Are GMOs Safe?

Are GMO's a threat, or are they safe to consume? In today's technological world, the access to information is as easy as peeling a banana, a product that can be consumed with GMO's or 100% organic. With the waves and spread of sensationalist news on the internet, many people consume information at such a rate that their attention span frequently fails to drive them into researching the information. As survivalists’ beings, we tend to look out for what we eat and what might cause us to develop health complications along our lifespan, which is why the GMO scare is somewhat justified. However, we as humans are a product of GMO's, as we mix with other races and get vaccinated, we are modifying our genetics at a faster rate than we would have through an organic process. So, are GMO’s safe? My extensive and unbiased investigation agrees that it is safe. Many people do not even know what GMO stands for, it is an abbreviation of Genetically Modified Organism, in other words any living being that has been tempered with through genetical engineering. The benefits of GMO’s go beyond economically, many people consider these products as a creation of evil corporations that only seek to fill their pockets at the expense of the people who cannot afford organic food.

Though it is true that these products are created as a new source of income for corporations, GMO’s are helping the development of farms and livestock in places where it previously was impossible. For example, tomatoes do not favor cold or damped terrain, but through the modification of its genetic code with some specific gens from salmon it is now possible for tomatoes to adapt to this terrain. Consuming this product, will not affect humans in any way, the nutritional value stays the same and the modification will not make humans mutate. When considering the amount of research required to have an unbiased opinion on the subject, it is guaranteed to have read publications against GMO’s. As previously mentioned, today, information is constant, and it exceeds our attention and retention span. Many journalists and “researchers” take advantage of this by creating sensationalist headlines. Many, if not all, of the articles I read had scary headlines that are memorable. Even if the information read on these articles were favorable for GMO’s, the headline and first paragraph are enough to scare people away.

The truth on these articles is that are opinion based without any research to back up their claim. It would be no surprise that the people writing these articles wear tin foiled hats and are worried that the government is putting something in the water to make the frogs gay. It is almost impossible to find an article that does not cross the conspiracy theory line, their sole base to argue against these products is fear and that is how they have been able to spread so far and wide in a technological society. The modification of organisms through genetic manipulation is not something new, corn is believed to be the first of these products. A scientific achievement that makes the world a more habitable place, providing food to people who previously had a scarce access to it and have an all year-round production. With the large quantities that are produced through the genetic modification has allow the costs to be reduced and for food to be more accessible. While organic food still holds the edge when it comes to flavor, the constant investigations and advancement on the field of GMO’s can guarantee that it is only a matter of time before both are equal in every aspect except production.

Organic food, though more natural, would not produce the number of crops required to feed the population of a large city, it depends on constant attention and investment for it to be viable in large quantities, hence the high costs. GMO’s are not only a solution for world hunger, it is also an economic solution for many people who in the past had to choose between quantities and quality of nutritional value in food. It provides access to food to people who were unable to grow crops due to the terrain and it allows livestock to adapt. The research shows that most articles and investigations done against GMO’s are done by people with no qualifications on the field and it is borderline conspiracy theory, its fuel is fear. While it is a positive thing to have a level of skepticism, it is also good to accompany it with research on the subject, through a diverse opinion pool. When in doubt about the needs of GMO’s, remember that more people are having access to quality food than they did or would ever had through the organic crops.

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