effect on our bodies.

A counter reaction can clearly be seen in the rapid growth of organic farming. In supermarkets around the world you have more natural alternatives. In many ways it can be seen as a moral reaction to the modern food industry. What gives us the right to mess with natures own building blocks, or from a religious point of view: God´s creation.

Another debate has been how the genetic manipulation codes can be patented. Can someone really own a gene? If it would be ruled that they can´t be patented, a lot less money would be spent by private company reseach since profits would be a lot smaller.

Arguments For
There is another side of the coin. It is not only profit blind ruthless multi national companies that are arguing for GM food. Many scientists mean that it is the only way forward in a world with an evergrowing population. The purposeful development of stronger and more nutritious food through genetic manipulation will in their view be inevitable. It has even been discussed how genetically modified foods could contain bio-vaccines and therefor eliminate rampant diseases. During thousands of years we have been breeding plants and animals, is this just a more modern and effective approach?

Ideology
This is not a simple topic in any way. It might be good to see it from a ideological perspective. The linear thinking has dominated the Western world for centuries: The only way is forward through science - that is where GM positive people belong. On the other side we have a moment towards a more circular thinking where nature´s own cycle is taken in to respect - this is where the GM enemies belong. What will happen in the future is impossible to say.

Right now there is not a 100% consistant international standard for labeling GM food so it is not possible for the consumer too choose. In my view that would be the first obvious step. The restrictive attitudes of the EU and Japan is more to my liking since it is impossible to undo something that is done.


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