Everlasting Debate between Supporters and Critics

History of Social Issue

From the moment humans discovered DNA in 1953, genetics has fascinated people from all over the world. While selective breeding has been around for centuries, biotechnology is a new and foreign concept to many. The FDA first started approving GMOs in 1982, and the first genetically modified food quickly followed after. The Flavr Slavr Tomato was the first genetically engineered food to hit the grocery stores, in 1994. Since then, biotechnology and the rise of GMOs has been the fastest growing agricultural development in history. In fact, in 1999, there were 98.6 acres of GMOs planted globally, where in 2014, there were 448 acres of these crops (Biotech crop highlights in 2017).

Now, people believe this could be the next Green Revolution The first Green Revolution began in the 1940’s, when Norman Borlaug created disease-resistant wheat through selective breeding. These agricultural developments grew world-wide and saved a hungry nation; the agricultural developments they are making again will have the same impact. In 1995, Bt crops began to be used. Bt is short for the bacteria, Bacillus Thuringienus, which has been known to make a specialized protein which kills pests. Many crops today such as corn, potatoes, and cotton have been genetically altered to carry the same gene as the bacteria, which allows them to be resistant to harmful insects. There have been several impactful discoveries in the past. In the last fifteen years alone, transformed mindsets and innovation have led to the success of GMOs globally; these include the UN endorsing genetically engineered foods, the development of life-changing plants, and the everlasting debate between supporters and critics.

In 2004, the United Nations finally approved biotech foods, declaring there were not any adverse health effects related to genetically engineered crops. While the organization was previously skeptical about the technology, the U.N. food agency has even begun to believe “transgenic technology has a great potential for increasing crop yields, reducing costs to customers and improving the nutritional value of foods” (Biotech foods endorsed by U.N. agency).

This statement proves just how important these plants could be to the future of a growing world where already more than half the people are poverished. This influential endorsement has paved the way for groundbreaking research and has allowed the United Nations to reach out to countries threatened with famine and poverty. While the organization continues to cautiously watch the development of genetically engineered foods, the approval of the UN has not only introduced GMOs to the rest of the world, but has strengthened the biotech research being performed. The development of GMOs continues to be successful and several new, transgenic crops have been born.

Over the past fifteen years, there has been significant research which has led to successful plant development. The creation of Swarna-sub1, in 2006, has proven to be exceptionally successful in the lower regions of Asia. Pamela Ronald, a plant pathologist for the University of California, Davis, managed to isolate an inherently important gene from an Indian rice variety (Folder). The rice plant was scarcely grown because of its low crop output; however, the gene known as Sub1 gave it the ability to survive two weeks underwater. Scientists cross-pollinated this rice with another rice plant called Swarna, which has been known to have a higher plant yield. This led to the birth of Swarna-sub1, which has been grown by more than four million farmers in Asia.

Rice plants typically only last a few days when submerged under water and the poverished people of India are given the poorest lands which tend to flood frequently. Robert Zielger, the director of the International Rice Research Institute, states this is a “sophisticated biotechnology… that preferentially benefits the poorest of the poor” (Folder). With more inventions to come, several third-world countries will be able to benefit from plants similar to Swarna-sub1. While developing countries are beginning to prosper under modified foods, the GMO debate continues in wealthier countries.

As of 2013, several states in the US are attempting to pass a bill to make it required for GMOs to be properly labeled. The former senator of California, Barbara Boxer, set forth to pass two amendments to seal the fate of genetically modified foods. The first of which would require labeling for all GMOs and would demand a “report in six months from several federal agency heads reviewing the labeling methods used internationally,” which would include the problematic impact “of having differing labeling requirements passed by states rather [than] having a federal standard” (D’Ambrosio). The advocating states insist it is important for consumers to know what they are eating.

These beliefs hold strong even when the FDA proved genetically modified foods were not “materially different from their traditional counterparts and therefore did not need to be labeled” (D’Ambrosio). Supporters of GMOs assert labels may indicate the modified foods are harmful and could imply the altered food is somehow sidekick to organic or non-modified crops. The states are desperately searching for stable ground when it comes to what they do not know about GMOs. The debate between the two sides continues today and still has an influential effect on society.

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